Alfonso Maria wa Liguori

Alfonso Maria wa Liguori, anayejulikana kama "Doctor Zelantissimus" ("Mwalimu mwenye bidii sana").

Alfonso Maria wa Liguori alizaliwa Marianella (leo katika jiji la Napoli, nchini Italia tarehe 27 Septemba 1696, akafariki Nocera de' Pagani (katika wilaya ya Salerno) tarehe 1 Agosti 1787.

Pamoja na kuwa mtawa mwanzilishi wa shirika la Mkombozi, halafu askofu wa Kanisa Katoliki, anajulikana pia kama mwandishi wa vitabu vingi sana, mwanashairi, mchoraji na mwanamuziki.

Alitangazwa mapema na Papa Pius VII kuwa mwenye heri tarehe 15 Septemba 1816, halafu Papa Gregori XVI alimtangaza mtakatifu mwaka 1839, na Papa Pius IX kuwa mwalimu wa Kanisa mwaka 1871. Yeye tu alipewa cheo hicho kabla ya miaka mia tangu afe.

Papa Pius XII alimtangaza pia msimamizi wa waungamishi na wanateolojia ya maadili.

Sikukuu yake inaadhimishwa kila tarehe 1 Agosti.

Utoto na ujana

Alfonso alikuwa mtoto wa kwanza kati ya wanane waliozaliwa na sharifu Giuseppe de' Liguori na Anna Maria Caterina Cavalieri.

Baba yake alimpatia mapema walimu bora, hivi kwamba alipofikia umri wa miaka 12 aliweza kujiandikisha kwenye chuo kikuu cha Napoli ambapo miaka 4 baadaye akapata udaktari wa sheria za nchi na za Kanisa (1713).

Kwa ruhusa ya pekee aliweza kuanza kazi kama wakili akiwa na miaka 16 tu.

Mwaka 1718 alifanywa hakimu wa "Regio Portulano" ya Napoli, na miaka michache baadaye akawa balozi wa kardinali Altan, naibu wa mfalme.

Wito na upadri

Kuhudhuria Chama cha Madaktari kwenye Oratorio wa Wafiliponeri pamoja na kutembelea na kuhudumia wagonjwa wa hospitali kuu ya Napoli, iliyoitwa degli Incurabili (yaani 'wa Wasioponyeka'), ndiyo chanzo cha wito wa upadri, aliouitikia kwa kujiunga na seminari, bila ya kujali upinzani wa baba aliyemtaka aoe.

Alpewa upadrisho tarehe 17 Desemba 1726, akiwa na umri wa miaka 30, akaendelea kuishi nyumbani kwa mzazi.

Mbali na mahubiri makanisani, alianzisha mikutano ya jioni kwa ajili ya watu duni zaidi ili kuwaeleza Injili kwa unyofu mkubwa. Baada ya kushinda upinzani wa wengi, mikutano hiyo iliidhinishwa na kardinali Francesco Pignatelli.

Mwaka 1730, ili kupona vizuri baada ya kuugua katika mapafu, alifuata agizo la waganga la kwenda kwenye vilima vya Scala na Ravello, alipoanza kuwahubiria wakulima fukara.

Kutokana na tetemeko la ardhi ambalo mwaka 1731 lilipata mji wa Foggia na kutaka kusababisha waamini waasi, alikwenda huko. Umati uliokusanyika mbele ya kanisa kuu ulishuhudia kwamba alionekana kuelea hewani (tarehe 30 Novemba 1735).

Shirika la Mkombozi

Mwaka 1732, akiwa na miaka 36, alihama Napoli akaanzisha shirika la Mkombozi (Waredentori) huko Villa degli Schiavi (leo Villa dei Liberi katika wilaya ya Caserta). Shirika lilikubaliwa na Papa Benedikto XIV mwaka 1749.

Maisha ya shirika yalikabiliana na upinzani mkali, lakini mwanzilishi aliweza kulidumisha kwa kutumia ujuzi wake wa sheria. Hivyo Waredentori walieneza Neno la Mungu kwa unyofu hadi Poland.

Miaka iliyofuata Alfonso aliandika vitabu vingi vya maisha ya kiroho, teolojia ya dogma, maadili na utetezi wa imani. Lakini pia alitunga nyimbo nyingi kwa Kiitalia na Kinapoli, kama vile "Tu scendi dalle stelle" kwa ajili ya Noeli.

Askofu

Mwaka 1762 Papa Klemens XIII alimtaka akubali kuwa askofu wa jimbo la Sant'Agata de' Goti.

Wakati wa njaa ya kutisha iliyopata Ufalme wa Napoli mwezi Januari 1764, Alfonso aliweza kuzuia mateso ya watu wake kwa kiasi kikubwa, akihimiza mikopo na kupambana na ulanguzi pamoja na kuchochea uchumi uliokwama tangu miaka 2.

Mwaka 1774 alionekana mahali pawili kwa wakati mmoja, yaani huko Roma katika kumhudumia na kumzika Papa Klemens XIV na huko Sant'Agata de' Goti akiwa ameganda siku mbili kwenye kochi.

