20 - Life of Saint Gerard Majella by Rev. O. R. Vassall-Phillips

Dive into the extraordinary life of Saint Gerard Majella, an Italian lay brother of the Redemptorists, whose unwavering devotion to mirror the sacrifices and humiliations of Jesus Christ was awe-inspiring. Despite his frail health, he surpassed the work of his peers, earning the title Father of the Poor for his boundless charity. Revered for his angelic purity, he bore false accusations with admirable patience, leading St. Alphonsus to declare, Brother Gerard is a saint. His divine gifts extended to profound spiritual insight, prophecy, discernment of spirits, bilocation, and seemingly limitless power over nature, sickness, and demons. Today, people seek his intercession for a myriad of causes, including children, expectant mothers, the falsely accused, and more. Join us as we explore the legacy of this saint, drawing from sources like the 1919 Catholic Encyclopedia and Wikipedia.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Chapter nineteen of Life of Saint Gerard Magella. This is
a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
For more information or to volunteer, pleased as a LibriVox
dot org recording by John Brandon. Life of Saint Gerard
Magella by Reverend O. R. Vassal Philips, Chapter nineteen, His

(00:25):
last illness. On reaching Capacelli, Saint Gerard went straight to bed.
He was indeed very ill, reduced to a skeleton, he
already looked the picture of death. The hemorrhage was almost continual,
and a complication of maladies caused him much pain. In

(00:47):
the midst of his sufferings, he lost none of his
customary tranquility of spirit. To suffer together with Jesus under
the eyes of his blessed mother Mary had been the
longing of his whole life. So now his one request
was that a large crucifix and a picture of our
Lady should be placed by his bedside. His gaze was

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ever on the figure of his crucified Lord, and from
time to time he broke forth into loving exclamations, Oh
my Jesus, I suffer much, but it is for thee
or dead upon the cross for love of me. It
costs little to suffer when one suffers for thee. Or again,

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my Jesus, thou didst die for me? I wished to
die to please thee. One day the Father Rector found him,
as it seemed in his last agony. All the color
had left his face. His pallor was like that of
one from whom life has already departed. Suddenly his eyes

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fell upon the crucifix. He at once seemed as a
man transformed, his face kindled, his cheeks were flushed anew,
as though in health. The Rector asked in astonishment the
meaning of this sudden change. Gerard sighed and simply said,
with much animation, Oh, Father, great is my longing to

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be united to my God. On the door of his room,
the Saint had written in large characters so that they
might be ever before him the words here is done
that which God wills, as God wills, and for as
long as He wills it. His devotion to the holy
will of God seemed to grow in intensity every day.

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The Father Rector, once seeing his great suffering, asked him
if he was perfectly conformed in all things to the
divine will. Yes, father, replied, Saint Gerard, in all simplicity,
I think that I am conformed to it. I say
to myself that my bed represents God's will for me,
and that on my bed I am nailed to the

(03:07):
most adorable will of my God. It even seems to
me that the will of God and myself have become one.
So closely are we united together. He made an equally
touching remark to his doctor, who had asked him if
he wished to live or to die. I do not
wish to live, answered Gerard, nor do I wish to die.

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I only wish that which God wishes to say the truth.
I should wish to die that I might be united
with Him. But at the thoughts of death, I am
afflicted at the remembrance that as yet I have suffered
nothing for the love of Jesus Christ. The saint had

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many visitors from outside the convent walls to his sick room.
They were nearly all witnesses of marvelous seines. Thus, one
of them, Canon Camillus Boggio, wrote a letter in which
he stated that he visited Saint Gerard almost every day
and often found him wrapped in ecstasy. The canon noticed

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that As soon as ever the Holy Brother came to himself,
he turned his heart to God in fervent prayer. Meanwhile,
as Gerard grew visibly worse, it was thought wise to
give him the Holy Viaticum. The whole community was gathered
round his bed, and Father Buonamano, in the enforced absence

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of the Father Rector, brought the most blessed sacrament. At
the approach of him who was the only love of
his heart, Saint Gerard had himself raised in the bed
in the most respectful latitude that was possible. Then before
his communion he burst out into affections of love and
confidence towards our Divine Lord. After communion he begged to

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be left alone. The next day he was much worse.
To his other ailments, was now added a persistent dysentery,
which reduced him to a great state of weakness. It
was thought that he would hardly pass the night. But
a great change was soon to take place. Father Fiochi,

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who was still Saint Gerard's director, on hearing of his
dangerous illness, sent him an obedience not to lose any
more blood than to recover his health. This note was
given to the Saint he read it and then placed
it on his breast. Shortly afterwards, Doctor Santarelli arrived to

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pay his usual visit. Seeing the paper in the holy
brother's hands, he asked what it was that he was
clasping so tenaciously. It is, answered Gerard, a letter from
Father Fiochi. He orders me not to spit any more blood.
And what do you mean to do now, continued the physician.

