33rd Week of Ordinary Time C – Monday – Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, Religious

Elizabeth was a princess who lived the Gospel radically. She married at the age of fourteen to Louis IV of Thuringia and lived her royal vocation as a wife, mother, and servant of the poor. She was widowed at the age of twenty and then dedicated herself entirely to the care of the sick and the poor, building hospitals and personally serving them.

She embraced and cherished her vocation as a Third Order Franciscan. Deeply inspired by the spirituality of Saint Francis of Assisi, she lived poverty, humility, and charity despite her royal heritage. She died at the young age of twenty-four, already recognized as a saint for her heroic charity and self-emptying love. She was canonized very shortly after her death, in 1235, by Pope Gregory IX—the same pope who canonized Saint Francis himself.

Saint Elizabeth lived out the Gospel of love in deed and in truth, not merely in words. In today’s first reading from Saint John’s First Epistle, we hear about this same love in deed and in truth: “The way we came to know love was that He laid down His life for us; so we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.”

This reading captures the very essence of Saint Elizabeth’s sanctity. She practiced love through concrete action. Her faith was not sentimental—it was sacrificial. It expressed deep concern for those less fortunate and manifested itself in feeding the hungry, tending the sick, and comforting the sorrowful. Saint John reminds us that love which stops at words is dead. Elizabeth’s life answers that challenge.

She gave her time, her wealth, and even her dignity in service to the poor. In her we see that Christian love is incarnate—charity, God’s love made visible through our hands. This is the point: the true test of faith is compassion made visible.

In today’s Psalm we read: “Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.” This psalm of gratitude mirrors Elizabeth’s joyful spirit perfectly. Though she suffered deeply—widowhood, poverty, rejection—she radiated joy because her refuge, security, and treasure were not in wealth but in God. “The lowly will hear and be glad.” Elizabeth’s life uplifted the poor because she made them feel seen, valued, and loved.

Then we come to the Gospel, where our Lord speaks to us of radical mercy. He says, “Love your enemies. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” The Gospel’s command to love our enemies, to give freely, to forgive, and not to judge defines the Franciscan and Christian ideal of mercy without measure.

Saint Elizabeth embodied this Gospel by serving even those who despised her charity. She never allowed bitterness to take root. Her love was uncalculating and generous, reflecting the divine mercy that gives without expecting anything in return—just as our Lord laid down His life, even though we could never pay Him back.

“Give, and gifts will be given to you.” She gave everything and received the Kingdom of Heaven in return.

My dear brothers and sisters, Saint Elizabeth of Hungary shows us that love becomes divine when it costs something—when it moves from the heart to the hands. Through her intercession, may you be strengthened for the task at hand in your pursuit of holiness through cooperation with God’s grace.

May you be blessed in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.