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.

Wednesday, June 20, 2023

 Memorial of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, religious

 (II Corinthians 9:6-11; Matthew 6:1-6.16-18)

St. Aloysius Gonzaga died rich in the eyes of God, however poor in the sight of many in the world.  He gave up a claim to his family’s fortune to become a Jesuit.  As a religious, he dedicated himself to caring for the victims of the plague which was racking Italy in the late sixteenth century.  Eventually he contracted the disease and died from it.  His willingness to give himself completely out of love for Christ amply illustrates today’s first reading.

St. Paul is urging the Corinthians to be generous in his collection for the Christians in Jerusalem.  He tells them that they will reap what they sow.  If they make great sacrifices, they will receive great rewards.  Because God gives eternal life as well as harvests, they will not be disappointed for their efforts.

We may tire of being pestered by charities.  As we hear of donor names being passed from one organization to another, we may not want to contribute to any.  Let us not make such a decision out of frustration, however.  Rather let us pray for the grace to make prudent use of our resources for the good of the needy.

Friday, June 21, 2019

Memorial of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, religious

(II Corinthians 11:18.21-30; Matthew 6:19-23)

Aloysius Gonzaga was an Italian noble who joined the Society of Jesus at a tender age.  As a novice, he may have heard the warning of keeping “custody of the eyes.”  This term means to turn one’s gaze from compromising sights.  Its reference generally regards sexual allurement.  Aloysius would have heeded such advice.  He did not live long enough to be ordained a priest.  However, his short life was exemplary that in time he was named “patron of Catholic youth.”  Today’s gospel may be taken as an admonishment to Christians to similarly keep “custody of the eyes.”

Jesus calls the eyes the “lamp of the body.”  As such they allow images to settle in one’s mind.  Good eyes will screen healthy images from compromising ones.  Healthy images like nature in bloom lift the soul to give God glory.  Corrupt images like pornography create illicit desire.  Bad eyes do not make these distinctions.  They allow unhealthy images to wreak havoc in the mind.

It may sound fastidious to remind another of sexual desire.  Yet many people today – mostly men but, no doubt, women as well – are obsessed by sexual desire.  Counselling may be needed, but a friendly reminder not to fix one’s gaze on another’s sexual organs can resolve the difficulty.  We are sexual beings which is wonderful.  But sexual desire like all others must be tempered by virtue.

Friday, June 21, 2013

Memorial of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, religious

(II Corinthians 11:18.21-30; Matthew 6:19-23)

A wise preacher told the story of how every Christian must carry her or his cross.  Some complain that theirs is too heavy, but when they exchange it for another, they learn that theirs was not that onerous after all.  Today’s saint and first reading speak of two Christians with very different types of cross but born with similar grace.

St. Aloysius Gonzaga came from a privileged background.  He was willing to give up wealth for the strict life of a Jesuit.  However, God called him to Himself after only a few years of faithful formation.  St. Paul by contrast suffered much through many years of rigorist service.  He catalogues his trials in today’s first reading -- lashings, beatings, stoning, shipwreck, exposure to the elements, etc. His purpose is not to boast of his endurance, but to show how Christ sustains him. 

Rather than complain about the troubles we have, we much more profitably should pray to bear with them.  There is usually another bearing a greater burden which may humble us.  But more to the point, our prayers unite us to Christ who always eases our suffering.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Memorial of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, religious

(Genesis 13:2.5-18; Matthew 7:6.12-14)

If Abram, whose name means “exalted father,” is to generate a truly great nation, he must overcome the vices of greed and treachery. Diligence and magnanimity befit one whose descendants will number like particles of dust on the earth. The reading from Genesis first indicates that Abram has already become rich through hard work. Then it shows his golden disposition. When Abram realizes that his and his nephew Lot’s households have grown too complex to coexist, he tells Lot that the two clans must separate. He neither dictates which land will be his nor suggests that a flip of coin determine who gets what. Rather he proves himself more than fair by giving Lot his preference. Shrewdly but ultimately unwisely, Lot picks the more favorable plains to the east. There he will mix with city dwellers who incur God’s wrath. Meanwhile, God blesses Abram’s nobility of spirit with what has been known as the “Promised Land.”

Today the Church honors St. Aloysius Gonzaga. Like Abram he showed himself to be prudent in face of ambition. Seeing how his family was corrupted by power, Aloysius gave up his claim to nobility. Unlike the patriarch of Jews, Christians and Muslims, however, he was a young man when he showed willful self-restraint. But his virtue never went unnoticed. His courage and determination caused a sensation in Italy. He died young in the late sixteenth century caring for people infected with the plague. Since the first part of the eighteenth century he has been recognized as the patron of youth. For this reason his Jesuit order has named many universities and high schools after him.