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By way of reply, the Servant of God said to
the infirmarian brother, will you take away that basin I
shall not need it any more? Nor did he, But
the dysentery still continued. What is the use, asked Santarelli,
of the one trouble ceasing, if the other is to continue.

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The saint then remarked that the obedience which he had
received did not extend to the dysentery. Whereupon the good
doctor hastened for one of the fathers, who asked Saint
Gerard how he could have no scruple at only obeying
by halves, since it was clear that Father Fiochi intended

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him to recover altogether. In that case, father said, Gerard,
I will obey in everything. When the medical men came
again in the afternoon, the saint told him that he
would get up next day. As the doctor could not
help smiling at this, he added, yes, tomorrow I shall

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get up, and if you like, I am ready to
eat something. Now. The physician hesitated, fearing lest he might
hasten his death. However, on seeing him so confident, he
began himself to have some hope. He was a man
of strong faith and had often been the witness of
marvels worked by Saint Gerard's power with God. A basket

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of peaches had just been sent to the sick brother,
and the infirmarian had placed them on the table. The
doctor looked at them and said, if you promise me
that you will execute the obedience that you have received,
you may eat one of these speeches. Gerard took one immediately,
and a second and a third. Santarelli then left him,

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but not without some anxiety. His apprehensions were groundless. Next day,
the feast of our Lady's Nativity, the Holy Brother got
up as he had said that he would, and resumed
his usual place in the community. When he appeared once
more at dinner in the refectory, the inspired saying of
the wise men must surely have been in the mind

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of everyone who saw him. The obedient man shall speak
of victories. This is the divine promise, And perhaps never
before had the words been verified more wondrously than in
this recovery of Saint Gerard from the very brink of
the grave. But the saint well knew that it was

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only a few short weeks that the time of his
pilgrimage was to be prolonged. When one of the brothers
expressed to him the joy of all its seeing his
health apparently re established, he replied at once that God
had so disposed it for his own greater glory and
in order to show the value of obedience in his sight,

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but that in a short while he would be in eternity.
All through the month of September he was getting weaker
and weaker. When October came, he was like a ghost
in appearance, and evidently could not hold out much longer.
On the fourth day of the month, he met his
friend the doctor, and told him that he had fulfilled

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the obedience which had been given him, but that he
knew that his end was approaching fast, and that his
case was hopeless. The next morning he was forced once
more to take to the bed from which he was
never more to rise. Meanwhile, during his short period of convalescence,
he had been supernaturally acquainted with the happy death of

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Sisters Mary Celestine coastar Rosa. It was to this nun
that the first vision concerning the foundation of the Congregation
of the Most Holy Redeemer had been vouchsafed by God.
Her friendship with Saint Gerard was of all standing, and
now her entry into the heavenly country was made known

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to him from on high. It was the fourteenth of September,
and one of the lay brothers, Stephen's Perduto by name,
noticing that there was something unwanted about his look that day,
asked him the reason. No, my dear brother, answered Gerard,

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that this very day at Fogia, the beautiful soul of
Sister Mary Celestine has winged its flight to Paradise. She
has gone to receive the reward due to her great
love for Jesus and Mary. Soon afterwards, the news arrived
at the holy sister, whose name must ever be linked
without a Saint Alphonsis in the annals of the Congregation,

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had in truth departed this life at the very time
indicated by Saint Gerard. Another revelation of a similar nature
followed shortly afterwards. A painter living at ali veto a
relation of Don Salvatore, had to go to Capiselli on business.
Before leaving home, he went to see the Archpriest to

(11:27):
find out whether he had any commissions for the convent.
The next day he arrived to Capiselli early in the morning.
Gerard opened the door for him and said, at once,
the archpriest is plunged in grief, for his father has
just breathed his last. It is not possible, replied the painter.

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I saw the old man in his son's house last night.
He was then in excellent health and desired to be
kindly remembered to you all. The saint insisted that he
was just dead from a stroke of apoplexy. In that case,
said the painter, I must go home to pay him
the last respects by being present at his funeral. Yes,

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go at once, answered Gerard, and tell the arch priest
that he may be quite happy about his excellent father.
He has saved his soul. Thus were the secrets of
the other world open to the gaze of the faithful servant,
who was himself so soon to enter the golden portals
of the city of his King. End of Chapter nineteen,

(12:40):
recording by John Brandon