If someone who has worldly means sees a brother in need and refuses him compassion, how can the love of God remain in him? The Church honors today the memory of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, who was the daughter of the King of Hungary and wife to Ludwig, the landgrave of Thuringia. After he husband’s death after only six years in marriage, she became a Franciscan tertiary (member of the Third Order), devoting herself to caring for the poor, the sick, and the aged. She died in exceptional poverty at the age of twenty three, and was canonized only four years after her death. She is the patroness of the Franciscan Third Order and of Catholic charities. 
While Elizabeth was not the only ‘wealthy’ lady of the Middle Ages to be associated with religious life (there are others who founded religious congregations as well), her story is still a unique one. Whereas most of the wealthy women who became associated with, or founded religious houses did so while still retaining their comfortable lifestyles, Elizabeth of Hungary did not. Rather than give support to religious houses from her riches, she decided to become a religious herself, even if as a member of a Third Order. No one would have thought less of her had she chosen to support religious houses without becoming a religious herself. However, she must have felt that giving support from afar was not enough. She wanted not only to give from what she had but also her very self. It was something that was part of her. According to an account in her life, while her husband was still alive, she would always find a way of taking bread from her house in order to give to the poor. 
The passage from the Letter of St. John that we hear in the First Reading beautifully sums up the short life of St. Elizabeth. As if to heed the words of St. John, St. Elizabeth saw in her wealth an opportunity to show God’s love to the less fortunate. And even after her wealth had dried up, she did not stop. She was going to stop only after sharing the last important thing that she had: he life. And she did. In her own way, she laid down her life for her brothers and sisters. 
May we who are today honoring the memory of St. Elizabeth be moved to emulate her desire to live in a practical way the Gospel virtue of laying down one’s life for one’s friends. Through her intercessions, may we see in our brothers and sisters who are in need an opportunity to put to practice the faith that we profess. Like her, may we be willing to see in our worldly blessings an opportunity to spread God’s love.