To Give & Not To Count The Cost! Feast of St Aloysius Gonzaga Celebrated at SAC
To Give & Not To Count The Cost! Feast of St Aloysius Gonzaga Celebrated at St Aloysius College, Mangaluru on 21 June 2017
“There is no more evident sign that anyone is a saint and of the number of the elect, than to see him leading a good life and at the same time a prey to desolation, suffering, and trials. 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.”-Saint Aloysius Gonzaga
Mangaluru: The feast of St. Aloysius Gonzaga was celebrated on 21 th June, 2017 at Loyola hall. Fr Melwyn Pinto Sj- the Superior at Fatima Retreat House, and Former Principal of St Aloysius High School, Mangaluru was the main celebrant of the festal Eucharist Mass, joined by other clergy namely – Fr Dionysius Vaz S.J.-Rector of St Aloysius Institutions; Fr Denzil Lobo Sj- Former Rector; Fr Leo D’Souza Sj- Former Rector; Fr Melwin Mendonca Sj-Principal of St Aloysius PUC; Fr Pradeep Sequeira Sj- Finance Officer-St Aloysius Degree College; Fr John Lang Bosco Sj- Finance Officer, St Aloysius PUC; Fr Melwyn Pinto Sj-Vice Principal, St Aloysius Degree College; were among the many others co- celebrants.
In his homily, Fr Melwyn Pinto Sj quoting the life story of St. Aloysius Gonzaga who sacrificed his life for the betterment of others and that Gonzaga stands as the best example for loving others, he said, ” Today we celebrate the feast of a “favored son of the Jesuit Order” – Aloysius Gonzaga. He was born of the princely family of Castiglione in 1568, near Mantua in Lombardy. He was instructed in the faith by his pious mother, and early on manifested an inclination to religious life. After delivering his share of the ancestral dominion to his brother he entered the Society of Jesus. He sought perfection by way of austere penances. While serving the sick during the plague, he himself contracted the disease and died in 1591 at the age of 23.”
“The things that Aloysius did were done because of his belief in the reality and dynamics of the love of God: especially as it expressed in the new law of loving that Jesus demonstrated and then commanded us to do! If you want to truly experience my presence and the presence of my father, if you truly want to know what being a human being among other human beings is all about – then LOVE ONE ANOTHER, as I have loved you. This same thing Jesus proclaims in his answer to the scholar of the Jewish Law who was testing him: he tells him that the greatest commandment is to love God first, with all you’ve got; then to love others as you love yourself to prove that love! Everything is based on this, Jesus assures us!” added Fr Pinto.
He further said, ” Aloysius Gonzaga loved God by loving others, especially the sick! We are called to love God by loving others as well – all those who need God’s comfort and care and assurance. If we do this in a particularly single-minded way we can even develop our own experience of perfection to a greater degree than what might be ordinary, and we will know a greater fullness of joy in God’s presence and delights at his right hand! Love one another as I have loved you! So students, remember that we could make our life more beautiful by caring and helping others. When you get out of this prestigious institution, earn and make money, follow in the footsteps of St Aloysius Gonzaga, to share some of your wealth with others who are in need and the destitute. You will be truly blessed”.
Thousands of students from Gonzaga School, St Aloysius HS, PUC and Degree attended the Festal Mass, and during the offertory, many of them offered non-perishable items, which would be later donated to various ashrams and old-age homes in the City. Fr Dionysius Vas Sj and Fr Melwin Mendonca Sj at the end of the Eucharist mass conveyed their festal wishes, and also thanked all those who made this feast to be celebrated in fervor and grandeur. Special compliments should be made to the St Aloysius PUC Choir for rendering melodious hymns during the mass, which did receive applaud from the main celebrant and the audience. The entire arrangement of the feast celebration was undertaken by the staff, students of St Aloysius PUC- a job well done! The compere of the celebration was Keith Mendonca of IInd PUC.
In conclusion, following in the footsteps of St Aloysius Gonzaga, we need to give when we are able to give! According to Mathew 25:35-36, “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, ….”, we should know that giving is something done voluntarily. Giving should not be done under compulsion, coercion, duress, or conviction. There are some exceptions, of course. When you do give, you are to give what you have chosen in your heart. Those who take pity on those less fortunate than us are true neighbors and care givers.
There are many reasons to give – we give in order to help fellow citizens in need, help the poor and less fortunate, people with disabilities, and even help family members in distress. All you have shall some day be given – therefore give now, that the season of giving may be yours and not your inheritors. No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted. We should never look down on anybody unless you’re helping them up. The place to improve the world and society is first in one’s own heart, head and hands. The joy of being able to bless and give someone you love and care, and to make them smile, is priceless. The satisfaction that comes from making a difference in the lives of others cannot be overstated.
