Memorial of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, Religious
In today’s Gospel, Jesus instructs His disciples not to store up earthly treasures which will inevitably fade or be taken away, but rather to store up treasures in Heaven that will last for all eternity. Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, a Jesuit saint who died at the age of 23 and yet provides a powerful example of how best to prioritize the love of God and the eternal things of Heaven.
As the first-born son of an Italian aristocrat, Gonzaga was destined for riches and power. After reading about the exploits the Jesuit missionaries in India, however, Gonzaga was deeply moved to follow their example and desired to become a Jesuit himself. His parents were strongly opposed to this and did everything they could to deter him. They even offered to help buy him a bishop’s office if he were to become a diocesan priest instead of a religious. When he became a Jesuit, Gonzaga formally renounced all claims to family inheritance. When the plague broke out in Rome in 1591, he ministered to the sick by washing them and feeding them. He would become infected himself and died later that year shortly before his 23rd birthday.
Gonzaga’s desire for missionary work and service to the poor and the sick were a product of his deep, abiding love to serve God alone in all things at every moment of his life. As we meditate on his life in light of the Gospel, let us pray for the same single-minded desire to prioritize the things of Heaven and relationship with God above all else.