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The Way of Salvation
by Brian
When I first started to take my spiritual life seriously I quickly discovered the importance of prayer and meditation. In large part, this was due to the writings of numerous saints who had a great deal to say about prayer. I remember that some of the first books I bought were books that contained meditations and spiritual exercises that were lengthy and full of insights to help the individual grow closer to Christ.
Over time these meditations and spiritual exercises began to wear me down. They became long and drawn out which caused me mental fatigue and left my heart, at best, lukewarm. Eventually I had to put these books back on the shelf and try to find some meditations that were shorter, simpler and more direct. After a lot of digging and research I found what I was looking for in the book "The Way of Salvation," by Alphonsus Liguori.
This great saint and Doctor of the Church as a young priest was called by God to bring the Gospel to the spiritually abandoned who lived in the hill country of southern Italy. Since many of these people were poor and ignorant his style of preaching and teaching had to be simple and straight to the point. This is exactly what one finds in "The Way of Salvation."
I believe Alphonsus was blessed with the grace of being able to get to the very core of religious truths and express them to audiences with great clarity. From the meditations found in this book one comes across themes such as Heaven, Hell, Death, Sin, Grace, Prayer, the Blessed Virgin, Jesus Crucified and the list goes on and on. When I first encountered these meditations, it was as if a breath of fresh air had swept through my heart and soul.
As I started using these meditations I found myself being taken on a journey through the great truths of Catholicism. Alphonsus' brilliance would shine forth as he explained these truths using simple examples that everyone could relate to, especially those who are not used to meditation.
It is obvious he doesn't pull any punches. These meditations get to the heart of our faith and they point in only one direction, eternal salvation. Like Father John Corapi, Alphonsus knew that at the end of life we would be one of two things, a winner or a loser. We gain either Heaven or Hell. There is no in between.
To this day, I still find myself going back to Alphonsus' meditations to help me grow closer to Christ. These meditations would never win him an award for artistic style or sublime thought, but what they would win him is an award for helping guide souls to Heaven.
If you come across books that contain meditations by Alphonsus Liguori, check them out. They may be just what your spiritual life needs.
God bless.