June 21, 2023

 

ALOYSIUS GONZAGA, Religious 

 

Perhaps few saints have been as misrepresented as St. Aloysius Gonzaga (1568-1591). Of high noble birth, he became a Jesuit at the age of 17. He was not at all a devout dreamer, but had a dynamic, impatient temperament. He radically renounced power, wealth, prestige and marriage. His ideal was to make God’s goodness visible by dedicating himself entirely to God and the service of people. Before he reached the age of 24, he died from the pest as the result of attending to the sick and the dying during an epidemic.

 

Reading 1: 2 Cor 9:6-11

Remember: A stingy planter gets a stingy crop; a lavish planter gets a lavish crop. I want each of you to take plenty of time to think it over, and make up your own mind what you will give. That will protect you against sob stories and arm-twisting. God loves it when the giver delights in the giving.

8-11 God can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways so that you’re ready for anything and everything, more than just ready to do what needs to be done. As one psalmist puts it,

He throws caution to the winds,
    giving to the needy in reckless abandon.
His right-living, right-giving ways
    never run out, never wear out.

This most generous God who gives seed to the farmer that becomes bread for your meals is more than extravagant with you. He gives you something you can then give away, which grows into full-formed lives, robust in God, wealthy in every way, so that you can be generous in every way, producing with us great praise to God.

Gospel: Mt 6:1-6, 16-18

“Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don’t make a performance out of it. It might be good theater, but the God who made you won’t be applauding.

2-4 “When you do something for someone else, don’t call attention to yourself. You’ve seen them in action, I’m sure—‘playactors’ I call them—treating prayer meeting and street corner alike as a stage, acting compassionate as long as someone is watching, playing to the crowds. They get applause, true, but that’s all they get. When you help someone out, don’t think about how it looks. Just do it—quietly and unobtrusively. That is the way your God, who conceived you in love, working behind the scenes, helps you out.

“And when you come before God, don’t turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for fifteen minutes of fame! Do you think God sits in a box seat?

“Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.

“When you practice some appetite-denying discipline to better concentrate on God, don’t make a production out of it. It might turn you into a small-time celebrity but it won’t make you a saint. If you ‘go into training’ inwardly, act normal outwardly. Shampoo and comb your hair, brush your teeth, wash your face. God doesn’t require attention-getting devices. He won’t overlook what you are doing; he’ll reward you well.

 

Prayer

Our God and Father,
we learn to know and appreciate you better
through the life of saints
like St. Aloysius Gonzaga.
May his life and death inspire us.
Help us to be austere and frugal like him,
yet strong of character.
Help us to put our life totally
in the service of others.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord.