St. Aloysius Gonzaga

Today is the memorial day of St. Aloysius Gonzaga. I'm interested in him, because David will be attending the university that bears his name. The university is well-known in our state, but the origin of its name is not as familiar to those of us who are not Catholic nor alumni of the university.

You can learn more about St. Gonzaga here, here and here.

Aloysius Gonzaga (also known by his first name of Luigi, Luis or Louis) died a very young man (in his early 20s), and so is one of the patron saints of youth. When I looked him up online, one of the sites stated that he died on this day in 1591 in Rome, Italy, of "plague, fever, and desire to see God." That stopped me - he died of illness AND a desire to see God. That must have been a powerful desire, indeed.

Two of his writings were quoted: the first one is to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and the second is a letter to his own mother, Marta, before his death. Both of them are heart-felt and thought-provoking.

"O Holy Mary! My Mother; into thy blessed trust and special custody, and into the bosom of thy mercy, I this day, and every day, and in the hour of my death, commend my soul and body. To thee I commit all my anxieties and sorrows, my life and the end of my life, that by thy most holy intercession, and by thy merits, all my actions may be directed and governed by thy will and that of thy Son." - Saint Aloysius Gonzaga

"May the comfort and grace of the Holy Spirit be yours for ever, most honored lady. Your letter found me lingering still in this region of the dead, but now I must rouse myself to make my way on to heaven at last, and to praise God for ever in the land of the living; indeed I had hoped that before this time my journey there would have been over. If charity, as Saint Paul says, means “to weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who are glad,” then, dearest mother, you shall rejoice exceedingly that God in his grace and his love for you is showing me the path to true happiness, and assuring me that I shall never lose him. Take care above all things, most honored lady, not to insult God’s boundless loving kindness; you would certainly do this if you mourned as dead one living face to face with God, one whose prayers can bring you in your troubles more powerful aid than they ever could on earth. And our parting will not be for long; we shall see each other again in heaven; we shall be united with our Savior; there we shall praise him with heart and soul, sing of his mercies for ever, and enjoy eternal happiness." - from a letter to his mother by Saint Aloysius Gonzaga

That second prayer has a deep message for me, personally. Seeing "God's boundless loving kindness" in his own impending death is quite a leap for anyone; to face his death - and its future impact on his mother, knowing that she would soon be grieving for him - with this insight and loving counsel for her is truly inspiring. What a heart of devotion and service he had! I have a feeling that Gonzaga will offer an education for me, too, as well as for David. For the "boundless loving kindness of God," I am thankful.