Today we remember and give thanks to God for the life of a young man, St. Aloysius Gonzaga, who managed to enter the narrow gate as we heard about in the gospel.
Growing up, I can remember hearing that my grandfather’s complete name was Francis Aloysius Shay. I always thought Aloysius was a cool name. I knew that people chose saints for their first and middle names, but I didn’t know the story behind that name, one that I am sure inspired, my grandfather.
It’s fitting that we celebrate St. Aloysius with today’s readings. For it causes us to reflect on two royal men and what their paths in life show us.
The first speaks of a king who refused to believe and listen to God, resulting in his defeat.
Aloysius, also born into nobility, however, took a different path.
The son of the king, he was truly privileged from an earthly standpoint, and yet God’s grace was surely at work in his life, as he was drawn to prayer and penance from a young age. This led him to forgo wealth and power and enter the Jesuits and, in doing so, enter the narrow gate God intended for him.
Aloysius dreamed of being a missionary for Christ, but as often happens, fate intervened. A plague gripped the city of Rome, and Aloysius volunteered to minister to the sick in his local hospital.
He embraced God’s mission for him with the same zeal he had for traveling to foreign lands. He used the gifts that God had given him to be an instrument of grace to those suffering and dying, to bring the presence of Jesus to those most in need.
Aloysius caught the plague and died three months later in the service of God and his fellow man.
Two lessons come to mind.
- No matter how wealthy or poor we are, no matter how much earthly power we possess, if we listen to God, we will find our vocation in life, one that is rich in purpose.
- Though we might perceive where God is leading us to serve, He may need us to adapt our plans, to be with and where we are most needed according to His Divine plan.
My brothers and sisters, if we listen, pray, and yes, do penance, like St. Aloysius, then we can follow Jesus through that narrow gate, and one day, please God, join the saints in Heaven.
May God bless you and your families this holy day!
