Preparation for Death

This is a complete revision of the 2016 translation of St. Alphonsus Liguori's, Apparecchio alla Morte, capturing the simplicity of the Italian, while using correct ecclesiastical vocabulary. It is annotated copiously and contains an extensive bibliography. This translation is a major improvement over others that have been published, as they are all based on the 1830 English version. Preparation for Death delves into Church teaching on the four last things: death, judgment, Heaven and Hell. It is not a somber book. Some 300 years after it was written, St. Alphonsus speaks to us as a loving shepherd, wishing for the salvation of all. He shows us that death is a sunny topic, if properly viewed as a portal to eternity, and if we have the desire and the perseverance to lead a life ordered to the Will of God. He teaches us to prepare early for the blessed life to come, and shows us how. Striking in the absence of overt theologizing, and faithful to the teachings of Holy Mother Church, St. Alphonsus does not fail to emphasize that sin is evil, that man is stained, and that his whole existence should be directed to-wards the glory of God. St. Alphonsus rarely makes abstractions, preferring to use ordinary, everyday vernacular, and employing examples to carry the weight of his arguments. In 36 pithy chapters, he stresses that the work of salvation is an individual act, in willing cooperation with God's grace, aided by the Angels and Saints, especially Mary most holy, our Blessed Mother, on whom he calls for aid at the end of each of the 108 devotions and prayers.