A Model Jesuit:

St Alphonsus Rodriguez SJ

October 2024

The Jesuit identity is based on the experience of the merciful love of God the Father who, besides pardoning, calls us to centre our life-mission on the person of the Son, the poor and humble Jesus, in order to be accepted as His companion… The Jesuit identity is a gift received through the spiritual and charismatic experience of Ignatius of Loyola and the first companions when they followed the call of the Lord to consecrate themselves entirely to Him by adopting the poor and humble style of His life-mission. Fr Arturo Sosa, our General shares these views about the Jesuit Identity in the Status of the Society of Jesus 2023 (De Statu Societatis Iesu 2023 – DSS). It is his clarion call to all of us to be simple and humble in today’s context.

Here we have a typical model Jesuit, St. Alphonsus Rodriquez, whom we commemorate on 31 October, and whose simple and humble life, all of us are invited to emulate in our life-mission. Br. Alphonsus Rodríguez, SJ (25 July 1532 – 31 October 1617), a Spanish Jesuit Brother, is venerated a saint in the Catholic Church. He was canonized on 15 January 1888. Born in a wool merchant family, Rodríguez, as a small boy was inspired by Fr Peter Faber, who prepared him to receive his First Holy Communion. After his father’s death, he took charge of his family business. At the age of 26, he got married to Maria Suarez and had three children. At the age of 31, after the death of his wife and children one after another, and also having incurred a loss in his business, Rodriguez began to lead a life of prayer, austerities and mortification, cut off from the world around him. He felt a strong desire to join some religious order. His previous associations with Jesuits had brought him to be in touch with them but with his limited schooling, he was unable to carry out his purpose of entering the Society.

His austerities had also weakened his health. After considerable delay, he was finally admitted into the Society of Jesus as a lay Brother, at the age of 40. But seeing his mortifications and austerities, the Provincial had said that if Alphonsus was not qualified to become a Brother or a Priest, he could enter to become a saint.

From August 1571, almost for 40 years he served as a sacristan, gatekeeper and receiving guests at Palma de Mallorca until his death in October 1617. Experiencing more tragedies and disappointments, he served with such love that the act of opening the door became for him a sacramental gesture. Thus he becomes a model for us with his virtues.

Simplicity: He lived a very simple life with an intense spiritual life of prayer and asceticism. He was known for his poverty, penance and obedience, as well
as his prayer life and his special devotion to Jesus, Mary and the Angels.

Humility: As a temporal Coadjutor, he humbly accepted the given task as a gatekeeper. As an anonymous servant, he was available all the time to be the gatekeeper with great humility, trust and responsibility which made him the public face of the Jesuit community. He was very faithful in performing his duty, waiting at the door of the College. He welcomed all those who knocked at the door and in them he sought to discover Jesus.
Audacity: He had the audacity to do God’s will with complete dedication and formidable perseverance in all circumstances and despite vicissitudes. During his life mission that was assigned to him, he should have felt certain dryness, routine, fatigue, and desolations. But he never gave up. He had in his heart the Ignatian boldness and audacity, never to give up what is given by God.

Respect for others: Whenever a guest came, he used to treat him as he would treat Jesus as if it were He who came. Respecting other human beings is a value that he cherishes. In the absence of respect and love for neighbours, our life will lose its very meaning. It is the inter-dependence of all human beings that makes the planet liveable.

At this outset I quote the words of Fr. General at the JCSA, Feb 2023, where he insisted ‘We need Brothers to be who we are’. Let’s consciously promote Vocations to Brotherhood in our neighbourhood and mission.

As we ponder over the life mission of this great Brother, let’s also pray to St. Francis of Assisi whose feast we have on 4 October. He has been inspiring humanity for many centuries as a simple and humble servant of God. Our Pope Francis has been so much inspired by him that he not only chose Francis as his name soon after he was elected Pope but also, constantly invites the entire humanity to respect and love the Earth, our Common Home. His apostolic exhortations Laudato Si and Laudate Deum will continue to inspire generations of men and women to become nature lovers. May St. Francis continue to accompany us in all our efforts to actualize our UAPs and PAPs!

Finally, October is a month dedicated to Our Lady of Rosary. May she lead us to be simple and humble servants of her Son with audacity in our life-mission!

Jebamalai Irudayaraj

Provincial – Chennai Jesuits