INTER-CONGREGATIONAL PASTORAL LETTER
The Camillian Religious – The Daughters of St. Camillus
The Women Ministers of the Sick of St. Camillus
The Holy Year of Mercy – 2016

Being Camillians
CAMILLO, Enrico, Maria Domenica, Luigi, Giuseppina, Nicola, Germana, Ettore, Aristea …
The call to be witnesses and prophets of the mercy of God!

We cannot escape the Lord’s words to us, and they will serve as the criteria upon which we will be judged: whether we have fed the hungry and given drink to the thirsty, welcomed the stranger and clothed the naked, or spent time with the sick and those in prison (cf. Mt 25:31-45). Moreover, we will be asked if we have helped others to escape the doubt that causes them to fall into despair and which is often a source of loneliness; if we have helped to overcome the ignorance in which millions of people live, especially children deprived of the necessary means to free them from the bonds of poverty; if we have been close to the lonely and afflicted; if we have forgiven those who have offended us and have rejected all forms of anger and hate that lead to violence; if we have had the kind of patience God shows, who is so patient with us; and if we have commended our brothers and sisters to the Lord in prayer. In each of these “little ones,” Christ himself is present. His flesh becomes visible in the flesh of the tortured, the crushed, the scourged, the malnourished, and the exiled … to be acknowledged, touched, and cared for by us. Let us not forget the words of Saint John of the Cross: “as we prepare to leave this life, we will be judged on the basis of love” (Francis, Misericordiae Vultus. Bull of Indiction of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, n. 15).

Finally, let us consider the saints, who exercised charity in an exemplary way…In his encounter “face to face” with the God who is Love, [man] senses the impelling need to transform his whole life into service of neighbour, in addition to service of God. This explains the great emphasis on hospitality, refuge and care of the infirm in the vicinity of the monasteries. It also explains the immense initiatives of human welfare and Christian formation, aimed above all at the very poor, who became the object of care firstly for the monastic and mendicant orders, and later for the various male and female religious institutes all through the history of the Church. The figures of saints such as Francis of Assisi, Ignatius of Loyola, John of God, Camillus of Lellis, Vincent de Paul, Louise de Marillac, Giuseppe B. Cottolengo, John Bosco, Luigi Orione, Teresa of Calcutta to name but a few—stand out as lasting models of social charity for all people of good will. The saints are the true bearers of light within history, for they are men and women of faith, hope and love (Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas est. Encyclical Letter on Christian Love, n. 40).

Care provided to the needs and the physical and spiritual sufferings of the sick means the extension of the inexhaustible mercy and patience and goodness of the Lord Jesus who bent down before the miseries of humanity wounded by sin, and through care for bodies in pain gave peace and salvation to souls. Your presence in hospitals, in nursing homes, at the bedsides of the poor and those in need should, therefore, be a constant irradiation of the charity of Christ, the lived apologetics of the delicacy, the disinterestedness, and the heroism, if this is necessary, of those who have made the example of the Lord Jesus the only reason for their lives, the measure of  measureless need, the secret spur of an impetus that is destined to break only with death’ (Paul VI, ‘Ai Camilliani’, Vol. III, Tip. Pol. Vat., 1965, pp. 289-90).

The mercy of God is not an idea that is disembodied in relation to reality and relegated to the world of pious practices and devotions of the heart. It is, rather, a concrete experience that touches the histories and the wounds of every individual human being. This is borne witness to by the existential events and spiritual pathways of saints and blesseds who have been privileged witnesses to how the love of God and His forgiveness in fact do not have limits. Amongst these witnesses, some made mercy ‘their mission in life’ in a more specific way; others became apostles of mercy and forgiveness by bending down to the deepest wounds of humanity.

It is for this reason that we have chosen to reflect upon the experience of mercy-compassion during this jubilee year of mercy, starting with the precious ‘Camillian’ memory that we have in common: the charism of mercy towards the suffering which was handed down to us by St. Camillus de Lellis, and read and reflected in the words, the choices, the decisions and the intimate spiritual universe of ‘our’ saints, blessed and servants of God.

Let us indeed call them ‘prophets’ of mercy. Men and women of God who, through their insights, their lives and their words, proclaimed that embrace of mercy of the Father narrated by Christ in the parable of the ‘prodigal son’ which is then transfigured into care, into the compassionate devotion of the ‘Good Samaritan’.

Their names are inscribed in the great book of the history of our religious Institutes of Camillian inspiration and belong at the level of ideals to the book dedicated to those who may be seen as the ‘blesseds’ of forgiveness, of the divine caress, of the absolute welcome, of the gratuitous love, and of the gift of the heart to those who are in abject poverty, sick and in need.

Saint Camillus de Lellis

‘All of his contemplations, ecstasies, transports, and visions consisted in staying for almost entire nights staring above some dead or dying body or some other destroyed sick poor person. And he saw in those so harsh and butchered bodies the extreme misery of human life…And in such spectacles of horror he learnt to live to die, and they were always his books and his schools where he learnt to despise the world and love his neighbours’  (Sanzio Cicatelli, Vita del P. Camillo de Lellis – Vms –  251).

The Blessed Giuseppina Vannini

‘The inner ideas that trouble are never produced by a good spirit and thus are not from God. That total lack of confidence in God, with the fear of not being saved, is diabolical stuff. It is much better to abound in filial confidence in God than to doubt of such great goodness and mercy. It is clear that the devil would enjoy seeing you making the great error of leaving your post to look for greater quiet and perfection’ (MV letter 53 to Sr. Gerarda Legrand).

