Oh, what a miserable state were all men in before the coming of the Messias; the true God was hardly known even in Judea, and in every other part of the world idolatry reigned, so that our forefathers worshipped stones, and wood, and devils; they worshipped innumerable false gods, but the true God was neither loved nor known by them. Even now, how many countries are there in which there are scarcely any Catholics, and all the rest of the inhabitants are either infidels or heretics ! and all these are certainly in the way to be lost. What obligation do we not owe to God for causing us to be born, not only after the coming of Jesus Christ, but also in countries where the true faith reigns !
- St. Alphonsus The Incarnation, Birth, and Infancy of Jesus Christ pp. 291-2
