June 21 2023 - St. Aloysius Gonzaga - Love God with all your strength

 

St. Aloysius Gonzaga was born into a noble family in Renaissance Italy.  16th-century Florence was not very different from 21st-century America.  It was a lax, morally careless, self-indulgent age. At the young age of 7, Aloysius vowed not to be part of it.   

By age 11 he was teaching catechism to poor children, fasting three days a week and practicing great penances. After reading a book about Jesuit missionaries in India, Aloysius announced his desire to be a priest in the Society of Jesus. However, it took several years to obtain permission from his father, who had more worldly dreams for his son.

In 1591, a catastrophic plague struck Rome and the Jesuits opened up a hospital.  The young Jesuit novice, Aloysius, nursed patients, carried them on his shoulders, washed them, and made their beds.  As a result of his tireless care of the sick, Aloysius caught the disease himself. He was overcome with a great fever and died at the age of 23 in 1591. His holiness was so evident that he was beatified by Pope Paul V in 1605.  

St. Aloysius Gonzaga is a patron saint of catholic youth and teenagers. Like young people, we all experience social pressures. St. Aloysius reminds us to have courage to stand firm in the faith against the tides of society which are antithetical to the Gospel. Due to his willingness to put himself in direct contact with plague victims, St. Aloysius was also named patron saint of those with HIV and AIDS and their caregivers.

St. Aloysius is often shown in sacred art and statues as a young man wearing the black cassock of the Jesuits and contemplating a crucifix. He contemplated the suffering of Our Lord, and considered how he, too, was called to suffer in order to further the kingdom of God.  The young saint, once said, “He who wishes to love God does not truly love Him if he has not an ardent and constant desire to suffer for his sake.”  Aloysius helps us to consider how taking on how the great commandment to love God with one’s whole strength and to love one’s neighbor involves suffering for them. 

Doing good, accomplishing good, furthering the kingdom, bringing souls to God, involves some suffering on our part. Will you willingly embrace that suffering if it is God’s will for you?

Through the intercession of St. Aloysius, may each of us consider how God is calling us to pour ourselves out in service of the kingdom, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

 - - - - - 

Through the intercession of St Aloysius Gonzaga, patron of young people, that the young may be blessed with true faith, the desire to serve the Lord above seeking the pleasures of the world, and for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and consecrated religious life.

For all the needs of the sick and the suffering, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, the underemployed and unemployed, victims of natural disaster, war, and terrorism, for those with HIV, AIDS, and their caregivers, for all those who grieve the loss of a loved one, and those who will die today, for their comfort, and the consolation of their families.

For the repose of the souls of our beloved dead, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, for the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, for the repose of the good Jesuits who have served the Church, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom.

Grant, we pray, O Lord, that your people may turn to you with all their heart, so that whatever they dare to ask in fitting prayer they may receive by your mercy. Through Christ our Lord.

12th Week in Ordinary Time 2022 - Tuesday - Do not give to dogs what is holy

 In my fifth year of seminary, we took a class on the synoptic Gospels, the Gospels of Mark, Matthew, and Luke. There was a separate class on the Gospel and letters of John. And, for the final term paper we were to choose a single passage from one of the Synoptic Gospels and write a 12-15 page paper on that passage. I thought I’d challenge myself and pick a single verse. And the verse I chose was the first verse of today’s Gospel: “Do not give what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls before swine”

It's a perplexing teaching. What is our Lord talking about? Evangelization? Eucharist? Or is it a broad principle to be applied to a variety of situations? Obviously he’s not saying that we should refrain from preaching the holy Gospel to the unevangelized. That’s definitely our mission as Christians: go and make disciples of all nations. 

This line would be interpreted by the Church fathers in the early church to refer to the prohibition of admitting to holy communion those in a state of mortal sin. Do not give to dogs what is holy. The holy referring to the Eucharist, and the dogs referring to those who have given into their bestial nature and have fallen into sin without repentance. 

