Day Nine - Feast of the Blessed Gerard
Blessed Gerard, Pray for us!
Blessed Gerard, Pray for us!
We know little about Blessed Gerard. We revere him as the founder of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem. There are documents which testify to Gerard’s activity and legends that sought to embellish it.
Through Gerard, ‘the Jerusalem Hospital’ for 900 years has been the basis for defence of the faith and service of the sick - tuitio fidei et obsequium pauperum.
More than in life, Gerard has, like many saints, perhaps had greater effect after his death, after his ‘heavenly birhday’ as the Church was accustomed to call the day of one’s death. The Order of Saint John has given witness to this with its traditions, its international potential, its new initiatives and with the noble character of its particular spirituality.
‘Our confraternity wil be everlasting since the ground, in which this flower has taken root, is the misery of the world and since there will always be people, please God, who will give of themselves to lessen suffering and make this misery more bearable.’ These are likely not the words of Gerard, but they have been attributed to him. It falls to us here and now, as it did to Gerard, to reduce the suffering in our time, to make misery more bearable, so that Jesus Christ may be glorified in all.
Prayer
Jesus Christ, ‘my Lord and my God’ (Jn 20:28). Strengthen in your service our
Holy Father N...., all bishops, priests, deacons and all members of the Order.
Lord hear our prayer.
Assist our Grand Master Fra’ N... and all those in authority in the Order to live out their calling and their mission in the present day.
Lord hear our prayer.
Raise up suitable and devout vocations for the hospitaller Order of Saint John.
Lord hear our prayer.
Let us be faithful and joyful in your service and once our earthly life is ended, lead us to your Easter glory.
Lord hear our prayer.
Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory be to the Father
Pray for us, Blessed Gerard
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us Pray.
God of unchanging power and everlasting light, look with favour upon the mystery of the entire Church and bring to fulfilment your eternal plan of redemption; then may the whole world observe and know that the fallen have been lifted up, what has grown old is made new and that all has been restored to wholeness through Christ, the source of all things, who lives and reigns for ever and ever. (Prayer after the seventh reading of the Easter Vigil)
Conclusion
Let us pray.
O God, who exalted Blessed Gerard because of his care for the poor and the sick and through him founded in Jerusalem the Order of Saint John the Baptist, give us the grace of seeing, as he did, the image of your Son in our brothers and sisters. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Collect for the Feast of Blessed Gerard, Founder of our Order)
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