Friday, June 21, 2024

 Memorial of Saint Aloysius, religious

(II Kings 11:4-9.9-18.20; Matthew 6:19-23)

It is said that if you give a child a choice between a worn dime and shiny penny, she will choose the penny. This may be true in general, but often enough there is a different result. Since they have difficulty making choices, children generally want both offerings.

A sign of maturity is the ability to decide on a goal and to marshal one’s resources to achieve it. In the gospel today Jesus is calling his disciples to maturity and beyond. He wants them not only to choose a heavenly treasure but to live righteous lives in order to get there. Wealth is a fleeting blessing, he would say, where divine love lasts forever. Saint Aloysius made the choice for the Lord rather than wealth.  He did not let the desire to be rich come before his call to serve Christ as a Jesuit.

All of us are faced with similar choices.  Having fun or following the Lord?  Being considered cool or striving after holiness?  The choices are not always mutually exclusive.  But let us never pass by what Christ calls us to do.

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