But, what makes this enigmatic teaching more perplexing is that in the preceding passage, as we heard yesterday, the Lord tells us not to judge. So, on one hand he is telling us to stop judging, on the other hand, he tells us that we are to use our judgement, in order to refrain from throwing pearls to the swine.

I tend to believe that the passage does contain a lesson for our efforts in evangelization. There comes a point where your audience, at least for a time, shows itself to be closed to the gospel message. And it’s time to stop wasting your energy and move on to another group of people. There comes a point, as the Lord himself teaches, that the evangelist has to shake the dust from his sandals, and move on. In Matthew 10 he says, “And if anyone will not welcome you or heed your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town.” That’s not giving in to defeat, that’s just being wise with your time.

But, just because the Gospel is rejected in one place, by one person, doesn’t mean you give up altogether. That’s where as Christians, sometimes, we give up too easily. We run into a little bit of difficulty in our Gospel mission, and throw our hands in the air and give up entirely.

The saints show us what such perseverance looks like. At age 11, St. Aloysius was teaching the catechism to poor children and fasting three days a week and often woke in the middle of the night to pray.  He joined the Jesuits despite great resistance from his family. And when the plague struck Rome in 1591, he nursed the sick, washed them, made their beds, continuing to care for the plague victims even when he himself caught the disease.

St. Aloysius shows us that Christians are to be filled with youthful-enthusiasm in the works of mercy, and perseverance when we face our own crosses.

May St. Aloysius aid us in our share of the Gospel mission for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - - -  

That Pope Francis and all the clergy may witness to the truth of the Gospel faithfully, courageously, and compassionately. 

Through the intercession of St Aloysius Gonzaga, patron of young people, that the young may be blessed with true faith, the desire to serve the Lord above seeking the pleasures of the world, and for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and consecrated religious life.

For the conversion of the unbelievers, for the return of Catholics who have left the Church, and for success in our Gospel mission.

For the sick and afflicted, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, for victims of natural disaster,  those who suffer from war, violence, and terrorism, all victims of abuse, especially children, for the mentally ill, those with addictions, and the imprisoned, for those who struggle to live the call of Christian chastity, for the comfort of the dying and the consolation of their families. 

For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish and all the poor souls in purgatory, for deceased priests and religious, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom, for N. for whom this mass is offered.

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord.

June 21 2019 - St. Aloysius Gonzaga - Treasures in heaven

St. Aloysius Gonzaga was born into a noble family in Renaissance Italy.  16th-century Florence was not very different from 21st-century America.  It was a lax, morally careless, self-indulgent age. Though he had been to exposed to society’s corruption, brutality and lust, Aloysius, at the age of 7, had a profound spiritual awakening. He saw the decadence around him and vowed not to be part of it. 

By age 11 he was teaching catechism to poor children, fasting three days a week and practicing great penances. After reading a book about Jesuit missionaries in India, Aloysius announced his desire to be a priest in the Society of Jesus, though it took four years for him to obtain permission from his father, who had more worldly dreams for his son.

In 1591, a catastrophic plague struck Rome and the Jesuits opened up a hospital.  The young Jesuit novice, Aloysius, nursed patients, carried them on his shoulders, washed them, and made their beds.  As a result of his tireless care of the sick, Aloysius caught the disease himself. He was overcome with a great fever and died at the age of 23 in 1591. His holiness was so evident that he was beatified by Pope Paul V in 1605.

Aloysius Gonzaga is a patron saint of catholic youth and teenagers, and also AIDS patients and their care-givers. Would that we all were dedicated to helping our young people form hearts like St. Aloysius!

He is often shown in sacred art and statues as a young man wearing the black cassock of the Jesuits and contemplating a crucifix or praying to the Blessed Virgin.

Aloysius took seriously the words of our Lord in the Gospel today: "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth…But store up treasures in heaven.” The saints show us precisely how this is done.

The young saint, once said, “He who wishes to love God does not truly love Him if he has not an ardent and constant desire to suffer for his sake.” Through the intercession of St. Aloysius, may each of us consider how God is calling us to grow in holiness, to serve the needy, to do penance, to pour ourselves out in service of the kingdom, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - - - -

That all Christians will recommit themselves to fervent prayer as to grow in greater love and holiness.

