St. Camillus lived in the middle of the 16th century and left a military career in order to enter the priesthood. He devoted the rest of his life to caring for the sick. He is a model of charity, especially in this time when literally hundreds of thousands of people are getting sick from the coronavirus. A companion of St. Camillus wrote of him: “In the sick he saw the person of Christ. His imagination was so vivid that, while feeding them, he perceived his patients to be ‘other Christs.’ His reverence in their presence was as great as if he were really and truly in the presence of the Lord. Great and all-embracing was Camillus’ charity. Not only the sick and dying, but every other needy or suffering human being found shelter in his deep and kind concern. Indeed, his heartfelt concern for the poor led him to often say, ‘If there were no poor people in the world, we should have to go below the earth to look for them and rescue them, to show them compassion and do them good!’”
Let us pray. “Father in heaven, you gave St. Camillus a special love for the sick. Through his prayers, inspire us with your grace, so that by serving you in our brothers and sisters we may come safely to you at the end of our lives. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.”
Prayer of Pope Francis for Protection from Coronavirus
O Mary, you shine continuously on our journey as a sign of salvation and hope. We entrust ourselves to you, Health of the Sick. At the foot of the Cross you participated in Jesus’ pain, with steadfast faith. You, Salvation of your People, know what we need. We are certain that you will provide, so that, as you did at Cana of Galilee, joy and feasting might return after this moment of trial. Help us, Mother of Divine Love, to conform ourselves to the Father’s will and to do what Jesus tells us: He who took our sufferings upon Himself, and bore our sorrows to bring us, through the Cross, to the joy of the Resurrection. Amen. We seek refuge under your protection, O Holy Mother of God. Pray for us.
