The incorrupt heart of once a sinner

Wednesday of week 6 in Ordinary Time

Mark 8:22-26 

The readings reflect a state of restoration from corruption to newness of life.  After the destruction of the world through the flood, the Lord God restored his creation and blessed Noah and his family to start life anew.

In the gospel, Jesus restored the sight of the blind man.  Though not immediately, eventually the man recovered his sight and gave glory to God.

Today, in the Diocese of Pasig, we are privileged to be visited by the incorrupt heart relic of St. Camillus, patron of the sick and of nurses.  His life too is a testimony of a movement to corruptibility to incorruptibility.

Camillus was a compulsive gambler and mercenary.  Following his father, his compulsion for gambling and materialism reached its peak that he was left in the streets to wander aimlessly.  Had it not been for a kind nobleman who offered him a job, his life would end up in the gutters.

But God had other plans for this compulsive gambler.  The conversion of his father before his death would leave a significant effect on the development of his faith. 

He was also impinged with a wound that he got in a battle; this incurable wound on his leg and his exposure to a hospital setting further opened a world that would reveal God's plan for Camillus.

With his friends volunteering to care for the sick and his becoming a priest, Camillus founded a congregation to bring comfort to them, especially those who couldn't afford ample hospital care.

He might have a wound that wouldn't heal, but he healed others' wounds.  He might have lived a life of corruption, but now, his heart that loved endlessly is incorrupt.  St. Camillus is a shining example of life restored by God to its fullness.  So be consoled!  Our lives will be used by God for his purpose.  We just need to be faithful.