Aloysius Gonzaga, a Jesuit saint, has been declared the patron saint of youth and students, as well as victims of incurable diseases and those who serve them. Born into a wealthy aristocratic family of notable prestige, as the first- born, he would have inherited both the title and wealth of the family, but he gave it all up in order to place himself at the service of the Kingdom of God.

Jesus calls us "to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness." (v33). Do we spend our lives haunted by fears, worries and anxieties over our material security, our public reputations, our status, and the power that we exert within the realms in which we live and work? Ironically, it is often those who are financially better off, and better placed in society, that suffer most from anxieties and worries. Take heart to Jesus' counsel: "Can any of you, by worrying, add a single moment to your life-span?" (v27).

Give up obsessive control of other people's lives and learn to trust more deeply in God and His providence for us. Be compassionate. Rather than anxiously focusing on illusory security, Jesus calls us to devote our energy to matters that give life its compassionate meaning. Jesus doesn't ask us to all follow the path of Aloysius Gonzaga, but He does ask us to put first things first---to know, love, and serve God and our neighbor. The rest, Jesus tells us, "will be given to you besides."