Reflection: On Blasphemy, Vanity, and the Language of Hell

St. Alphonsus LiguoriSt. Alphonsus Liguori, one of the great Doctors of the Church, is easily my favorite saint and ecclesiastical writer.  Fifteen years ago, at a monastery in the northeast, where I spent five days in silent retreat, I discovered his Ascetical Works.  In them I found a powerful and efficient and eloquent presentation of Our Lord's magnificent love for us.  St. Alphonsus captures the meaning and power and essence of the great mysteries of our Faith, making the...