Saint Aloysius Gonzaga
Patronage: youth; scholars and students
Feast: June 21st
I have to admit that I decided to post about this saint, St Aloysius, this week as I really liked his name! Yet as I began to read more about this Saint I found his life fascinating and rich with God’s graces. He proves that a strong interior prayer life with God is more important and very pleasing to God. Sometimes as mothers we find ourselves at home most of the time and I know myself, even just as a new mother, I will have to serve God in different external ways which I am not as used to, now that I am caring for my child. My vocation is being a wife and mother, and I need to ensure I have a strong interior prayer life to be pleasing to God as St Aloysius did.
As a side note, a good book about interior prayer is by Jacques Philippe ‘Time for God’. I highly recommend it.
St Aloysius was born in Spain (1568) and at the early age of ten he made a vow of chastity and entered into the Jesuits order. His family thought he would become a solider and his father began training him from an early age, yet this was not to be.
The name ‘Aloysius’ actually means ‘famous warrior’; which Saint Aloysius wasn’t a solider in the army as his family had intended for him to become, he was something greater- a warrior in God’s army. His love and devotion to those in need was given to him from the grace of God, which enabled him to live out God’s will and become a saint in heaven.
St Aloysius had experienced much violence at a young age, witnessing the murder of his two brothers. He himself was a sick child whom dealt with kidney problems his whole life. Due to his illness he had much time to read about the lives of the saints and spend time in solitude prayer.
Once Aloyisus joined the Jesuit priests he taught catechesis to young boys. He suffered greatly from skin disease, chronic headaches and insomnia. Yet he still lived a strong life and upheld his vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.
His death was one of the reasons for his canonisation. As he died caring for people whom were victims of the plague epidemic. He himself died of the plague. He died at a very young age, as he was still a student himself at a Roman college.
The young priest was mostly known for the virtue of purity. His purity in prayer and dedication to God. Just before he died he had a vision from St Maria Magdalena of himself being rewarded for his strong interior life by being uplifted to great glory.
He was known for wearing the black cassock in his youth and his images depict him holding a crucifix, a skull, a whip and a lily.
Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, pray for us.
Originally posted 2014-06-10 04:44:17.