Thomas Griffin 6/21/25
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Let Us Begin: New Book on the Life and Power of St. Francis
St. Aloysius Gonzaga (1568-1591) was a Jesuit priest from Italy whose dedication to a life of prayer inspired countless others. He grew up in a prestigious and wealthy family during the tumultuous Renaissance period. He even witnessed the murder of two of his brothers. After traveling much with his parents, he heard about the Jesuits and had an ardent desire to join them.
Despite going against the wishes of his parents and many other family friends who were nobles, Aloysius joined the order. He later became a priest.
Several words from this great saint can truly guide us to becoming closer to Christ and closer to becoming saints ourselves.
First, this great saint reminds us that we must always keep our identity at the center of our being. He writes, “It is better to be a child of God than king of the whole world!”
So many in today’s world believe that money, power, working out, or the comfort of the world will bring them ultimate happiness. Aloysius challenges us to reject the false idols of this world that tempt us to believing that we are the center of the world. Instead he calls for us to remain rooted in the peace and joy that can only come from knowing that God is our Father.
The centrality of one’s relationship with God is also critical for each disciple. “All evangelical perfection,” Gonzaga said. “is attained, by the continual exercise of prayer.”
Holiness comes from prayer because prayer is our relationship with God. The more we spend time with someone the more we become like them. The more we listen to the voice of God, the more attuned we become to fulfilling His will for our lives.
True intimacy in prayer does not make us a recluse. It should make us more interested in acting for others, not loss because prayer is not an activity but an encounter with the living God. For this reason, St. Aloysius said, “He who is not a man of prayer will never attain to a great act of holiness, nor will he ever triumph over himself!”
This is what we too often misunderstand about the spiritual life. Prayer is not something that we do to earn God’s love. It is not a simple recipe to gain the reward of Heaven. Prayer must be intentionally entered into so that we can hear and see the face of Christ looking at us. The more we peer at Christ crucified, the more we become like the one who poured out his life for us.
Sacrificial love is the gauge of the Lord’s holy ones. “He who truly desires to love God, loves only, with an ardent and constant desire, to suffer for His sake,” Gonzaga said.
This doesn’t mean that we cling to pain in an unhealthy manner. It simply means that we receive all of life’s challenges with a gaze that is directed at Jesus. Every opportunity to suffer is a chance to love others as Jesus loved us. Suffering gives us the vision of Jesus, who suffered for our sake.
Suffering becomes a particular grace when it is at the expense of being Christian. When others go against us because of our faith we become grafted onto the heart of Jesus. It allows us to see from the vantage point of Christ as he looked down at the cross at those who killed him. To see others and love others as Jesus did is the entire purpose of the Christian life. It is how Aloysius lived. If we take his words to heart today, we can (with the grace of God) live in the same way.
Thomas Griffin is the chairperson of the religion department at a Catholic high school on Long Island where he lives with his wife and three children. He has a masters degree in theology and is a masters candidate in philosophy. Thomas is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Empty Tomb Project: The Magazine. He is the author of Let Us Begin: Saint Francis’s Way of Becoming Like Christ and Renewing the World.
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