Daily Gospel Reflection
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June 21, 2020
Jesus said to the Twelve, “Fear no one. For nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops.
“Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.
“Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven.”
On Sunday, June 7th I participated in a peaceful protest against racism and the status quo. After watching coverage of the reaction to the death of George Floyd (Breonna Taylor, Eric Garner, Ahmaud Arbery, and many others), I was compelled to get off my couch and use my voice to prompt some sort of change in this country. Racism is a scourge that must be eradicated. The effects of racism are far reaching. It is an underlying cause of the economic, educational, and health disparities which result in minorities suffering shorter life expectancies than whites.
Racism can kill the body but silence and inaction against it can result in the destruction of both the body and the soul. When Jesus kicked over the money-changing tables in the temple, when he spoke out against the hypocritical scribes and Pharisees, he was reacting to and taking a stand against injustice. It is his example that we, as Christians, are to follow. We are called to be change agents. If we do not fight against injustice, we are as guilty as the Pharisees who talked about God but did not love God. We will not have lived up to our calling; our silence is complicity and complicity is sin.
Today’s scripture tells us to “fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” We must turn away from sin and follow the example of Christ. I got off my couch and will be speaking with my elected officials and my company’s leaders. As fellow Christians, I pray you will too.
Prayer
O God of compassion, much of the world weeps and mourns due to the suffering caused by illness, greed, and the abuse of power. Many in the world cannot imagine a time of joy in their future. We lift up to you this day these, our brothers and sisters, and place them in your care. May they come to know the joy you promise and may our hearts and minds be opened to ways we can help to alleviate their suffering. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Aloysius Gonzaga is the patron saint of Catholic young people because of how diligently he pursued holiness before his death at the age of 23.
He was born in 1568 in northern Italy, the oldest son in an aristocratic family. His parents were insiders in royal courts in Italy and Spain. His father wanted Aloysius to become a decorated military leader, so they sent him, even as young as 4 years old, to spend time with soldiers in camps. His tutors had to admonish him for the language he picked up from the troops.
At around the age of 7 he began to dedicate himself to prayer devotions to Mary and Jesus. Increasingly, he would spend time in churches, praying, or in reading the lives of the saints. In fact, throughout his life, he had regular and intimate contact with other saints—he received his first communion from St. Charles Borromeo and had as a spiritual director St. Robert Bellarmine.
Because of his family’s position, he also spent time in the courts, among royalty and their entourage. There he observed the intrigues of ambitious people with their lusts and deceits. This awoke within him a desire for virtue, and he poured himself even more into prayer and service.
When he was 11, he was struck with a disease of his kidneys, which caused him chronic indigestion and enough pain to frequently be confined to bed. He considered it a blessing because it afforded him more time for prayer.
He read a book about Jesuit missionaries in India, and their stories inspired him to join the order to become a missionary himself. As a first step, he began teaching the faith to the poor boys in his own town. He also began to live like a monk, even though he was not yet even a teenager—he got up in the middle of the night to pray the psalms and took on a rule of fasting.
His mother approved of his desire to join the Jesuits, but his father was infuriated. He sent Aloysius around Italy to meet local rulers and he gave his son roles and tasks that immersed him in the life of the ruling class. He hired friends of the family and even clergy to try to dissuade Aloysius, but it only deepened the boy’s resolve.
When it was clear that nothing would change his mind, his father relented. At the age of 18, Aloysius joined the Jesuit novitiate in Rome. As a novice learning the rhythms of Jesuit life, he was subject to rules from his superiors, and his diet and prayer times were closely monitored. He was actually forbidden from too much prayer in an attempt to help him learn how to lead a balanced life.
Aloysius had one overriding passion, however, and that was union with God; he pursued that relationship with all of his being.
He realized he had a privileged upbringing, and in an effort to grow in humility, he sought out service-based tasks such as helping to wash dishes or clean the building.
One day, in prayer, he came to understand that he did not have long to live. He fell more and more into deeper prayer and meditation, and when his peers saw him at meals, and even during recreation times, he seemed to be in some kind of ecstatic contemplation.
In 1591, a plague swept Italy, and the Jesuits opened a hospital in Rome. Aloysius assisted the patients there, washing them and making their beds. He got sick himself, and was prepared to die when, against everyone’s expectations, he recovered. He ran a low fever for months afterwards, which kept him weak. He remained in prayer, and it was revealed to him that he would die on the feast of Corpus Christi.
In the days before his death, he seemed well enough to travel, and his superiors considered sending him to a nearby town for some task there. He replied with his conviction that his life would end soon. The night of his death, he asked his confessor to recite the prayers for the dying, though he didn’t seem to be ill at all. Then, late that night, his health suddenly changed and he died around midnight the night between June 20 and 21. He was only 23.
A number of relics of St. Aloysius rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica, and he is depicted in this wall mural there as well. The sketch of St. Aloysius in heaven comes from the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art and is used with permission.
St. Aloysius, patron saint of Catholic young people—pray for us!
Image Credit: (1) Our featured image of St. Aloysius Gonzaga is in the public domain. Last accessed March 19, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons. (3) Giovanni Lanfranco (Italian, 1582-1647), Apotheosis of the Blessed Aloysius Gonzaga with Saint Louis IX of France and Saint Longinus, 1597-1647. Red chalk, pen and brown ink with red wash on laid paper, laid down. Raclin Murphy Museum of Art: Bequest of John D. Reilly ND ’63, ’64 B.S., 2014.061.349
