...the first publication of the new initiative: Slaying Dragons Press Classics

The very first book I ever wrote, Come Away By Yourselves, was inspired by St. Alphonsus Liguori who, since the year 2003, has been my favorite literary Saint.

When I collected the material as I researched and wrote Slaying Dragons, I knew that St. Alphonsus would be a key source for that work, and he was.

Once Slaying Dragons Press emerged, I began to constantly have a strong interest in reprinting some of his most excellent, and sadly forgotten, writings.

Today, I can announce that this process has begun!

A Christian's Rule of Life (with Darts of Fire) is the first of what will hopefully be many reprints of some of the excellent books penned by one of the most extraordinary Doctors of the Church. LEARN MORE HERE

A Christian's Rule of Life (with Darts of Fire) is an immensely practical, reflective, and inspiring catechesis on how to live in this world as a Christian, penned by a Saint whose life bore witness to a keen understanding of what this entails. St. Alphonsus Liguori is a Saint who chose, while a highly successful lawyer, to abandon the world and serve God alone; who labored as a joyful and zealous and most penitential missionary; whose faith and holiness were witnessed by many extraordinary miracles; whose preaching and writings effectively opposed the many and ubiquitous errors of his day; whose humility drove him to both flee from being elected as a Bishop and to accept this same elevation once he saw clearly that it was indeed the will of God.

This is one of the many writings praised by Popes during his life and after his death, writings which inspired the whole Church (Cardinals, Patriarchs, Archbishops, Bishops, generals of religious Orders, “almost all the prelates of the whole Catholic universe, theological faculties of the most celebrated universities, and learned men of every ecclesiastical body”) to petition the Holy Father to adorn St. Alphonsus Liguori with the title and honor of Doctor of the Church. And so he is.

It is my hope that this book will inspire you as he has inspired me, as he has inspired countless generations, and as he has inspired and, by his intercession, protected the whole Church.

This book is a compilation of two of his excellent works, each comprising about half of the book itself. The main work is the headliner of the book: A Christian’s Rule of Life. This book focuses on three main objects: Persevering in the Grace of God, filling the day with Acts of Piety, and practicing the Christian Virtues. He addresses nearly every topic that impacts the life of a Christian: growing in a love for God, being humble and repentant, dealing well with one’s neighbor, suffering all of life’s burdens with patience, preparing well for Holy Communion and Confession, and preparing well for death.

To aid the reader, I have written two summaries (“compilations”) of the counsel of St. Alphonsus Liguori as found in A Christian’s Rule of Life. The first is a summary of the advice he gives on how to sanctify the various hours of the day; from waking to working to retiring at night; for a single day and for the various days of the week. The second is a summary of the various topics he addresses in the book, such as: humility, mortification, charity toward neighbor, patience, conformity of the will, purity of intention, tepidity, devotion to the Mother of God, and acquiring the love of Jesus Christ.

Among the many counsels which St. Alphonsus presents in this work is that of daily meditation. Among the many sources for this meditation, he recommends, wisely, some of his own writings, in particular what he called Darts of Fire.

Darts of Fire is a collection of thirty-eight meditations, to be read ideally one each day. As the editor of the 19^th century “Ascetical Works of St. Alphonsus Liguori,” Rev. Eugene Grimm, said, “Saint Alphonsus Liguori himself set a high value on this little treatise. He recommends it in several places of his works, and we read in one of his spiritual letters that he himself used it nearly every day.” These pious reflections are “irresistible darts that pierce the hardest hearts, and inflame divine love in the coldest souls.”

It is fitting to place this work alongside A Christian’s Rule of Life since, as the reader will find on page 25 of this present edition, it is one of four books that he recommends to his religious congregation for use during their meditations. As he says in the latter work, highlighting the importance of daily meditation, “He who makes his meditation every day can scarcely fall into sin.” Meditation, an essential element in mental prayer, may always be done with the aid of a book, as St. Alphonsus notes.

Darts of Fire focuses on the sufferings of Our Lord. It is this subject of meditation which St. Alphonsus said was a most efficacious subject for meditation. As he wrote, “If any one wishes to make sure of being inflamed with love towards Jesus Christ, let him often try to meditate on his Passion…For this purpose I have written many meditations on the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, especially the Darts Of Fire which speak of the love which Jesus Christ has borne us in the great work of our redemption.”

This is the first of, hopefully, more articles on the great value of the writings of St. Alphonsus Liguori. Please subscribe to my website to learn more!

Please share this email and spread the word about Slaying Dragons Press books!