The Story of Saint Alphonsus Maria Liguori
Alphonsus Maria Liguori was a brilliant young lawyer in Naples, already winning cases before he turned 20. But deep inside, he was tired of the pride and politics in the courtroom.
In 1723, he handled a major case he expected to win—but he lost after missing a hidden legal detail. Instead of despair, Alphonsus felt a strange clarity. This was the sign he had been waiting for. He walked out saying,
“World, I know you now. Courts, you shall never see me again.”
It wasn’t defeat. It was freedom. God had a different mission for him—one that would lead to preaching missions for the poor, founding the Redemptorists in 1732, and guiding countless souls back to God.
His memorial on August 1 reminds us that sometimes God closes a door not to end your story, but to start the life you were truly meant for.
