Salvation of souls

The Twelve Steps to Holiness and Salvation
By St. Alphonsus Liguori
Reflections curated for “Salvation of Souls Using Jesus Through Mary”

Each soul is called to holiness. St. Alphonsus Liguori, Doctor of the Church, gives us a practical and powerful roadmap in his work, The Twelve Steps to Holiness and Salvation. Below, you will find each step explained with real-life examples and a short examination of conscience to help guide your spiritual journey.

————————————————–

1. Love of God
✦ Summary: Prefer God above all. Avoid sin. Offer all in love.
💡 Example: Skipping a party to attend Mass.
🧠 Examine: Do I love God above everything else?

2. Love of Neighbor
✦ Summary: Love others for God. Forgive. Intercede.
💡 Example: Praying for someone who wronged you.
🧠 Examine: Do I sincerely wish good for others, even enemies?

3. Poverty (Detachment)
✦ Summary: Be detached from material things.
💡 Example: Giving away unnecessary belongings.
🧠 Examine: Am I overly attached to possessions or comfort?

4. Chastity
✦ Summary: Live purity according to your state.
💡 Example: Avoiding impure media or conversation.
🧠 Examine: Do I guard my heart and senses?

5. Obedience
✦ Summary: Submit to God and lawful authority.
💡 Example: Obeying your spiritual director or parish priest.
🧠 Examine: Do I resist God’s will or submit with joy?

6. Meekness and Humility
✦ Summary: Be small, silent, and peaceful.
💡 Example: Staying calm when insulted.
🧠 Examine: Do I seek praise or embrace hiddenness?

7. Mortification
✦ Summary: Embrace sacrifice. Deny the senses.
💡 Example: Fasting or offering inconveniences.
🧠 Examine: Do I run from small sacrifices or embrace them?

8. Recollection
✦ Summary: Remain interiorly united to God.
💡 Example: Whispering aspirations like “Jesus, I trust in You.”
🧠 Examine: Am I frequently distracted or recollected in God?

9. Prayer
✦ Summary: The breath of the soul. Pray always.
💡 Example: Visiting the Blessed Sacrament daily.
🧠 Examine: Is prayer central in my life or neglected?

10. Self-Denial
✦ Summary: Renounce your will for God’s.
💡 Example: Yielding peacefully in arguments.
🧠 Examine: Do I cling to my preferences or choose what pleases God?

11. Love of the Cross
✦ Summary: Embrace trials as gifts.
💡 Example: Offering suffering for souls.
🧠 Examine: Do I complain or unite my suffering with Jesus?

12. Perseverance
✦ Summary: Be faithful until death.
💡 Example: Remaining in prayer despite dryness.
🧠 Examine: Do I beg God daily for final perseverance?

————————————————–

Final Encouragement:
Beloved in Christ, these twelve steps are not a theory—they are a lifestyle of sanctity. Live them. Meditate on them. Teach them to your family. And walk daily with Jesus and Mary toward Heaven. This is the path of the saints, the hidden road of salvation.

Jesus, Mary, I give myself entirely to you. Let your holiness shine through me. Save souls through me. Amen.

In Eucharistic love,
A Hidden Soul
Salvation of Souls Using Jesus Through Mary