That we may fast often from the things of the world, in order to seek and value the things of heaven.

That the Church may commit to almsgiving and acts of charity in order to care for the needs of the poor and store up treasure in heaven.

Through the intercession of St Aloysius Gonzaga, patron of young people, that the young may be blessed with true faith, the desire to serve the Lord above seeking the pleasures of the world, and for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and consecrated religious life.

For all the needs of the sick and the suffering, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, the underemployed and unemployed, victims of natural disaster, war, and terrorism, for those with HIV, AIDS, and their caregivers, for all those who grieve the loss of a loved one, and those who will die today, for their comfort, and the consolation of their families.

For the repose of the souls of our beloved dead, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, for the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, for the repose of the good Jesuits who have served the Church, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom.

Grant, we pray, O Lord, that your people may turn to you with all their heart, so that whatever they dare to ask in fitting prayer they may receive by your mercy. Through Christ our Lord.

June 21, 2017 - St. Aloysius Gonzaga - Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving bring purity of heart

The Gospel Reading is familiar to us; we hear it at least twice a year, most notably on Ash Wednesday, at the beginning of the penitential season of Lent.

And we hear in this Gospel about the three penitential practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. To the Jews of Jesus’ day, prayer, fasting, and almsgiving were very important spiritual practices.  In this teaching, Jesus is clear that his disciples are to continue to engage in these practices. These practices help us to detached from the things of the world, in order to focus on the one thing that really matters.
There was an order of monks who lived by the phrase: “Semper Quadragesima”, which means,
Always Lent.  They tried always to live in that penitential Lenten Spirit because it is so effective at guiding us away from selfishness to become truly generous and full of God's spirit.

These practices help us to obtain that purity of heart, which Jesus calls for in the beatitudes.
St. Francis of Assisi says, “A man is truly pure of heart when he has no time for the things of this world, but is always searching for the things of heaven”

The Saint we honor today, Aloysius Gonzaga, was especially noted for his purity of heart. By age 11 he was teaching catechism to poor children and fasting three day a week and practicing great austerities. After reading a book about Jesuit missionaries in India, Aloysius announced his desire to be a priest in the Society of Jesus, though it took four years for him to obtain permission from his father, who had more worldly dreams for his son.

And upon entering the Jesuits, his sanctity was truly evident, and he would enter into ecstatic prayer not only in chapel, but sometimes at meals and recreation periods. His love for God prompted him, also to serve the sick and needy. He sought the face of the Lord always. And that is the great promise Jesus makes in the beatitudes: blessed are the pure of heart for they shall see God.

Prayer, fasting, giving alms are so powerful, they purify us from earthly cares, they open a window into heaven.

Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, have been taken up as concrete spiritual disciples since the beginning of the Church. And the saints remind us that through them we can achieve the sanctity God desires for each of us.

May our year-round prayer, fasting, and almsgiving bring us great purity of heart that we may radiate the light and love of Jesus for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - - -


That all Christians will recommit themselves to fervent prayer as to grow in greater love and holiness.

That we may fast often from the things of the world, in order to seek and value the things of heaven.

That the Church may commit to almsgiving and acts of charity in order to care for the needs of the poor and store up treasure in heaven.

Through the intercession of St Aloysius Gonzaga, patron of young people, that the young may be blessed with true faith, the desire to serve the Lord above seeking the pleasures of the world, and for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and consecrated religious life.

For all the needs of the sick and the suffering, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, the underemployed and unemployed, victims of natural disaster, war, and terrorism, for all those who grieve the loss of a loved one, and those who will die today, for their comfort, and the consolation of their families.

For the repose of the souls of our beloved dead, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, for the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, for the deceased priests and religious of the diocese of Cleveland, especially Fr. John Jenkins, who died this week, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom.

Grant, we pray, O Lord, that your people may turn to you with all their heart, so that whatever they dare to ask in fitting prayer they may receive by your mercy. Through Christ our Lord.