Knowing that you have helped make someone else’s life a little brighter and better is a special feeling, and one that will last with you for a long time. And in our world of plenty we can spread a smile of joy. So if you are looking for a way to enhance your act of sharing and giving experience, try giving back now. Let’s give to the less fortunate, ashrams, non-profit organizations, needy families and children, and others a feeling of hope, and make a difference in their lives. Lets us all follow in the teachings and footsteps of St Aloysius Gonzaga. As alumni of this prestigious college, I end this report with a prayer
“Father, you graced St Aloysius with an overwhelming love of your Son and so made him an effective instrument of your love for those who have least. Touch us, we pray, with that some love and help us speak of that of love to others, with words, yes, but with our lives, still more. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. St Aloysius Gonzaga, pray for us.
Three Things to Learn from St. Aloysius Gonzaga:
Today, June 21, was the feast of St. Aloysius Gonzaga. St. Aloysius was born into a noble family in 1568. He was the oldest son of Ferrante Gonzaga, the Marquis of Castiglione. As the eldest son, he was heir apparent to receive the family titles and fortunes accumulated through several generations of the Gonzaga line. He, however, renounced his birthright in 1585 to his brother Rudolfo in order to enter the Society of Jesus (the Jesuit Order). During his final year of theology study, a plague broke out in Rome. St. Aloysius volunteered for the dangerous duty of caring for the sick. Alas, he also contracted the fever by carrying the sick to the hospital on his back. After a prolonged battle, he died of the illness a little after midnight on the evening between June 20 and June 21, 1591 at just 23 years old.
St. Aloysius Gonzaga is honored in the Church on his feast day June 21. The Church celebrates the feast days of the saints in order to help us call to mind the examples they have left for us in word and deed that we might learn from their example. Therefore let us examine three facts about St. Aloysius which provide spiritual wisdom for us today.
1. Important First and Last Words
The first words he pronounced were the holy name of Jesus and Mary…He died, repeating the Holy Name, a little after midnight between the 20th and 21st of June.”
St. Aloysius’ first and last words were the holy name of Jesus. In this way, they serve as the bookends of his life, and a great strategy for drawing near to God. We too can emulate this by following his example. While we have no control of the words we have spoken previously, we can chose to begin each day by calling upon the name of the Lord. In fact, this is a long held practice within the church and is often referred to as making a “morning offering.” The morning offering does not have to be a long and complicated prayer to be powerful. The practice can simply involve recalling that each day is a gift from God and asking God to utilize your daily tasks large and small to give him glory and witness. It can even be prayed even before stepping out of bed.
Another long held spiritual practice within the church is ending the day with a daily examine. The goal of the daily examine is not the same as an examination of conscience that one might make before confession. The goal is to review the day in order to take note of the presence of God throughout. In this, way we become more in tune with the actions of God and remain aware of his presence. By reflecting backward, we often recognize the presence of God in ways that we were unaware of in the moment. Over time, these two common practices create a greater awareness in the presence of God which leads to greater trust and devotion even in times when we don’t see His actions in the moment.
2. Saints Form One Another
It is an interesting phenomenon that when one meets a saint, he often meets multiple saints. This is just as true in the life of St. Aloysius as anywhere. St. Aloysius received his first communion from St. Charles Borromeo and was formed by St. Robert Bellermine during his time in the Jesuit Order.
It is no coincidence that saints are found in clusters. This is because Christianity is difficult to live alone. The scriptures tell us that just as “Iron is sharpened by iron; one person sharpens another.” (Proverbs 27:17) The individuals which surround us have a profound influence on us. Therefore, it is very important who we select as our friends and even our spouse. If we truly want to be holy, we must seek out others who can sharpen us.
This is a truth which we must recapture. All too often in today’s society we are told that we must practice our faith privately, or that there is no room for it in the public square. But our faith is communal by nature. We grow through relationship and we grow the most when we form friendships with those who have dedicated themselves to the Lord. This is because we learn from our friends. We pick up their habits. We go to the places they go. So by picking friends who gather around Jesus we will find ourselves in his presence.
3. Our Families Do Not Define Us
On the surface it may have seemed that St. Aloysius would have had an easy road to sanctity. After all, he came from a family of privilege with access to wealth and education. However, in reality, Aloysius was heir to a long line of family intrigue and violence. The family line began in approximately 1100 AD and endured one assassination after another including the assassination of both of St. Aloysius’ brothers. By the time of St. Aloysius’ birth the family name was synonymous with power. “Even when he had done with courts, insane flatteries pursued him—doctors, feeling his pulse, would exclaim at the privilege of feeling Gonzaga blood throb beneath their fingers.”
Still, St. Aloysius escaped this family intrigue to enter the Jesuit order. In so doing, he set an example for us. Our ability to obtain holiness is not dependent on our past, but rather on the decisions we make for the future and dedication to God. He is quoted to say, “I am a crooked piece of iron and am come into religion to be made straight by the hammer of mortification and penance.”
This is the central teaching of Christianity. If we allow it, God can heal any brokenness we bring to him. Too often we see ourselves only as the twisted piece of iron formed by our past sins. St. Aloysius reminds us that it is the work of Christ to make us straight. No matter our past, no sin is bigger than God’s love.
