[Rank]
S. Joannis de Deo Confessoris;;Duplex;;3;;vide C5

[RankNewcal]
S. Joannis de Deo Confessoris;;Duplex optional;;2;;vide C5

[Rule]
vide C5;
9 lectiones;

[Oratio]
O God, Who didst so enkindle in thy servant John the fire of thy Divine love,~
that when he walked in the midst of earthly fire the flame thereof had on his~
body no power, and Who didst choose him for a means whereby Thou hast given unto~
thy Church a new family of sons, mercifully grant unto us, for his sake, that~
the fire of thy love may burn up in us all things that displease thee, and make~
us meet for thy heavenly kingdom.
$Per Dominum.

[Lectio4]
John of God was born of Catholic and godly parents in the town of Montemor in~
Portugal, (in the year 1495.) Tne lot to which God had elected him was foreshown~
at his birth by a light shining over the house, and by the ringing of a bell~
untouched by human hands. He fell at one time into a loose habit of life, but~
was recalled by the grace of God, and began to show tokens of true reformation.~
By hearing the Word of God, he so felt himself stirred up to strive after nobler~
things, that he considered not that to which he had already attained, and~
yearned to be perfect, as our Father in heaven is perfect. He gave away all his~
pro. perty to the poor and prisoners, and became a gazing -stock to all that~
knew him, by the strength of his repentance, and the depth of his selfcontempt.~
On this account he was commonly supposed to be mad, and was once shut up in a~
lunatic asylum. He was only the more filled with schemes of charity, and~
collected, by begging, funds sufficient to build a large double Hospital in the~
town ot Granada. Here he founded the new Order of Hospital Brethren with which~
he enriched the Church. These Brethren are now spread throughout all parts of~
the world, and engaged in ministering to the souls and bodies of the sick.

[Lectio5]
The strove to get for the sick poor, whom he sometimes brought to the Hospital~
on his own shoulders, whatever was needful for their souls or bodies. His~
charity was extended to the poor outside of his institution, and he used to~
supply food privately to necessitous widows, and more so to young women whose~
virtue was tempted on account of their poverty. He was most careful in~
encouraging the virtue of purity in all whom he knew. On one occasion when there~
was a great fire in the hospital at Granada, John bravely entered the burning~
house, ran from one part of it to another, carried out the sick on his shoulders,~
and threw the beds out of the windows, and finally, after passing half-an-hour~
in the midst of the flames, which were now raging with great violence, by the~
mercy of God left the building uninjured, to the great wonder of all the~
citizens; thereby to teach all them that love God that the fire which burnt in~
his heart gave him strength to risk the fire which threatened him from without.

[Lectio6]
He was a marked example of every kind of austerity, of the most lowly obedience,~
of the deepest voluntary poverty, of the most constant prayer, of ghostly~
contemplation, and of love towards the blessed Virgin. He was distinguished for~
the gift of tears. Being at last seized by deadly sickness, he duly received,~
with saintly affection, all the Sacraments of the Church. After all strength~
seemed to have left him, he got out of his bed, put on his own clothes, and~
knelt down before an image of the Lord Christ hanging on the Cross. Round it he~
threw his arms and pressed it against his heart, and in this position, as it~
were in the kiss of the Lord, he died, on the 8th day of March 1550. After his~
death his body did not leave its grip of the crucifix until it was forcibly~
taken away, six hours after. During these six hours all the inhabitants of the~
city came to see it, and noticed a savour of strange sweetness proceeding from~
it. His name was illustrious as a worker of miracles both before and after his~
death, and the Supreme Pontiff Alexander VIII. added it to those of the Saints,~
and Leo XIII., at the desire of the Bishops of the Catholic world, and in~
accordance with a vote of the Congregation of Rites, declared him the patron in~
heaven of all the sick and those who nurse them, wheresoever dwelling, and~
ordered that his name should be called upon in the Litany for the dying.

[Lectio7]
From the Holy Gospel according to Matthew
!Matt 22:34-46
At that time The Pharisees came together: And one of them, a doctor of the law,~
asking him, tempting him: Master, which is the greatest commandment in the law?~
And so on.
_
Homily by St John Chrysostom, Patriarch (of Constantinople.)
!72nd on Matthew.
When the Pharisees had heard that Christ had put the Sadducees to silence, they~
gathered themselves together for a fresh attack; just when it behoved them to be~
quiet, they willed to contend; and so they put forward one of themselves, who~
professed skill in the law, not wishing to learn, but to lay a snare. This~
person therefore proposed the question Which is the great commandment in the~
law? The first and great commandment is Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, but~
they expected that He would make some exception or addition to this in His Own~
case, since He made Himself God. (John x. 33.) With this expectation they asked~
Him the question: But what said Christ? To show that they had adopted this~
course, because they were loveless, and sick with envy, He answered Thou~
shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with~
all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like~
unto it Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

[Lectio8]
Mighty is this second commandment like unto the first? Because the first is the~
second's source and sanction. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light,~
neither cometh to the light. (John. iii. 20.) And again The fool hath said in~
his heart There is no God  and there folio weth They are corrupt, and~
become abominable in their works. (Ps. xiii. I.) And yet again: The love of~
money is the root of all evil; which while some coveted after, they have erred~
from the faith. (i Tim. vi. 10.) And yet once more: If ye love Me, keep My~
commandments. (John xiv. 15,) of which commandments the head and root is~
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God; and thy neighbour as thyself.

[Lectio9]
If therefore, to love God is to love our neighbour also, as it appeareth where~
it is written Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou Me? And he said unto Him~
Lord, Thou knowest all things; Thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto~
him Feed My sheep, (John xxi. 17,) and if love is the fulfilling of the law,~
(Rom. xiii. 10,) justly doth the Lord say that on these two commandments hang~
all the law and the Prophets. And even as when, before this, (23-32,) being~
interrogated about the Resurrection, He answered them more than they asked, so,~
now, being interrogated concerning the first and great commandment, He answereth~
them, of His own accord, touching that second one also, which is little lower~
than the first, for the second is like unto it. Herein He would have them~
understand that it was hatred stirred them up to question Him. For Charity,~
saith the Apostle, envieth not. (1 Cor. xiii. 4.)
&teDeum

[Lectio94]
John of God was born of devout Catholic parents in the town of Montenor o Novo~
in Portugal, was chosen for a special destiny by the Lord. Recalled by divine~
grace from a lax way of life, he gave an example of great holiness. He built two~
large hospitals in the city of Granada from alms collected from the faithful and~
founded the Order of Brothers Hospitallers for the service of the sick. John was~
famous for his kindness toward the Poor and his contempt for himself. He~
excelled in a wonderful devotion to the Blessed Virgin and in the gift of tears.~
Seized with a grave illness, he clung with hands and heart to the Lord Christ~
hanging on the Cross.,and died in the Lord on March 8 in the year 1550. Pope~
Alexander VIII enrolled him among the Saints; and Leo XIII proclaimed him the~
heavenly Patron of all hospitals of the needy poor all over the world, and~
ordered his name to be invoked in the litany for the dying.
&teDeum
