On this Good Friday we want to remember the intense bond that existed between St. Camillus and the crucified Christ.

During his life the ‘Giant of Charity’ was always greatly devoted to the crucified Christ on the cross who supported him during his moments of greatest difficulty. In particular, immediately after the birth of the first company of the Ministers of the Sick many people felt envy towards Camillus who was the subject of slander and insinuations: some people thought he was more interested in power than in service to the sick and for this reason they obstructed him.

Together with his first companions, he used to met with them to pray in a little room of the St. James Hospital for the Incurables in Rome where there was a large crucifix. Somebody had the courage to take it off the wall and through it behind a door: this was an act that wounded Camillus deeply and troubled him, making him have doubts about the future of his company.

But Christ came to his aid: that very night Camillus dreamed that the crucified Christ came off the cross and moving towards him comforted him in the following way: ‘Do not be afraid, pusillanimous one, go on, because this is not your work but mine!’

And so it was. For the rest of his life Camillus addressed his prayers to the crucified Christ, also entrusting sick people to him so that he would look after them.

For some days the crucifix that spoke to St. Camillus has been shown for the veneration of the faithful in the Church of St. Mary Magdalene in Rome

Prayer to the Crucified Christ
 (The miraculous crucifix that twice comforted St. Camillus de Lellis)

My crucified Jesus, who on two occasions comforted St. Camillus, the first by gently moving your head and saying: “Do not be afraid, pusillanimous one, go forward, for I will help you, and I will be with you!”, and the second by visibly detaching your arms from the cross and speaking the words: “Tell me what afflicts you, pusillanimous one! Follow your task for I will help you given that this is my work and not yours!”, infuse in my spirit a steady faith and certain hope in your words so that in loving you above all things I can, like St. Camillus, overcome the trials of life and reach my homeland in heaven.

Amen

Look here at the press information

Watch here the video  ‘St. Camillus and the Crucifix’