Solemnity of St John of God
Circular Letter of the Prior General
The power of charity
To
all the brothers and Co-workers, Members of the Hospitaller Family of St John
of God
On the occasion of the Solemnity of St John of God on 8 March, I am
writing to all the Members of the Hospitaller Family of St John of God to offer
you my best wishes for a happy Feast Day, wherever the Order is present. With all
the prudence needed because of the continuing pandemic, I invite you to
celebrate it in simplicity, in depth and with joy in this Jubilee year
celebrating the 450th anniversary of the Church’s official recognition of our
Institute, with Pope St. Pius V's Bull, Licet ex debito.
As you know, Brother Pascual Piles, who was the Superior General of the
Order from 1994 to 2006, died on 28 December in Saragossa (Spain). He was a
passionate devotee of St John of God, as a person, as a saint, as a
Hospitaller. He said that he often spoke to him in prayer, and his spirit
guided him in his life and mission. Now he is doing so face-to-face in heaven,
and we ask them both to continue interceding for our Family which they so
cherished, and to which they devoted their whole, especially in this year in
which we are celebrating the Provincial Chapters.
I felt it would a fitting tribute to the memory of our Brother Pascual
Piles to wish you all a Happy Feast of St John of God, using the message that
he wrote to all the members of the Order on 8 March 1995 inaugurating the 5th
Centenary of St John of God, entitled “The Power of Charity”.[1]
1. He has taught us what love
is: He has given his life for us; therefore, we also must give our lives
for the sake of our brothers (1 Jn 3,16).
This
is the interpretation that Saint John offers of Jesus Christ. He defines him as
LOVE, and proof of his love is the fact that He died for us. Saint John also
speaks of the life of the Christian. Jesus gave us this witness; therefore, we
also are called to act as he did and give our lives for the sake of others.
This message was picked up by many people who used him as a life project and,
moving from Christ to serve others, dedicated themselves heart and soul, in
different ways and through material work, to a sole and unique purpose: the
good of others.
Also,
John of God - a man from from 15th- and 16th-century Montemor - who lived
rooted in Christ at the service of others, had this insight. He clearly heard
this call while listening to master Avila preach in the small church of the
Martyrs in Granada on 20 January 1539, the feast of Saint Sebastian. He
gradually strengthened his answer under the guidance of Saint John of Avila,
whom he chose as his spiritual director, and from that moment on his life
became incarnated in love, charity and the mercy of God towards men.
John
of God chose to address his love to the poor, the sick and the needy to make
the love of God manifest. He began to work for them without relying on outside
help and support, and actually having to fight against a strong mistrust
towards him. The authenticity of his project of love for others little by
little earned him credibility and once his dedication was acknowledged he was
helped not only by the city of Granada but also by Andalusia and all of Spain.
In
opening the celebrations of the Fifth Centenary of his birth here in
Montemor-o-Novo, we wish to proclaim that, for all he did, we consider his life
as a song of love, a song of charity. We do this for the city of
Montemor-o-Novo and for all the faithful of this region who are gathered here
for this celebration. We also do it for all of the Order: Brothers; Co-workers:
staff, volunteers and benefactors; the sick and the needy. We do it for the
Church and for the world. Yes, the life of Saint John of God was a song of
love. He understood the sign of Christ and, like Him, he committed himself
until his death, which was not blood-stained but was caused nonetheless by
having worn himself out for others.
Remembering
him today is a way of rendering homage to him; and he really deserves it.
However, the best way we can render homage to him is by imitating him in our
lives. Each one in his place within society, with his own identity in the
Church. We are called to live out love, charity, Hospitality like him.
We feel we are the Church
that was founded by Jesus Christ to carry out a project of love. The same
Church that Saint John of God loved and of which he always felt a loyal son.
The Church which acknowledged his holiness and presented him to us as a life
model. The Church which, represented by the Holy Father John Paul II,
participates in the opening of the Fifth Centenary of the birth of Saint John
of God and which wished to be present by sending us a Delegate, Cardinal
Fiorenzo Angelini, our brother by virtue of his being and aggregate of the
Order and Chairman of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral of Healthcare
Workers.
Our
society needs incarnated projects, founded on love. Politicians, professionals,
citizens, believers and non-believers, we are all called on to create a society
where violence, marginalization, competition, manipulation are eliminated and
justice, solidarity, the respect and dignity of all are promoted in a spirit of
love.
The
Order is called on to promote a society that provides for the real needs of
people and, like Saint John of God, must set up alternative and significant
social and healthcare facilities where the sick, the poor, the outcasts are
treated with humanity, technical competence and love. John of God was a man who
spoke little; he was a man of life, real life. Yet he had a philosophy and
theology of life of his own. He had it and shaped it, manifesting it not only
through his life but also in the letters that he wrote. The message they convey
to us today lies in the following expressions which we shall look at one by
one.
2. Always have charity, for where there is no
charity there is no God, although God is everywhere.
(Letter
to Luis Batista 15).
