Optional Memorial of Saint Camillus de Lellis, Priest
Many are guilty of scheming or controlling situations to achieve selfish results. This reading tells of deliberate, calculated wrongdoing. It does not portray evil-doers as impulsive or desperate, but as individuals who carefully engineer their schemes, waiting for the perfect time to act.
Their corruption begins long before the act occurs; they lie awake at night imagining how to exploit or ruin others, later carrying out their wrongdoing “in the morning light.” This quote suggests not only a premeditated thought process and confidence, but brazenness, presuming no one will challenge them. They wait for a convenient time to do their nasty deed.
When those in authority, or those who can manipulate it, become absolute, wrongdoing can become routine, and corruption occurs because no one is able, willing, or brave enough to stop it. This is not “petty” wrongdoing; it is the behavior of individuals whose power is so expansive that they can reshape the lives of others without consequence.
In our Scripture, God speaks of his power over good and evil. He shows the oppressor their control and cruel intentions, masterminded through their own comfort and desire. Those who once walked proudly will no longer “walk with head high.” Their punishment reflects their crimes. They end up losing the “tools” they used to dominate others.
Saint Peter Julian Eymard said: “Love cannot triumph unless it becomes the one passion of our life… Until we have a passionate love for our Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament, we shall accomplish nothing.”
Saint Camillus de Lellis, whose memorial we celebrate today, was an Italian Catholic priest who founded the Camillians, a religious order dedicated to the care of the sick. He is the patron saint of the sick, hospitals, nurses, and physicians.
Can I reach out to those in need as Saint Camillus did?
Let Us Pray:
Lord, help us to remember that it is through the Eucharist that the oppressors who come with contrite hearts are forgiven and, through understanding and love, move toward a new act of acceptance of God’s will.
