This year as we celebrate the feast of St Gerard Majella, one of the most loved and popular of all our Redemptorist Saints and Blessed, we prepare for the feast through a triduum. The triduum has a special significance this year for this is the Jubilee Year of Hope in the Catholic Church, as well as it is the year of Mission in the life of the Redemptorist Congregation and most importantly were entering into the tri centenary of the Birth of St Gerard Majella, 6th April 1726, the year of his birth.
During these three days of the Triduum, Fr. Ivel Mendanha, CSsR., the General Consultor, will reflect on each day of the triduum on the following themes:
- St. Gerard Majella, a Pilgrim of Hope;
- St. Gerard Majella, a Missionary of Hope;
- St Gerard Majella and the sources of Hope in his life and
- finally on the feast day, St Gerard Majella a Pilgrim Missionary of Hope in the Footsteps of the Redeemer.
We prepare therefore to celebrate the feast of St Gerard Majella, one of the most popular and well-loved of all the Redemptorist saints. St Gerard Majella is known.as the Mothers’ saint and particularly 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.
We invite you to make this triduum and to learn more about the life and spirituality of this most loved Redemptorist Saint 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 in this the approaching tricentenary of his birth as well as the Jubilee year of Hope and the Year of Mission in the Congregation.
Introduction:
Day One: St Gerard Majella a Pilgrim of Hope
The Life of St Gerard Majella is a shining example of one who was a pilgrim of Hope. As we journey through the Jubilee Year, the Holy year with the theme Pilgrims of Hope we turn our attention on this the first day of our Triduum in preparation for the feast of our beloved St. Gerard to the important theme of Hope in the life of St Gerard and in our own lives as Christians and as Redemptorist Missionaries of Hope in the footsteps of the Redeemer.
It is in this context we reflect today on St. Gerard as a pilgrim of Hope. He knew what it was to hope, and he never gave up despite the many challenges and obstacles that he had to endure all his life. The Life of St Gerard was not one which can be described as a bed of roses or a life of calm and serenity studded with success every step of the way. On the contrary, Gerard’s life was one of challenges from his early childhood to his untimely death at the young age of 29 years.
The Childhood of St. Gerard as Gerard was a joyful young man with energy and charm and the natural ability to connect with people and win people over. The Vocation to Religious Life: As a Religious Brother in the Redemptorist community, Gerard with great joy performed a variety of services as a gardener, sacristan, tailor, porter, cook, carpenter, and clerk of works on the new buildings at Caposele. Whatever was asked of him he did with much joy.
St Gerard’s life is a shining example of one who knew how to hope. In the heart of each person, hope dwells as the desire and expectation of good things to come, despite our not knowing what the future may bring. Even so, uncertainty about the future may at times give rise to conflicting feelings, ranging from confident trust to apprehensiveness, from serenity to anxiety, from firm conviction to hesitation and doubt. Often, we come across people who are discouraged, pessimistic and cynical about the future, as if nothing could possibly bring them happiness. St Gerard never gave up despite the constant challenges. He was Driven by hope and so becomes for all of us both Redemptorist Missionaries and laity a good example of one who was a pilgrim of Hope rooted in the knowledge that Hope Does not Disappoint, “Spes non confundit.”
Day Two: St Gerard, a Missionary of Hope
In this reflection in preparation for the feast of St. Gerard Majella we reflect on how St. Gerard was a sign of hope himself, how he was a Missionary of Hope in the footsteps of the Redeemer to so many women and men and children who were experiencing hardships of various kinds in Southern Italy and in a sense how his missionary impulse reached people beyond the shores of Italy.
Fr. Ivel begins with the Question, who is a missionary? According to Pope Francis in his personal comments to the members of the XXVI General Chapter on the 1st October 2022 he said that a Missionary is one who is ready and willing to leave his or her comfort zones so that we can draw closer to the abandoned poor to whom we are sent. He then reflects briefly how St Gerard, a Redemptorist Brother was a Missionary of Hope, constantly leaving his comfort zones to be Mission, to proclaim God’s abundant Redemption to the poor and the most abandoned, through his very person and life rather than through his preaching or the pulpit.
We begin with his vocation to join the Religious life. Secondly, every Redemptorist Missionary lives in community for the purpose of the mission. To live in community joyfully is indeed a challenge as one has to go through an exodus, a giving up, a leaving behind, a stepping out of one’s comfort zone of one’s ego, one’s self, one’s own needs and culture and place oneself at the service of the mission living with and for one’s own brothers, one’s confreres in community. Thirdly, Gerard was a Redemptorist Missionary par excellence. In that, Gerard accompanied the Redemptorist Priests on mission, as they went through the small towns of the countryside to preach the very popular Redemptorist Parish missions. Fourthly, a Redemptorist missionary is a people person who in the spirit of St Alphonsus is close to people and their pain and suffering and thus brings them the Hope of plentiful Redemption. St Gerard was truly a people person in his ability to connect with the sick and pray over and with them and through his prayers so many were healed.