He
presents love as an element which makes the presence of God in reality
possible. It is a biblical reflection which can be found in the Gospel of
Matthew (cf. 25, 39-40) and in the first letter of Saint John (cf. 4,20).
Theology teaches us that God is present everywhere, we also know that he is
present in the Eucharist and in His Word. God is also present in every brother,
in others who must be considered and treated as a brother.
Consequently, the projects that are
based on dedication to others are projects which make the presence of God
manifest. Needless to say, projects which are based on unscrupulous ambition,
division, violence and aggression rule out the presence of God. His word, the
word of Saint John of God questions us: do I collaborate to make the presence
of God in life possible or, instead, am I someone who impedes such a presence?
Brothers, Co-workers of the Order, citizens of Montemor-o-novo and of the
world, let us make the presence of God in the world possible through love, for
His project is founded on love alone. That is what Saint John of God did.
3. If
we were to consider how great the mercy of God is, we would never neglect to do
good when we can. (1 Letter to the Duchess of Sessa 13)
A project of love can always be enriched
by the experience of the love of God, which gives us the strength and the
ability to give ourselves to others. Being able to experience the love of God
introduces us into an atmosphere of faith. Faith is a gift and being able to
experience the love of God personally is an even greater gift.
We know that we must be open to others, be
attentive of the needs of others, but sometimes our selfishness gets in the
way. After his own experience of the love of God, John of God became like an
accelerated engine. He could not neglect to do good. For anyone, at any time,
for any reason. His life was transformed completely by the experience of the
love of God.
Our last General Chapter proclaimed this
year of the Centenary a JUBILEE YEAR, in the hope that it may be for all the
people connected to the Order, for all the people who identify with Saint John
of God, a time of true spiritual renewal. May this be a year in which we
experience - like Saint John of God - the love of God for us, which will enable
us to always do good when we can.
Plans
envisaging the humanization of healthcare, the enhancement of the culture of
Hospitality, projects able to tend to the needs of our patients and their
families, the integration and coordination relating to marginalization, the
distribution of healthcare on ethical grounds, etc.; all this represents the
desire to "never neglect to do good when we can."
4. Like water quenches fire, thus
charity erases sin. (1 letter to the Duchess of Sessa 13).
A life project based on charity and on love
is tantamount to taking unlimited powers in one's life. It is St. Augustine's
"love and do what you want" (Essay on the first letter of Saint John,
VIII, 8). It is the atmosphere of love that Saint John of the Cross thinks will
be present at the final moment: "at the end of life we will examine you in
love" (Sayings of light and love 59).
He who loves, and loves profoundly, cannot live in sin. They are two
clashing conditions. Love and sin cannot coexist, love and selfishness are two
opposite realities, they cannot be present at the same time.
Let us thus be prepared to love as Saint
John of God did. The trouble is when we are willing to do it only in part: yes,
but, no.
Adopting
the attitudes of Saint John of God means diving into life without fear, with
courage, hope and the illusion of taking part in a project that is worthwhile,
certain that in the extent to which we are able to love we will prevent sin
from entering into us, we will prevent selfishness from entering into us, we
will build up brotherhood and shall transform ourselves in Hospitality.
5. Always have charity,
for this is the mother of all virtues.
(3 Letter to the Duchess of Sessa 16).
According to me, this is the most
exhaustive expression of Saint John of God as compared the four mentioned so
far: it invites us to have charity, to love always, to make sure that love is
always a fundamental attitude in our life. And since love entails all other
virtues as well, it is also the mother of all virtues. Where there is love,
everything exists, where there is no love, nothing exists.
Thus,
I wish all of you a life based on love, brotherhood, justice. Participating in
the opening of the Fifth Centenary of the birth of Saint John of God and in the
other celebrations is like entering into the spiritual atmosphere which he
experienced. We will close the Centenary next year in Granada, in the town and
on the date of his death, although we commit to always work on a project of
life, as he did.
May the
Centenary be for all of us a time to experience more profoundly the power of
love.
As is customary at
this time of year, I would like to announce to all our Hospitaller Family of St
John of God the results of the 2021 campaign: "Campaign to support and
sustain the St John of God Centre in Batibo. Cameroon". The total raised
was 375,715.61 euro, thanks to everyone's generous solidarity, for which I
would like to thank you all from the bottom of my heart.
I would like to inform you that for the current year 2022, the campaign will be aimed at supporting our works in Cuba. Specifically, it concerns two projects: 1) Saint John of God Health Centre in Havana: Development of the Sainte Anne Unit for elderly women in chronic condition with 21 beds; 2) Saint Raphael Reception Centre in Havana: Palliative Care Unit for people at the end of life with 15 beds. We will soon send you more concrete information on these projects. I urge you all to support this much needed project and thank you for in advance for your never-failing generosity.
May the power of St
John of God’s charity, and our Brother Pascual Piles’ testimony to hospitality
and fraternity animate all the Members of our Hospitaller Family to live our
vocation to Hospitality at the service of the sick, the poor and the needy, with
passion and joy.
United in Our Lord and
in St John of God, I send you all my fraternal best wishes.
Brother Jesús Etayo
Superior General
