Alphonsus Rodriguez lost his whole family and became a Jesuit brother, serving for decades as porter at a college in Majorca. His deep holiness in ordinary work touched many lives.
Life
Alphonsus Rodriguez was born in 1532 in Segovia, Spain. He took over the family wool business and married, but within a few years he suffered the great sorrow of losing his wife and children one after another.
He then devoted himself to prayer and penance and sought religious life, and at a late age he was accepted as a Jesuit brother. Sent to the Jesuit college in Palma on the island of Majorca, he worked for many years as porter, welcoming everyone who came to the door with great care.
He also encouraged the young Jesuit Peter Claver in his dream of mission in South America. He died in 1617 and was canonized in 1888.
Spirituality
The spirituality of St. Alphonsus Rodriguez is meeting God in the small tasks of daily life. He tried to greet each person who knocked at the door as if Christ himself had come. Through sorrow and trials he kept peace of heart by deep prayer and obedience.
Reflection
St. Alphonsus became a saint by the simple work of opening a door. Today, can I treat my ordinary tasks, and the people who come to me, as if I were welcoming Christ?