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.
