MEMORIAL OF ST ALOYSIUS GONZAGA, SATURDAY OF THE ELEVENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME, JUNE 21, 2025
- Olivia M. Bannan
- Jun 21
- 2 min read
Gospel
Jesus said to his disciples: “No one can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they? Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span? Why are you anxious about clothes? Learn from the way the wild flowers grow. They do not work or spin. But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed like one of them. If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith?So do not worry and say, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear?’ All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides. Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil.”
REFLECTION
will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith?
The first time I heard of Gonzaga was when watching the Gonzaga Bulldogs play in a NCAA tournament. Not only is Gonzaga University known for its strong academic programs and basketball, but for its sportsmanship, teamwork and positive attitudes.
But who was their patron saint, St Aloysius Gonzaga? He renounced his noble title and wealth to join the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and his life has been one for us to model.
Jesus tells us He will provide for all our needs. St Aloysius sought God's help through prayer to remain pure, being especially devoted to the Eucharist and the support of Mother Mary. Known as the patron saint of all Christian youth, he devoted a lot of his time to the service of plague victims, sacrificing his own comfort to help others. He finally succumbed to the plague in Rome.
Like St Aloysius, we, too, have received the Holy Spirit through the sacraments and nothing and no one can separate us from God's love: no hardship, distress, persecution, or disappointments. For it is in the midst of trials that our faith and hope in God are born through the outpouring of His precious blood from the cross.
No matter what our state in life is, we cannot live without His Love. And our hope founded on faith and nurtured by love, enables us to push forward in life.
"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." (St Aloysius Gonzaga)
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