Homily – July 18, 2009 – St. Camillus de Lellis

+ St. Camillus de Lellis was born at Bocchia-nico, Italy in the mid 16^th century. He was not a good steward of his own money and by 1574 he was penniless in Naples. He became a Capuchin novice, but was unable to be professed because of a diseased leg he contracted while fighting the Turks. He devoted himself to caring for the sick, and became director of St. Giacomo Hospital in Rome. He received permission from his confessor (St. Philip Neri) to be ordained and decided, with two companions, to found his own congregation, the Ministers of the Sick (the Camellians), dedicated to the care of the sick. They ministered to the sick of Holy Ghost Hospital in Rome. In 1591, the Congregation was made into an order to serve the sick by Pope Gregory XIV, and in 1605, Camillus sent members of his order to minister to wounded troops in Hungary and Croatia, the first field medical unity. Gravely ill for many years, he resigned as superior of the Order in 1607, and died in Rome on July 14. He was canonized in 1746, and was declared patron saint of the sick, and patron of nurses and nursing groups. Today, July 18^th is his feast day!

What a wonderful celebration of priestly ministry today; St. Camillus was called by God himself to minister to the sick with a priestly heart, which is the exact representation of the Divine and Sacred Heart of Jesus, himself – the heart that knew no bounds in providing everything spiritual, and as much as possible temporal that the sick patient needed.

The first reading certainly reflects Camillus's perspective of looking at the poor, the afflicted and the needy with the compassion of Jesus. And Camillus demonstrates the punch line of the first reading by his own willingness to lay down his concerns and comforts and life, for the well-being of others: the punch line is this: in the activity of being merciful and compassionate and actively loving - by tending wounds, wounds of body and soul – we experience the very love that is God, deep within us – which not only soothes our clients, but also soothes us, and spurs us on to even greater self-sacrifice for the good of others.

In the gospel passage Jesus tells us the same thing: you are my good and faithful friends, my helpers, my hands, my feet when you tend to others' needs! Even when you are tired and weary yourselves; even when you feel you have nothing left to give; it is exactly at this point that I can shine through you and minister to my sheep personally – with you willingly just standing in place so that I can use you. Your joy will abound by this experience; the sick will be refreshed; and there will be a deep hope and peace present that was just not there before your visit, and your ministrations!

I give you a new commandment: love one another as I have loved you!