We prepare to celebrate the feast of St Gerard Majella on the 16th of October, one of the most popular and well-loved of all the Redemptorist saints. St Gerard Majella is known as the Mother’s saint and particularly for expectant mothers, the saint for Children (and unborn children in particular); the saint for childbirth and for motherhood, the saint for falsely accused people; the Saint for good confessions, and the saint for Religious brothers and above all the joyful saint.
This year, for our Triduum on the feast of St Gerard Majella, we will reflect on the life of St Gerard Majella as a Religious Brother, a Redemptorist Missionary called to be a Missionary of Hope in the footsteps of the Redeemer.
We ask two important Questions, First: Who is a Religious? Second: What exactly is the life of a Redemptorist Religious Brother?
First, A Religious, male or female, is a consecrated person who embraces a permanent state of life recognized by the Church, entered freely in response to the call of Christ to the perfection of love and characterized by the making of public vows of poverty, chastity and obedience and living these vows through a fraternal life in Community.
Second, The Redemptorist Brothers are laymen who choose to belong to the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer by religious profession, committing themselves to the Redemptorist Missionary charism in the Church. The decree Perfectae caritatis n.10 of Vatican II on Religious life defines the state of the Brother as one who lives the religious life undertaken by the laity, “a state for the profession of the evangelical counsels which is complete in itself.” Religious life has value in and of itself; it does not identify with the ordained ministry and does not depend on it. In the context of consecrated life, especially today, the reality of the Brothers recalls what Vita Consecrata n. 60 affirms, “the presence of Brothers constitutes a different form of participation in an Institute’s mission, through services rendered both within the community and in the apostolate, in collaboration with those who exercise the priestly ministry.”
The identity of the Brother is understood through his total consecration to God. That is the first condition of his being and doing. The Brother is one whose being is to serve in the various missionary works of the Congregation.
Brothers are therefore called to be prophets who testify how Jesus lived on this earth and to announce how the Kingdom of God will be in its perfection.
Introduction
On this occasion, Fr. Ivel Mendanha, CSsR, General Consultor, will reflect with us during the next three days and finally on the feast day of St. Gerard on the three aspects of Gerard’s life as a Religious Missionary Brother: his vow of Poverty, his vow of Chastity, and his vow of Obedience. On his feast day, we will reflect on Gerard, the joyful Redemptorist Missionary of Hope who walked in the Footsteps of the Redeemer.
We will reflect during the next three days and finally on the feast day of St. Gerard on the three aspects of the life of Gerard as a Religious Missionary Brother: His vow of Poverty, his vow of Chastity and his vow of Obedience. On his feast day, we will reflect on Gerard the joyful Redemptorist Missionary of Hope who walked in the Footsteps of the Redeemer.
I invite you to make this triduum and to learn more about the Life of St. Gerard as a Religious Missionary Brother and to share this link and invite your family and friends to pray with us Redemptorists as we glorify the Lord for the life of St. Gerard.
DAY ONE: “St. Gerard Majella and The Vow of Poverty.”
We begin our Triduum in preparation for the Feast of St Gerard Majella with this first reflection on the first of the three vows that every Redemptorist makes, the Vow of Poverty. However, basic to the three vows is the total dedication and commitment of the Redemptorist Missionary to Christ the Redeemer.
There are some aspects that define the life of a Redemptorist missionary in living his life of Poverty. First, his simplicity of life through a life of moderation; Second, sharing everything in common; Third, embracing the law of labour so as to contribute to the best of his ability to his own support and that of the community; and Fourth, living a life that is close to the poor and with the poor becoming a sign of hope for the poor.
Gerard knew well that the poor were the poor of Christ and that when we respond with sincerity to their needs, we are the first to be enriched by them. This respectful and generous love for the poor is described as being “a natural inclination towards the poor”, underlining “that he was very compassionate with all and especially with the poor, for whom he had a special softness.”
As A Redemptorist Missionary Brother living his vow of Poverty, Gerard truly was a contemplative of the people, an apostolic man who wanted to touch human misery, touching the painful flesh of others and knowing the strength of tenderness; a man able to see the power of the resurrection in the wounds of the world especially of the Poor and abandoned.
Gerard who contemplated Jesus his Crucified Lord and wanted so much to confirm himself to his most beloved crucified Lord, through his vow of Poverty he was able to follow in the footsteps of the Redeemer who came not to be served but to serve and to proclaim the Good News of salvation to all but most especially the poor and abandoned.
All of us today, Redemptorists Missionaries, Priests and Brothers, Partners in our mission, can learn from Gerard and seek his intercession that we might through the living of our vow of poverty in the simplicity of life, in sharing in common the fruits of our labour, in using all our talents to work with dedication and above all with a deep love and closeness to the poor be true Missionaries of Hope in the footsteps of the Redeemer.
DAY TWO: “St. Gerard Majella and The Vow of Chastity.”
Today on the second day of our Triduum in preparation for the Feast of St Gerard Majella we reflect on the second of the three vows that every Redemptorist makes, the Vow of Chastity. We remind ourselves that, basic to the three vows is the total dedication and commitment of the Redemptorist Missionary to Christ the Redeemer.
From this Constitution it is clear that Chastity is a way of giving the self entirely over to God to the exclusion of all other things, even people. However, this does not mean that consecrated people don’t love. Quite to the contrary, if they authentically live out their calling, they find themselves possessing an abundance of love which they freely share amongst God’s people. The Redemptorist Missionary Brother is not just a sign but also a companion for all who seek to walk along the road to Heaven.
Of course, a life of chastity, and indeed any virtuous life, is a difficult path but it is precisely because of the goal at the end, that everlasting companionship with our loving God, that makes it bearable and worthwhile.
