St. Alphonsus de Liguori said, “Some people trust their eternal salvation to certain devotions, or to certain outward works of piety, and yet will not do the Will of God. But Jesus Christ says: ‘Not everyone that saith to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doth the will of my father who is in heaven, he shall enter into the kingdom of heaven.’ (Mt 7:21). Thus, if we desire to be saved and to acquire a perfect union with God, we should endeavor always to address to him the prayer of David: ‘Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God.’ (Ps 142:10). And meanwhile, let us strip ourselves of our own will and give it wholly to God without reserve.”

St. Alphonsus pointed out that when we give God our will, we give him ourselves altogether. However, for this sacrifice to be perfect, it must be without reserve and it must be constant.

Doing the will of God transforms our works and activities into prayer. The book A Year with the Saints contains this vital passage: “St. Francis de Sales, for many years before his death, had scarcely any time for prayer, as he was overwhelmed with other occupations. One day St. Jane Frances de Chantal asked him whether he had made his meditation. ‘No,’ he replied, ‘but I am doing what is worth as much.’ In fact, he endeavored to keep himself continually united with God, and he used to say that in this world we must make a prayer of works and activities. Thus his life was a continual prayer, for he did not content himself with merely enjoying a delicious union with God in prayer, but equally loved to do his will.”

St. Faustina Kowalska wrote, “If the angels were capable of envy, they would envy us for two things: one is the receiving of Holy Communion, and the other is suffering.”

St. Alphonsus de Liguori said, “Some people think they are beloved of God when all their temporal affairs go prosperously and they have no troubles; but they are mistaken, because God does not try the patience and faithfulness of his servants by prosperity, but by adversity, in order to give them that crown which fades not away, as all the crowns of this earth do fade away.”

The saint added: “It is in humiliations that Saints are discovered, for there is made known whether they are gold or lead. Such a one is considered a saint; but when he receives an injury from another, he is entirely disturbed; he complains of it to everyone; he says he will make him repent of it. What does this show? It is a sign that he is not gold, but lead.”

St. Gerard Majella (1726-1755) was a spiritual son of St. Alphonsus. Gerard was 12 years old when his father died. Shortly after his father’s death, his mother sent him away to live with his uncle and to learn to become a tailor. In 1745, Gerard worked as a tailor. He divided his earnings among himself, his mother, the poor, and in Mass offerings for the souls in purgatory.

Gerard applied to the Capuchin monastery twice but was turned down both times due to his health. He didn’t give up and, in 1749, he joined the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer.

During the next six years in religious life, Gerard served as gardener, sacristan, tailor, porter, cook, carpenter, and clerk of works of the new buildings in Caposele, Italy. In 1754 his spiritual director asked him to write down what he longed for more than anything else. Gerard wrote: “to love God much; always to be united with God; to do all things for the sake of God; to love everything for God’s sake; to suffer much for God. My only business is to do the will of God.”

Before his death, Gerard had this sign placed on his door: “The will of God is done here, as God wills it and as long as he wills it.”

Often he was heard to say this prayer: “My God, I wish to die in order to do Your most holy will.”


聖哲拉的唯一事業是奉行天主的旨意

聖亞豐索說：『一些人相信他們的永恆救恩在於某些熱心的工作，或某些外展的虔誠工作，但卻不按天主的旨意工作。但耶穌說：「不是凡向我說「主啊! 主啊! 」的人，就能進入天國；而是那承行我在天之父旨意的人，才能進天國。」瑪竇（7:21）。所以，如果我們想能得救並得與天主完美結合，我們應該時常嘗試以遠味的祈禱向祂請求：「求你教我承行你的旨意，因你是我的天主。」（詠143:10）。現在，讓我們剔除我們自己的意願，並無保留地把它全交托於天主。』

這位聖人指出當我們將我們的意願交給天主時，我們把自己也一併交給了祂。可是，要這犧牲是真的完美，它應是毫無保留的而且是恆久的。

承行天主的旨意把我們的工作和活動轉化成祈禱。A Year With The Saints的作者寫道：『聖方濟各、沙雷氐，在他去世前很多年，幾乎沒有時間作祈禱，他忙於其他的事務。一天聖方濟加·尚達爾問他可曾有作他的默禱。「沒有」他回應道，「但我正做的是更有價值的事。」事實上，他努力保持自己繼續與天主結合，他經常說，在這世上，我們要作工作和活動的祈禱。由此，他的生命是一個不斷的祈禱，因為他不滿足於享受自己僅有的與天主結合的祈禱，但同樣喜愛承行祂的聖意。』

聖女傅天娜·克瓦爾斯卡寫道：『如果天使們可以妒忌的話，他們會妒忌我們兩件事：一是領受聖體聖事，其次是受苦。』聖亞豐索、利古力說：『有些人以為他們豐盛的現世事物和未染煩憂，是天主愛了他們；但他們錯了，因為天主不會以豐盛去測試祂僕人的耐性和信實，反以逆境去給他們永不褪色的王冠，因為世上所有的王冠都會褪色。』

這聖人補充說：『在耻辱中聖人被找到，因為是金是鉛由此得知。這一位可算是聖人；當他受到他人的傷害，他全被干擾；他向每一人埋怨；他說他會讓他後悔。這說明了什麼？這是一標誌，他是鉛不是金。』

哲拉、馬則（1726-1755）是聖亞豐索的一位靈修的兒子。哲拉的父親在他十二歲時去世。父親去世不久，他母親把他送到叔父處居住，學習做一個裁縫。

在1745年，哲拉執業裁縫。他把收入分給母親，窮人，所餘的為煉獄靈魂奉獻彌撒。

哲拉兩次申請進入Capuchin隱修院，都因健康問題而被拒。他並未放棄，直至1749年，他進了Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer。

繼後的6年宗教生命，哲拉作為園丁，祭衣房管理，裁縫，挑夫，廚子，木匠和在Caposele新厦的文書工作。在1754年，他的神師叫他寫下他期望最甚的其他工作。哲拉寫道：『切愛天主；時常要與天主結合；為天主緣故做一切的事；為天主原因愛一切事物；為天主多受些苦。我唯一的業務是承行天主的旨意。』