sacrosanct Gerard Majella (Language: English)

Cath. Remembrance Day is the 16th of October

Life and work:
This saint was born on the 6th of April 1726 to the wall of Luciano, had a bad apprenticeship as a tailor-gentleman and little pleasing lessons behind him. It turned out that Gerard had been honored as a child of miraculous apparitions of the Blessed Mother, but no one should know. Ultimately, he was treated by the city in Italy as an outsider and was repeatedly dismissed by the Order of the Capuchins.

Then he was accepted as a religious brother and proved himself in the monastery Materdomino. His monastic life became so intense that he stood out among thousands. Even when working as a monk, he was always sunk in God. The name of Jesus or a cross was enough to make the loud or quiet rejoicing of the rapture in him. Today we know that a mysticism surrounded him and that he killed his palate corresponds to the truth. Through his missionary events, he has unlocked the hearts of many people. Brother Majella became the patron of the mothers; and he is greatly revered for fulfilling the desire to have a baby and being pregnant. It could have gone on forever, but a rough fellow had broken his ribs, so that his poor health was diminishing more and more. When he was once again sent out for almsgiving, he was attacked by a hemorrhage which he succumbed to a few days later on October 16, 1755, not yet thirty years old, in Materdomino Abbey. Pope Leo XIII. saved the pious cloister cutter in 1893, and Pius X canonised him in 1904 by means of canonization.

Monastic life:

With stormy requests Gerard Majella succeeded in receiving the Order of the Redemptorists in a strict novinziat. However, because of his poor health, it required a letter of recommendation highlighting the esteem in his hometown. He wanted to be nothing more than a lay brother who prays and works in the Order (ora et labora). His illness was that he imitated the suffering of Christ. Nevertheless, he made as much as two strong men and facilitated the work of his confreres. The tension of his religious life was that on the one hand Brother Majella could produce miraculous deeds, but on the other he had to be very careful not to reveal himself in it. In the year of the Lord in 1752 he made his vows and then worked in the monastery Materdomino, as a gardener, sacristan and monastery tailor. What he did before man was the expression of an unusually rich and gifted inner life. In vain the adversary haunted him with hellish frightening ghosts to take away the reward of his labors. He himself suffered bitter slander from being slandered by the child-father, whom he bore in silence and without a word of defense. Therefore, he was initially de-communicated and he was imposed strict penances.

mysticism:

In the hollow of the altar, Majella retired to be closer to the Blessed Sacrament, slept through nights, and received the gift of leviation. In the spiritual dialogue bishops, theologians and women religious had the opportunity from time to time to talk with Brother Majella; for his wisdom, the fruit of his mystical reflections, weighed many chapters of the scholia and stirred the spirit of sacrifice to renounce egoism. So he remained the life of the poor, simple monk in the patched cowl. A handkerchief of the order’s brother Majella gave way to the danger of sudden child kill and a healthy child was born; therefore he was called „patrone materam“ and made medals for it. As a result of his devotional zeal, the confreres were shamed in the monastic order. Today, pilgrimages are being made to his grave at Materdomino Monastery.

Mission event:

His gifts of grace dissolved the stubbornness of dead enemies and eternal peace became visible, for they shook hands with one another for reconciliation. With the power of apostolic love, the friar conquered people to confess their guilt and make peace with God! Thus, a book of saints portrayed in the middle of the 20th century. in simple words: „Where Gerard Majella is in his ways, walking humbly beside his mule, always a smile on his lips, the children ran together and the adults stepped to the front door; but he saluted and blessed all. „This blessing covered the hatred of the tribes. He was sent on a mission, for his obedience was so pronounced that for a long time he followed a command of his superior given only in thought. Even the most secret sin did not remain hidden from him. He told people their hidden faults in the face and made them so repentant. Among the extraordinary events was the blessing of the fruits. This blessing meant that the poor food reserves of a poor family did not dry up until the next harvest. His ways were framed by miraculous events, he recognized the commandments of Noah, he commanded the powers of nature, he obeyed the commandments of Moses of Sinai, and the dying rose soundly from the camp at his word.