In his writings, St. Alphonsus de Liguori often emphasized three things:
- The importance of detaching our heart from creatures.
- We can only detach ourselves from creatures by acquiring great love for God through prayer.
- A person is always in danger of abandoning God and being lost so long as he has not given himself wholly to God.
Regarding detachment from creatures, the saint wrote, “Let us persuade ourselves that God alone can content us, but he does not fully content any but those souls that love him with all their hearts. And what room can the love of God find in a heart that is full of this earth? Such people may go often to Communion and pay frequent visits to the Blessed Sacrament, but because this love of earth is in their hearts, God cannot wholly possess them and enrich them as he would. Many souls lament that in their meditations and Communions and in their other most devout exercises they do not find God. To such, St. Teresa says: ‘Detach your heart from creatures, and you shall find God.’”
Regarding acquiring great love for God, St. Alphonsus wrote, “Now, the only means to detach ourselves from creatures is to acquire a great love for God. If the love of God does not succeed in obtaining the mastery over our whole will, we shall never succeed in becoming saints. The means for acquiring this all-holy love is prayer. Let us constantly pray to God to give us his love, for thus we shall find ourselves detached from everything created.”
Regarding the importance of giving oneself wholly to God, the saint wrote, “Alas, the soul is always in danger of abandoning God and being lost, so long as it has not given itself wholly to God; while he who has truly given himself entirely to God can rest secure of never leaving Him, because Our Lord is indeed kind and faithful to everyone who has given himself to him without reserve. But why is it that some persons who at first lived a holy life afterwards fell so grievously that they left little hope of their salvation? Why is this? Because, I answer, they had not given themselves wholly to God, and this their fall is the proof of it.”
Sometimes God allows us to experience spiritual dryness in order to purify our love for him, so that we are attached to God rather than the feelings of God. St. Alphonsus said that in a time of desolation we ought principally to exercise ourselves in acts of humility and resignation, and we ought to persevere in our prayer during the appointed time. The saint said, “This, then, is your answer whenever you feel tempted to stop praying because it seems to be a waste of time: ‘I am here to please God.’”
St. Therese of Lisieux experienced spiritual dryness during prayer for a long time but she strove to feed the fire of love in her heart through little acts of love. She wrote to her sister Celine: “St. Teresa [of Avila] says we must feed the fire of love. When we are in darkness, in dryness, there is no wood within our reach, but surely we are obliged at least to throw little bits of straw on the fire…. For example, a smile, a friendly word, when I would much prefer to say nothing at all or look bored, etc. …”
St. Paul of the Cross and St. Josemaria Escriva suggested using short prayers. St. Paul of the Cross wrote, “When you are dry as dust in prayer, don’t quit, but keep going. Use little, short prayers, especially acts of acceptance of the Most Holy Will of God. For example: ‘O dear Will of my God, may You be blessed forever! O most gentle Will! May You be always fulfilled by all.’” St. Josemaria wrote, “When it feels as if your fire is dying out and you can’t throw fragrant logs on it, throw on the branches and twigs of short vocal prayers, of ejaculations, to keep feeding the blaze. And you will have used the time well.”
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我們祈禱為中悅和愛天主
在他的著作中，聖亞豐索經常強調三件事：1.把我們的心與受造物分離，2.我們只能藉著祈禱以獲取對天主的大愛，才可把我們自己與受造物分離，3.如果一個人沒有把自己全部給與天主，他是時常處於離棄天主和失落的危機中。
有關與受造物分離，這聖人寫道：『讓我們說服自己，可以使我們滿足的就只有天主，但祂不會滿足任何的人，只有那些全心愛祂的靈魂。一顆心充滿著現世的事物，尚有什麼地方可以容納天主的愛呢？這些人可能時常領受聖體聖事，時常朝拜聖體，但因為他們的心愛慕現世事物，天主不能夠如祂所欲地全然擁有他們，充實他們。很多靈魂痛惜在他們以默禱，聖體聖事和其他最熱心的事工，他們都找不到天主。對這些人，聖女德蘭說：「把你的心從受造物中分離，你便會找到天主。」』
有關獲取對天主的大愛，聖亞豐索寫道：『現在，唯一的方法讓自己與受造物分離是獲取對天主的大愛。如果對天主的愛未能成功地主宰我們的意願，我們也永不能成功成為聖人。這是說，要能得獲這全聖的愛是祈禱。讓我們恆久地向天主祈禱，求祂賜我們祂的愛，由此，我們將會見到自己與每一件受造物分離。』
有關把自己全部給與天主的重要性，這聖人寫道：『唉，靈魂如果不是把自己全然給予天主，它是時常處於離棄天主和處於失落的危機中；當他真正能夠把自己整體的給予天主，他能肯定永不會離開祂，因為我主對所有把自己毫無保留地給予祂的人，是真正仁慈和信實的。但是，為什麼有些人起初過著聖潔的生活，後來卻悲慘地墮落，以致對得救的希望渺茫呢？ 為什麼是這樣？ 因為，我回答說，他們沒有將自己完全獻給天主，他們的墮落就是證明。』
有時天主容許我們經驗神枯，好能淨化我們對祂的愛，因此我們依附於天主而不是依附於對天主的感覺。聖亞豐索說，在神枯的時候，我們主要地應該作謙遜和棄絕的鍛鍊，我們麼該在處於這指定的時段中，不懈地祈禱。這聖人說：『當你感到要停止祈禱的誘惑，因為這似是浪費時間，你要這樣回答：「我在這裡為中悅天主。」』
聖女小德蘭在祈禱一段長時間後，經歷了神枯，但她藉著一些小的愛德工作，奮力把愛的火投入心中 。她給她的姊妹席琳寫信說：『（亞維拉的）聖女德蘭說，我們要投入愛的火。當我們在黑暗的時候，在神枯的時候，我們週邊找不到柴木，但肯定的是我們最少能夠向火裡投入一點點的禾草…例如，當我完全不願說話和沉悶的時候，送上一個微笑，一句友善的說話，等等。』
十字保祿和聖若瑟瑪利亞、施禮華建議作短禱。十字保祿寫道：『在祈禱中，當你乾涸如灰塵的時候，不要放棄，繼續祈禱。作些小小的短禱，特別是接納至聖天主旨意的行為。「例如：噢，我主至愛的旨意，願袮永受贊美！噢，至溫和的旨意！願袮時常為一切人所滿全。」』聖若瑟瑪利亞寫道：『當你察覺你的火快要熄滅，你又不能投入芳香的柴木，投入簡短口禱的枝條，細枝，短誦，讓火繼續燃燒。這樣，你便把時間好好的用上了。』
