St. Alphonsus de Liguori taught that true peace can only be found in God alone. He wrote, “He that seeks peace in creatures will never find it, because no creatures are capable of giving contentment to the heart. God has created man for Himself, who is an infinite good; therefore, God alone can satisfy him.”
St. Alphonsus observed: “How is this that so many persons, rich and titled, and even princes, in the midst of the abundance of the goods of the world, do not find peace? And, on the contrary, so many good religious, who live retired in a cell, poor and hidden, live so contentedly? How was it that so many solitaries, living in a desert or in a cave, suffering hunger and cold, yet exulted with joy? It is because they lived for God alone, and God consoled them.”
The saint urged: “Try it for once; leave the world, leave it and give yourselves to God, and you shall see how well he knows how to console you more than can all the grandeurs and delights of the world.”
He pointed out that God gives consolations to his servants, only to make them yearn for that happiness which he prepares for them in paradise.
St. Alphonsus also taught that we ought to have God alone in view. He wrote, “In all our actions we should have no other end in view but to please God, not to please our relations or friends or great people or ourselves, because everything which is not done for the sake of God is all lost.”
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (Lk 2:14) To receive peace from God, we must give him all the glory.
In one of his sermons, St. Bernard preached: “Hear what he Himself says, ‘I will not give my glory to another.’ What, then, O Lord, what will You give us? ‘Peace,’ he answers, ‘I leave with you, my peace I give unto you.’ It is enough for me … Glory I renounce altogether, lest, perchance, whilst I usurp what is not conceded, I justly forfeit even that which has been bestowed. Peace I want, peace I desire, and nothing more … I should be a fool to lock up my glory in the coffer of men’s lips so that I should have to beg it of them whenever I wanted it. For as it depends on their will whether to approve or to censure me, so my glory or disgrace would be equally in their power. But I keep my glory under my own care. I myself with more fidelity shall guard it for myself. Nay, not even to myself do I entrust it. I rather deposit it with Him, Who ‘is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day,’ careful to preserve, faithful to restore … my brethren, knowing this, none of you should desire to be praised in this life, for you steal from God whatever of glory you appropriate to yourselves, without referring it to him.”
Using the image of the foolish virgins taking lamps with no oil from Matthew 25:3, Thomas a Kempis preached: “Outside the charity of God and the neighbour the works praised by men are of no avail; but they are as empty vessels having no oil: and as lamps giving no light in the dark. Certainly they are the foolish virgins: who for any good work or word seek the praises of men. But they are the wise, who stand in fear, and guard in true humility the little good which they do: all likewise that they know and understand, and bring to effect, or purpose to make better: this they attribute with truth to God, the giver of all good things. Otherwise they are thieves and robbers: thieves because they unlawfully usurp the glory and honour of God; robbers because by vainly boasting they wound their own soul: and by taking pride they destroy the grace of God.”
St. Josemaria Escriva wrote, “If life didn’t have as its aim to give glory to God, it would be detestable – even more, loathsome.”
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『一切都是為天主的光榮』
聖亞豐索教導說，真正的平安只能在天主內找到。他寫道：『那些要從受造物中找尋平安的，永遠不會找到，因為沒有受造物能夠給予心內的滿足。天主，祂是無限的美善，祂為自己創造了人類，所以只有天主自己能夠使人滿足。』
這位聖人觀察到：『這些又如何，有很多富有的，著名的，甚至王子，活在滿溢的世界的美好中，他們也找不到平安？可是，相反地，很多修道人士，退隱到洞穴中，貧窮和隱蔽卻活得滿足。這些又如何，很多獨居的，居於沙漠或洞穴中，忍受著饑餓和寒冷，卻喜悅地頌揚？這是因為他們只為天主而生活，天主撫慰他們』。這聖人催促說：『作一次的嘗試；離開這世俗，離開它並把自己交給天主，你將會見到祂怎樣清楚地知道如何去安撫你，多於世上的一切堂皇和喜樂。』這聖人指出天主給安慰予祂的僕人，只是為使他們渴求天主為他們在天堂準備了的快樂。
聖亞豐索亦教導我們應該我們的目光中應該只有天主。他寫道：『在我們的一切行動中，我們麼該沒有其他的目的，唯一的是讓天主喜悅，不是讓我們的親友或偉人或自己喜悅，因為一切的事物如果不是為天主的緣故而做的都會失落。』
『天主受享光榮於高天，主愛的人在世享平安。』（路2:14）要從天主處獲得平安，我們要將一切的光榮歸於祂。在他的一次宣道中，聖伯爾納鐸講道說：『請聽聽祂自己說什麼「我不會把我的光榮給其他人。」什麼，這樣，噢，我主，袮會給我們什麼呢？「平安，」祂回答道：「我將平安留給你們，將我的平安賞給你們。」為我這是足夠的…我完全棄絕光榮，以免我篡奪未被讓出的東西時，我會理當地喪失已經被賦予的東西。我願得平安，我期待平安，再沒有其他的了…我會是一個糊涂人，如果我把我的光榮鎖在人們唇邊的保險箱內，這樣我需要它的時候要向他們懇求。因為要被認同或被譴責都依靠著他們的意願，所以我的光榮或恥辱都是力量均衡的。但我把我的光榮保留作自我關心。我自己能更真誠的為自己去維護它。不，我什至不把它託付給我自己。我情願把它存放祂內，祂「可以保存它，這是我曾向祂承諾每天作掙取的。」小心維護，忠於恢復…我的弟兄們，知道這一點，你們誰都不應該渴望在今生被讚美，因為你們從天主那裡偷走了你們屬於自己的任何榮耀，而没有把它交给祂。』
用那些愚蠢童女的圖像，提著沒油的燈(瑪竇25:3)多默·肯皮斯宣道說：『在對天主和近人的愛之外，人們稱頌的工作是沒有幫助的；他們只是沒有油，空的器皿：也是在夜裡不會發亮的燈。肯定地，他們都是愚蠢的童女們：她們的一切好的工作或話語都只尋求世人的讚美。但那些聰明的，她們站在恐慌中，並以真正謙遜，守護他們所做的小好事：同樣，他們知道和理解，並實現或旨在改善：他們將真理歸於天主，祂是所有美好事物的給予者。 否則他們就是小偷和強盜：小偷，因為他們非法地去奪取光榮和榮耀；強盜，因為他們徒勞地吹噓，傷害了自己的靈魂：並且，因著驕傲他們破壞了天主的聖寵。』
聖若瑟瑪利亞、施禮華寫道：『如果生命沒有光榮天主的意圖，它會是令人厭惡的—更甚者是噁心的。』