We can highlight certain fundamental aspects in the life of a Redemptorist living his vow of Chastity and see how these are so evident in the life of Gerard, Our Missionary Brother. First, Total dedication to God, to the love of God; Second, total dedication to love the community of brothers in the Congregation, and third total dedication to love and serve people.
Gerard lived his vow of Chastity not with a sense of detachment from the community but by inserting himself into the very fabric of community life in all its dimensions. His radical love for his Most Beloved God was incarnated in this equally radical giving of himself to love his confreres in the community.
Third, Total dedication to love and serve people. From the Eucharist, which was one of Gerard’s greatest loves, Gerard learnt above all the depth and the generosity of self-giving: the “insanity” of love, to use his own words.
Gerard lived all that we have said so far with a spirit of freedom and of frankness that fascinated and surprised all those who came into contact with him. He radiated a sense of total availability to the Spirit, the fruit of that vision of faith with which he saw and valued every event.
A final word on Gerard’s deep devotion to the Mother of God, His only joy. Mary was not only the protector of Gerard from every evil but also the guarantor of his living his vows and especially of his vow of chastity.
All of us today, Redemptorists Missionaries, Priests and Brothers, and Partners in our mission, can learn from Gerard and seek his intercession that we might through the living of our vow of Chastity with total dedication to the Redeemer and his love for us, with deep warmth and charity towards our confreres in the community and a special closeness to our suffering people that we be true Missionaries of Hope in the footsteps of the Redeemer.
DAY THREE: “St. Gerard Majella and The Vow of Obedience.”
Today on the third day of our Triduum in preparation for the Feast of St Gerard Majella we reflect on the third of the three vows that every Redemptorist makes, the Vow of Obedience. We remind ourselves that, basic to the three vows is the total dedication and commitment of the Redemptorist Missionary to Christ the Redeemer.
All the biographies agree in pointing out that the will of God was the fulcrum/hub of Gerard’s spirituality. But not all underline adequately that his was a happy, joyful, convinced and faithful carrying out of the will of God: His YES was one that was always special in its magnitude. He entrusted himself to his “beloved God” because he knew well that God’s will for humanity and for every person is a project of life, of fullness and of happiness.”
This aspect of the Spirituality of St. Gerard, namely joy in suffering, has been well brought out in the liturgy for his feast. The witnesses at the process of his beatification noted that, “Gerard was always seen joyful, even during the most painful illness; and he was only seen in pain and torment while reflecting on the passion and death of Jesus Christ the Redeemer.”
For St Gerard, as it must be for every Redemptorist Brother or priest, the vow of obedience is a call to listen attentively to the Spirit of God and so unite one’s own will with the will of the Lord, following in the footsteps of the Redeemer himself who prayed to his Father in the garden of the agony, “Father, not my will by thy will be done!” This Gerard followed with total dedication.
Gerard drew his strength and the grace to live how vow of obedience to the full from his contemplating the Crucified Lord and seeking from the Crucified Lord the grace to conform himself into his image.
We Redemptorists today, have a wonderful example in St Gerard. In a world and society today that favours Individualism while at the same time where the human person is seemingly trapped by consumerism and the longing for power, we Redemptorists are being called to live our vow of obedience in total freedom in listening constantly to the Spirit of Speaking to us through the Gospel and our Rule and in uniting our own will to that of the Lord in following the Gospel of the Redeemer himself. We take courage that it is only from the Lord, our Master and Redeemer whose crucifix we venerate each time we wear our habit and place the same crucifix around our necks that we draw the necessary grace to live our vow of obedience today.
Feast Day 16 Oct.: Fr Ivel reflects on the theme of Four Loves of St Gerard Majella
St Gerard and his life and Spirituality teach each of us that we can all respond to the call to be holy, to be saints in the daily living of a life of communion with our God who loves us so much and from time to time sends us gentle reminders through people like Gerard to respond to his amazing love for us. This is for me exactly why people flock in tens of thousands to the Shrine of St Gerard at Materdomini with the deep longing in their hearts to meet and experience the God of love and tenderness, mercy and forgiveness, care and compassion that St Gerard believed in and whom Gerard wanted all to believe in. What was it that made Gerard so very human and so very accessible during his life and even so now to people? I believe it was what has come to be known as the 4 loves of Gerard’s life.
These four loves, are aspects of a simple but profound Spirituality of love, of holiness of oneness with God, something every human being from the very intelligent to the very simple can emulate daily and surely that which all of Redemptorists Brothers and Priests strive to live in our daily lives as Redemptorists.
First, Gerard’s deep love for his most beloved God is now made human, and he is suffering and dying for him on the Cross. Second, Gerard’s deep love for the Eucharistic Lord. Third, Gerard’s love for the poor. Fourth, Gerard’s love for Our Blessed Mother.
One generally notes that in the Congregation Gerard is the Patron Saint of all our Redemptorists Brothers. While this is so true, I believe that St Gerard is the patron saint of all Redemptorists called to live our religious life as light to the world and as missionaries of hope in the footsteps of the Redeemer. Gerard’s four loves: The Crucified Lord, the Eucharistic Lord, the Poor of the Lord and Our Blessed Mother are the four loves of each Redemptorist Missionary.
May all of us on this feast day of our Beloved Saint Gerard learn from him to love the Crucified Lord, to adore with love the Lord in the Most Holy Eucharist, to have a filial love for Our Blessed Mother and to reach out with love to the poor and abandoned. Gerard shows us the way of love, of joyfully living our Religious Vocation be it as a Brother or as a Priest. This is a real and yet simple, a true but holy way of being Missionaries of Hope following in the footsteps of the Redeemer.
Each day will be uploaded before the start of the Triduum (from the 11th evening) so that one can follow the Triduum at any time of the day. We request that you spread the message around so that many may receive it.
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