Memorial of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, Religious
St Aloysius Gonzaga SJ was a man who inculcated Jesus as his standard of love. As his own spiritual father taught him “the school of Christ is the school of love” and “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.” This ardent desire in St. Aloysius was put to the test during the plague of 1591. St. Aloysius, with great courage and love of God, ministered to those who were sick both in the hospitals and on the streets. He was not afraid of death, but only concerned with offering care to his neighbor, especially spiritual care when they faced death.
As a result of his laborers among the sick, St. Aloysius would get sick and die in his mid-20s. Aloysius is a model of what St. Paul holds up as a “cheerful giver, without sadness or compulsion.” No one was compelling Aloysius to love the sick around him, and no one was reminding Aloysius to give with a cheerful heart. His actions flowed from his love of the Lord. He remains for a us a model of a Christ like love. In our prayer today, ask the Lord for the grace to love in a cheerful way so that when you do deeds of love it is not out of duty or force, but out of the Love of God that drives you to serve others.