By Fr Hedwig Lewis SJ
Pope Francis has declared a “Jubilee Year of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga”to be celebrated from 9 March 2018, the 450th anniversary of his birth (1568), until the same date in 2019. The liturgical feast-day of the Saint falls on 21 June
The biographers of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga (1578-1591) were in awe of his extraordinary mindset and behaviour. Against the backdrop of Renaissance Italy, this young nobleman confronted moral decadence with tough discipline, licentiousness with propriety, social abandon with personal censure, and pomp with piety. These unique characteristics had immense appeal to his contemporaries and his popularity was sustained by succeeding generations. He was the stuff saints are made of and worthy of emulation.
The Church recognized St Aloysius’ heroic virtues and sanctity. Pope Benedict XIII proclaimed him Patron of Youth in 1729. Pius XI named him Patron of Students in 1926. Saint John Paul II, on the fourth centenary of Aloysius’s death in 1991, declared him patron of those suffering from AIDS and their caregivers
The following snippets from Aloysius’ life reveal that we can still draw lessons which can impact us and serve as challenges to youth today.
Aloysius was born on 9 March 1568 at the family castle in Castiglione, Italy, the first of six siblings. At the age of 9, Aloysius was sent to be educated at the court of Duke Francesco de’ Medici in Florence for two years. He was obliged to participate in the pageantry and the elaborate parties held in the palace gardens. Aloysius was no kill-joy. He enjoyed himself as much as any teenager would. However, when an activity seemed frivolous to him or tended to get licentious, he withdrew from there so as not to get involved.
Lesson one: Be courageous enough to resist peer pressure and social-media compulsions when they entail compromising your convictions or sacrificing your personal integrity. Aloysius showed a maturity beyond his age. He was clear about his choices and priorities, obviously motivated by his God-cantered goal in the pursuit of holiness|.
The Medici palace was one of the grandest, most opulent in Europe, but also one full of intrigue, deceit, sex and violence. During this period, according to historical records, both pages and young nobles were often used as sexual objects by noble women and men. Although there is no proof that Aloysius was ever abused himself, he was certainly aware of the practice. We may also surmise that he was not ignorant of sexuality or its expressions. So Aloysius went to extremes to maintain the purity of his heart. In keeping with his goal to he holy, Aloysius believed that only “the pure of heart see God”. He practiced in excess what spiritual writers call “custody of the eyes”. Aloysius kept his eyes persistently downcast in the presence of women. This behaviour came for blatant criticism later as his being overly prudish. Modern spiritual writers, however, make sense of Aloysius’ conduct.
Lesson two: Exercise discretions in the programs you watch on television or the sites you surf on the internet, Aloysius’ behaviour, though exaggerated, is not without its merits. His “custody of the eyes” calls for serious reflection and deep introspection. Our natural eyes are the “gates of our soul”. We must take control of them and use our discretion wisely to keep them or shut as needed. Long after we have seen things their image remains burned into memory and we fuel them through wild imaginings that can defile our minds and corrupt our hearts. Moreover, our techno-savvy civilization has provided us “electronic eyes” by which we view and comprehend the world today over multiple screens – computer, smartphone and TV. We have the freedom to exercise custody over these “eyes” by shutting them down and powering them off, and thus preserve the integrity of our soul.
In 1591, while Aloysius was in the final stage of his priesthood training, a plague epidemic broke out in Rome. The Jesuits were involved in service to the victims. On 3 March, while returning to the College, Aloysius stumbled on a plague-stricken man lying unconscious in the street. He put him on his shoulders, took him to the hospital, washed and clothed him. In doing so he contracted the disease. After months of suffering he died on 21 June, at the age of 23.
Lesson three: You may not have an occasion to perform heroic deeds of service, but you must develop a compassionate heart that reaches out in some way to those around you who are suffering. Aloysius, we are told, had an aversion to people with contagious diseases. He had gone out of his way earlier as a novice when he visited hospitals by being especially kind and serviceable to loathsome patients in order to overcome his repugnance, and was thus prepared to lay down his life for them.
Fr Hedwig Lewis SJ is the author of Profiles in Holiness, Brief Biographies of Jesuit Saints, and several other books. Contact: [email protected]