As Pope Francis reminded us Redemptorists, that all Redemptorists, regardless of their specific role (priests, brothers, students, lay collaborators), are missionaries. They are called to go forth and encounter the most fragile members of society, engaging in dialogue across cultures to find apostolic, moral, and spiritual responses to human fragility. This mission is rooted in the proclamation of the Gospel. We see these words emphatically lived by St Gerard himself a true Missionary of Hope.
St Gerard was a Courageous Missionary of Hope showing through his life example that the Church can truly live its true calling to be simple, a Church of the poor and for the poor and most abandoned.
Day Three of Triduum: St Gerard, Sources of his Hope
On the third day Fr Ivel reflects on the sources of Hope in the life of St Gerard Majella. We are aware that one just does not become a Hope filled person but grows into the spirit of Hope. We enumerate a few of the sources of Hope in the life of St Gerard that enabled him to grown into being a Hope filled Redemptorist Missionary.
We begin with Gerard’s deep love for his Most Beloved God. Second, Gerard’s deep love for his most beloved God now made human, suffering and dying for him on the Cross. Third, Gerard’s deep love for the Eucharistic Lord. Fourth, The Blessed Mother: When one goes through the writings of Gerard one is naturally struck by the numerous references to Mary. To Mary he prayed constantly for the grace of perseverance in his vocation and so we too Redemptorists daily pray to Mary in reciting or singing the Salve Regina for the grace to persevere in our vocation as Redemptorists Brothers and Priests, Missionaries of Hope in the footsteps of the Redeemer.
Gerard was truly a Pilgrim of Hope, a Missionary of Hope because at the centre of his life were these core aspects of the Love of God, the Love of the Crucified Lord, the love of the Eucharistic Lord and the Blessed Mother that enabled Gerard to be a Hope filled Redemptorist. This is something at all of us, Redemptorist Missionaries both Brothers and Priests, Lay Missionaries and all of you dear People of God can learn and imbibe from the Life of St Gerard Majella, that no matter what the challenge of life and its darkness we turn to Our Most beloved God, to Jesus on the Cross and in the Tabernacle and draw strength to live in hope knowing that the Blessed Mother, Queen of Hope constantly intercedes for us all.
Feast Day: Fr. Ivel reflects on St Gerard: A Missionary of Hope in the Footsteps of the Redeemer
Having reflected during these days of Triduum on St Gerard as a Pilgrim of Hope, then as a Missionary of Hope and finally on the sources of Hope in his life we reflect today on his feast day on the theme of our sexennium, the six years that we are celebrating in the Congregation, Missionaries of Hope in the Footsteps of the Redeemer and we see how St Gerard is for each of us Redemptorists and for all people in this this Jubilee year an example of one who was a Pilgrim Missionary of Hope in the footsteps of the Redeemer.
Our late Holy Father Pope Francis in the Bull for the Holy Year said, “During the Holy Year, we are called to be tangible signs of hope for those of our brothers and sisters who experience hardships of any kind.”
Our Present Holy Father, Pope Leo XVI just a few days ago published his very first Apostolic Exhortation entitled “Delixit Te” (I have loved you). In this Apostolic Exhortation Pope Leo says, “The desire of my beloved predecessor that all Christians come to appreciate the close connection between Christ’s love and his summons to care for the poor. I too consider it essential to insist on this path to holiness”
We learn from this amazing Saint, Saint Gerard, who lived for just 6 years in the Redemptorist Congregation that one can be so united with Jesus and his blessed Mother that one learns to grow into being more like them in love for one’s neighbour and especially the poor. True holiness and life lived in Jesus is always reflected in a deep love for the poor and abandoned, the little ones, “whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers and sisters you do unto me.”
Delixit Te, I have loved You, words of the Lord to a very poor Christian community must be our own words, they were the words of St Gerard himself as he lived them with love for the poor. Like St Gerard, As we contemplate Christ’s love, I quote from Delixit Te “we too are inspired to be more attentive to the sufferings and needs of others, and confirmed in our efforts to share in his work of liberation as instruments for the spread of his love.”
May all of us on this the 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. This is a real and yet simple, a true but holy way of being Missionaries of Hope following in the footsteps of the Redeemer. Gerard shows us the way of Hope through a life of love for the poor. Amen.
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