Mwaka 1775 aliacha uongozi wa jimbo kwa sababu za afya akahamia kwenye nyumba ya shirika huko Nocera de' Pagani (leo sehemu hiyo ni katika kijiji cha Pagani), alipobaki hadi kufa tarehe 1 Agosti 1787.

Maandishi

Alfonso alitunga vitabu 111, vikiwemo vile kwa ajili ya umati na vile kwa ajili ya wataalamu wa teolojia (hasa ya maadilidini) na wa utetezi wa imani.

Baadhi ya vile maarufu zaidi ni hivi vifuatavyo:

• Massime eterne, 1728
• Pratica di amar Gesù Cristo, 1768
• Storia delle Eresie, 1768
• Canzoncine spirituali, 1732
• Visite al Ss. Sacramento, 1745
• Theologia moralis (I edizione), 1748
• Glorie di Maria, 1750
• Apparecchio alla morte, 1758
• Del Gran mezzo della preghiera, 1759
• Vera sposa di Gesù Cristo, 1760
• Considerazioni sopra la passione di Gesù Cristo, 1760
• Dell'uso moderato della opinione probabile, 1765

Inakadiriwa kuwa vitabu vyake vimetafsiriwa katika lugha 72, na kuwa vimetolewa mara 21.500, kuliko vile vya Wakatoliki wengine wote.

=Tafsiri za Kiingereza

• "Attaining Salvation, TAN Books, 2008. ISBN 978-0-89555-883-1
• "The Blessed Virgin Mary", TAN Books, 2009. ISBN 978-0-89555-177-1
• "How to Converse and Familiarly with God", TAN Books, 1997. ISBN 978-0-89555-797-1
• "Preparation for Death Abridged", TAN Books, 2009. ISBN 978-0-89555-174-0
• "Visits To The Blessed Sacrament and the Blessed Virgin Mary", TAN Books, 2001. ISBN 978-0-89555-667-7
• "The Sermons of St. Alphonsus Liguori for All the Sundays of the Year", TAN Books, 2009. ISBN 978-0-89555-193-1
• "What Will Hell Be Like?", TAN Books, 2009. ISBN 978-0-89555-341-6
• "The Twelve Steps to Holiness and Salvation", TAN Books, 1986. ISBN 978-0-89555-298-3
• "The Way of the Cross", TAN Books, 2009. ISBN 978-0-89555-313-3
• "Golden Book of the Commandments and Sacraments", St. Pius X Press, 2010
• PREPARATION FOR DEATH
• WAY OF SALVATION AND OF PERFECTION :Meditations.Pious Reflections. Spiritual Treatises.
• GREAT MEANS OF SALVATION AND OF PERFECTION : Prayer. Mental Prayer. The Exercises of a Retreat.Choice of a State of Life, and the Vocation to the Religious State and to the Priesthood.
• THE INCARNATION, BIRTH AND INFANCY OF JESUS CHRIST  :The Mysteries of Faith.
• THE PASSION AND THE DEATH OF JESUS CHRIST
• THE HOLY EUCHARIST :The Sacrifice, the Sacrament, and the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ.Practice of Love of Jesus Christ. Novena to the Holy Ghost.
• GLORIES OF MARY : i. Explanation of the Salve Regina, or Hail, Holy Queen. Discourses on the Feasts of Mary. 2. Her Dolors. Her virtues. Practices.Examples. Answers to Critics. Devotion to the Holy Angels, Devotion to St. Joseph. Novena to St. Teresa. Novena for the Repose of the Souls in Purgatory.
• VICTORIES OF THE MARTYRS :The Lives of the Most Celebrated Martyrs of the Church.
• THE TRUE SPOUSE OF JESUS CHRIST
• DIGNITY AND DUTIES OF THE PRIEST  : SELVA, a collection of Material for Ecclesiastical Retreats. Rule of Life and Spiritual Rules.
• THE HOLY MASS  : Sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Ceremonies of the Mass. Preparation and Thanksgiving. The Mass and the Office that are hurriedly said.
• THE DIVINE OFFICE  :Translation of the Psalms and Hymns.
• PREACHING  : The Exercises of the Missions. Various Counsels.Instructions on the Commandments and Sacraments.
• SERMONS FOR ALL THE SUNDAYS IN THE YEAR
• MISCELLANY  :Historical Sketch of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer. Rules and Constitutions of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer. Instructions about the Religious State. Lives of two Fathers and of a Lay Brother, C.SS. R. Discourses on Calamities. Reflections useful for Bishops. Rules for Seminaries.
• LETTERS I
• LETTERS II
• LETTERS III
• LETTERS IV
• LETTERS V
• LIFE OF ST. ALPHONSUS LIGOURI
• HISTORY OF HERESIES I
• HISTORY OF HERESIES II
• Visits to the Most Holy Sacrament and to Most Holy Mary: The Classic Text and with a Spiritual Commentary by Dennis Billy, C.Ss.R.
• The Religious State

Viungo vya nje

• "Opera Omnia", yaani maandishi yote ya Alfonso Maria
• E-Book Library of the Works of St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori
• The Life of St. Alphonsus Liguori, Saint and Bishop of the Catholic Church
• Life of St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori, by Antonio Tannoja