William C. Michael
St. Aloysius Gonzaga, S.J. (1568-1591)
Aloysius, the eldest son of Ferdinand Gonzaga, Marquis of Castiglione, was born on the 9th of March, 1568. The first words he pronounced were the holy names of Jesus and Mary. When he was nine years of age he made a vow of perpetual virginity, and by a special grace was ever exempted from temptations against purity. He received his first Communion at the hands of St. Charles Borromeo. At an early age he resolved to leave the world, and in a vision was directed by our blessed Lady to join the Society of Jesus. The Saint’s mother rejoiced on learning his determination to become a religious, but his father for three years refused his consent. At length St. Aloysius obtained permission to enter the novitiate on the 25th of November, 1585. He took his vows after two years, and went through the ordinary course of philosophy and theology. He was wont to say he doubted whether without penance grace would continue to make head against I nature, which, when not afflicted and chastised, tends gradually to relapse into its old state, losing the habit of suffering acquired by the labor of years. He said,
“I am a crooked piece of iron and am come into religion to be made straight by the hammer of mortification and penance.”
During his last year of theology a malignant fever broke out in Rome; the Saint offered himself for the service of the sick, and he was accepted for the dangerous duty. Several of the brothers caught the fever, and Aloysius was of the number. He was brought to the point of death, but recovered, only to fall, however, into slow fever, which carried him off after three months. He died, repeating the Holy Name, a little after midnight between the 20th and 21st of June, on the octave-day of Corpus Christi, being just twenty-three years of age.
Reflection
Cardinal Bellarmine, the Saint’s confessor, testified that he had never mortally offended God. Yet he chastised his body rigorously, rose at night to pray, and shed many tears for his sins. Pray that, not having followed his innocence, you may yet imitate his penance.
How to Master Sacred Scripture
Scripture, he says, must be read in a three-fold manner: “secundum historiam, allegoriam, et moralem instructionem, seu magis dicendum, tropologiam.” I. The Historical Sense of Scripture Then the whole Bible must be gone through three or four times in its historical sense, and those portions of it be marked which are not capable of literal interpretation. What would be false, unbecoming, unmeaning, and opposed to true morality, if interpreted literally, must be mystically understood. I. The Old Testament Law & Histories At first, the student ought to confine himself to the Books of Moses, and the historical books of the … Continue
What Happened to the Decrees of the Council of Baltimore?
In America, we live in a country with compulsory education laws. Every child is required to attend school from ages 5-7 through 15-18. This was never true in history and is a modern requirement. Every child is required, by law, to go to school or be home-schooled. These compulsory education laws were developed in the late 1800s. At the time, American society was influenced by Protestantism, and even the public schools were Protestant in spirit. In the 1880s, the Catholic bishops in America gathered in the Archdiocese of Baltimore to discuss this problem and to publish decrees for all Catholic … Continue
Homer, The Iliad. Book VIII (Butler)
Prelection In this lesson, we continue studying Homer’s Iliad, translated into English by Samuel Butler. In the Academy’s High School English course, students are required to read the entire text (out loud is recommended), and complete the written lesson assessment. Notes are provided in the text below to help as you read. If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Michael. God bless your studies! Iliad, Book VIII Now when Morning, clad in her robe of saffron, had begun to suffuse light over the earth, Jove called the gods in council on the topmost crest of serrated Olympus. Then he … Continue
