Message for July 14, 2021

Dear confreres and all of you who, together with us, share the charism of Saint Camillus, receive my greetings to you and all your loved ones. On my behalf and on behalf of my fellow Consultors, I am writing to wish you all the best on the liturgical feast of Saint Camillus.

The Church wanted us to celebrate the birth of St. Camillus in heaven on July 14, in gratitude for the holiness of God manifested in his life and actions. As the Church canonized the life of St. Camillus 275 years ago on June 29, 1746, she tells all her sons and daughters and particularly to us of the Charismatic Camillian Family that it is possible to attain holiness to which we are all called, following the example of St. Camillus, the exercise of the merciful love towards the poor and the sick.

I want to share a text message received on June 29 from Father Felice Ruffini, a Camillian religious of the Roman Province, a short statement that he extrapolated from the Bull of Canonization, Misericordiae Studium of June 29, 1746:

“The ardor of mercy, following the example of the Father who is in heaven, often recommended by the precept of Our Savior, distinguishes the disciples of Christ and the children of the Church from the followers of human associations, and that those who live in mutual love are ultimately recognized as those who have discovered a way of life superior to every ideology and those who belong in a true sense to the Kingdom of the Son of God […] Filled with this heavenly and supernatural spirit, Blessed Camillus de Lellis mercifully took upon himself the care of all those in need, especially the sick, and took upon himself the task of welcoming and comforting them, not for reasons of blood or nationality, but, driven by the charity of Christ, with services that were more than paternal and fraternal.”

The radical choice of Saint Camillus, who followed the example of the Father’s mercy, is an impetus for us today and allows us to face infirmities and poverty such as those caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the charity of Christ, animated by the ardor of mercy.

Our best wishes for the feast of St. Camillus are addressed to everyone, especially to elderly religious, the sick, young people on a vocational journey, people facing some difficulty, and to all those who, with generous assiduity, devote the best of their lives to embody the merciful charity of Christ through their lives given and their activities of service to the suffering.

May the Virgin Mary, Health of the Sick, and Saint Joseph guardian of the Church, obtain from God the grace for all of a life that reflects the holiness and merciful Love of Christ as it happened in the life of Saint Camillus and may “the thousand blessings of Saint Camillus reach the present and the future.”

Hearty wishes of hope, joy, and happiness to all!

P. Laurent Zoungrana
Vicario generale