# The life of St. Camillus and the novena to the most precious blood
*2015-07-18*

> Bill Young reflects on the transformative life of St. Camillus de Lellis and leads the listeners in a novena dedicated to the Most Precious Blood of Jesus.

## The unlikely path of St. Camillus

Today is July 18th, the feast day of St. Camillus. We may know St. Camillus for his great works for the sick and the imprisoned; even today, we have our local Camillus House that helps the sick. However, St. Camillus wasn't a typical saint who started off pure and innocent. Humanly speaking, he was not likely a candidate for sainthood. His mother died when he was a child, his father neglected him, and by age 17, he had developed an exclusive love for gambling. He also suffered from a disease in his leg that remained with him for the rest of his life.

## Conversion and calling

Camillus's journey was marked by struggle. In Rome, he entered a hospital both as a patient and a servant, but was dismissed after nine months. He served in the army for three years, but by the winter of 1574, at age 24, he had gambled away everything—his savings and his weapons, literally down to his shirt. It was after accepting work again that he was moved by a sermon from his superior, beginning the conversion that changed his whole life. Though he was dismissed from religious life multiple times because of the sores on his leg, he eventually returned and was made superintendent. He devoted the rest of his life to the care of the sick and was named, along with St. John of God, a patron of hospitals, nurses, and the sick. He was ordained a priest at age 34 and eventually founded his own congregation, serving until his death in 1595.

## Divine power and human cooperation

The life of St. Camillus reminds us that saints are created by God. While parents must nurture the faith of their children, and friends must support one another, we must remember that all human effort is only a dispensing of divine power. We must try as if everything depends on us, but only the power of God can fulfill His plan to make us like Himself.

## Novena to the Most Precious Blood

Today's prayer is the Novena for the Most Precious Blood, to be recited for nine consecutive days. The prayer begins with the Apostles' Creed and a series of offerings to the Eternal Father, meditating on the merits of the blood shed by Jesus during various stages of His Passion: His circumcision, His agony in the garden, the scourging at the pillar, the crowning of thorns, His journey to Calvary, His crucifixion, and the piercing of His side. These offerings are made in reparation for sins, for the needs of the Holy Church, for the conversion of sinners, and for the liberation of the holy souls in Purgatory.

*While human effort is necessary, only the power of God can truly transform a life and fulfill His divine plan for us.*