Daybreak

Friday of the 17th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Alphonsus Liguori, 1696-1787; founded the Redemptorists in 1732, dedicated to the imitation of Christ, and working mainly in popular missions for peasants in rural areas; he became a bishop at 66, and immediately began a reform of his diocese; at 71, he was afflicted with rheumatic pains; he suffered a final 18 months of “dark night” scruples, fears, temptations against every article of faith and every virtue, interspersed with intervals of light and relief, when ecstasies were frequent; best known for his work in moral theology, but also wrote well of spiritual and dogmatic theology Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 8/1/25 Gospel: Matthew 13:54-58