21 June · St. Aloysius Gonzaga

He was trained
to carry a sword
from age four.

By twenty-three,
he was dead —

not in battle,
but from a plague
he caught
while carrying dying strangers
to a hospital bed.

Aloysius was born
into Italian nobility in 1568.

His father wanted
a soldier and an heir.

Aloysius wanted
something else.

At nine, he privately vowed
his life to God.

At seventeen, he gave up
his entire inheritance
to become a Jesuit.

When plague hit Rome in 1591,
he volunteered immediately —

carrying the sick
from the streets,
washing them,
caring for the dying,

though he found the work
physically revolting.

He caught the plague himself
and died on June 21, 1591 —

just twenty-three years old,
his eyes fixed
on the crucifix
in his hands.

He gave up a kingdom
to gain something
far greater.

"You are worth more
than many sparrows."
— Matthew 10:31

St. Aloysius, pray for us. Amen.

Comment "Amen"

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