The Blessed Enrico Rebuschini

‘Care provided to the needs and the physical and spiritual sufferings of the sick means the extension of the inexhaustible mercy and patience and goodness of the Lord Jesus who bent down before the miseries of humanity wounded by sin, and through care for bodies in pain gave peace and salvation to souls. Your presence in hospitals, in nursing homes, at the bedsides of the poor and those in need should therefore be a constant irradiation of the charity of Christ, the lived apologetics of delicacy, disinterestedness and  heroism. This Christic style seems to be the compendium of the resolutions and the apostolate of the Servant of God  Enrico Rebuschini who faithfully followed the example and the teaching of Christ, and consecrated his life to service to the sick and sinners, to whom, with humility and charity, he widely distributed the gifts of Redemption, offering them the experience of the mercy of God and that sweetness of the Gospel that we all need (from the decree Super Virtutibus).

The Blessed Maria Domenica Brun Barbantini

‘The omnipotence of God! How many delights, what magnificence presents itself to eyes that want to appreciate the goodness of a God Creator towards us base creatures! But I, a most base creature, how have I corresponded? How have I loved my Creator, my Redeemer, my generous Benefactor? My sins have demonstrated this enough. My ingratitude will always serve to humble me, to ask for mercy and forgiveness, not to be dismayed, and never to be distrustful of divine mercy. Have courage, therefore, I also say to you my dear daughter…God does not want the death of a sinner, He wants her to convert and to live’ (from Scritti spirituali, n. 80).

The Blessed Luigi Tezza

‘The only power you should wield is the power of sweet firmness, without weaknesses, and the mercy that always forgives, following the example of Jesus. Listen to him speaking to you, enter his thoughts, his struggles, his sufferings and his tribulations. Move into that mercy. Be resolute, realistic, just and good; speak little of yourself. If you have sick women, care for them and have them cared for with the tenderness of a Mother’ (from Scritti, 1892).

The Servant of God Nicola D’Onofrio

‘St. Paul is aware that he is the apostle of nations, but solely because of the infinite mercy of God who converted him from sin. We are a living monument to the mercy of God. Jesus said to St. Catherine: “You are she who is not, I am He who is”. This is the greatest reason for being able to humble oneself before the Almighty. This is an elementary thing, and yet almost nobody does it!…If we know the road that takes us to holiness, to work. We do not know how long we will live. When one possesses humility one immediately recognises how proud one is. From a humble man is released an irresistible appeal because of which the sinner is also laid low. To reach this there are many means that help us. True humility lies in recognising one’s own nothingness and loving it, hoping only in the infinite mercy of God, otherwise humility would only be hopelessness. We always have before us the figure of humble Jesus (reflections on the margins of Esercizi Spirituali, 1960).

The Servant of God Germana Sommaruga

‘The action of Sommaruga unfolded in works of mercy of great spiritual and social range which also inaugurated new forms of the presence of women in the Church and the civil community.

     After Jesus Christ and his Gospel, the principal source of inspiration for Germana was St. Camillus de Lellis, a shining example to whom was well applied the epithet ‘giant of charity’, who was capable of demonstrating through his words and his works the fundamental aspects of the mercy of God and promoting a reform of the world of health care and care for the sick which still today has to be fully implemented.

     From St. Camillus, Germana learnt the extraordinary lesson of mercy and compassion towards the sick which sprung from the gospel parable of the Good Samaritan: she thus learnt to be at the side of the sick and ensured that other women and other men, like her, were attracted by love that was received and given during moments of pain. She also committed herself to ensuring that the Camillian style of approaching suffering was not limited to being concerned about alleviating physical needs but also took care of the human spirit, which is often sicker and more wounded than the body (from the testimony of Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi, Archbishop of Milan).

 The Servant of God Ettore Boschini

‘In the sky of his life in the Spirit three special lights shone out: the Christ of mercy, the Immaculate Virgin, and St. Camillus. The special devotion of Brother Ettore to the merciful Christ, promoted by St. Faustine and authenticated by specific words of John Paul II, helps us to understand an aspect of his spirituality with greater accuracy. In his initiatives of charity he sought not only to safeguard the dignity of people but also to promote their salvation, calling upon divine mercy. Philanthropy thus became charity not only because it was supernaturally promoted but also because it was directed at the totality of the person. 

     In his love for the merciful Christ there was also that repairing dimension that can be found in most mystical souls, so profoundly united to the Lord as to feel in an acute way a deep concern to repair the offences inflicted on the subject of his love’ (from the testimony of Fr. Angelo Brusco).

The Servant of God Aristea Ceccarelli

‘The human experience should be received, read and understood only from the perspective of faith: a man who does not have faith knows only limitations, differently from the man who has faith who sees further. Only from a perspective of faith, of convinced adherence to the Crucified Christ, does one understand pain and life. What is greater than God? Lower than a manger? The illuminated love of God for us miserable and base creatures. The humility of a God!…what are our poor souls not to feel? Beloved tears! How much I wish to suffer, to feel pain, so much by the grace of God, and only and solely and purely His love. God, God alone and with Him we will love in a measureless way our Neighbour. An unceasing ‘yes’, God will give us the strength, the opportunity, the means. We need to be in love, we need to experience the love of the Crucified Christ, of his infinite mercy, to understand our vocation to compassion and holiness’ (from Scritti e Memorie).

LEGGI IL TESTO DEL MESSAGGIO – formato PDF ITALIANO    INGLESE  SPAGNOLO