21 June 2019
Memorial of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, Religious
“The lamp of the body is the eye,” Jesus says in today’s gospel. This is a curious expression considering that our eyes do not give light but perceive it. Yet, think of someone that you love. When you picture them, can’t you just see the glimmer in their eyes? We want to see those eyes, and we want to be seen by them. Not only do they look beautiful, but we also get the sense that they see the world as beautiful. Yes, they perceive the world as beautiful, and their whole bodies are filled with light. So much so, that it radiates from their eyes.
Today, the Church celebrates the memory of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, a young Jesuit who saw the beauty of the world in spite of family opposition, hardships, and disease. He was infected by the plague after caring for the sick. In his final moments, his eyes were fixed on the crucifix he held in his hands. He died looking at the beauty of Christ, his one true love. May we, too, through Christ, see the world as beautiful and radiate it with our eyes.