St. Camillus de Lellis (1550-1614) was a sinner transformed into a saint. Camillus’ father was a soldier and adventurer who would hire himself out to fight for whoever would pay him. He was a spendthrift and a gambler who set a bad example for Camillus.
Camillus was a tall but unattractive young man. He was lazy, clumsy, hot-tempered, and obstinate. Camillus’ mother died when he was 12 years old. Camillus didn’t do well in school, and was addicted to gambling. At 17, this six-and-a-half-foot giant quit school, joined his father, and enlisted as a soldier. Both father and son became professional soldiers and gamblers. They would go from army to army and fight for whoever would pay them.
One day, the father and son were travelling to join the army in Venice which was preparing to fight the Turks. Both of them fell ill, and the father was dying. On his deathbed, he expressed sorrow for his past sins and received the last sacraments with fervour before he died.
The death and repentance of his father had sobering effects on Camillus, and he decided to become a Franciscan. During his lifetime, Camillus tried to join the Franciscans a few times, but each time he was sent away because of a leg wound.
Soon after his first attempt at joining the Franciscans, Camillus fell back into the habit of gambling. He wandered from place to place, and he finally applied at the hospital of S. Giacomo in Rome, hoping to obtain a cure for his wound. Since he had no money, he offered himself as a servant in the place. Unfortunately, beside work, he had too many idle hours, and he fell once again into gambling, which eventually caused him to be dismissed for card-playing.
For two years (from 19 to 21), Camillus fought against the Turks in the armies of Venice. However, gambling continued to be his besetting sin. He seems to have been dismissed due to a gambling quarrel. He then joined the army of Spain. Due to a storm, the company which Camillus belonged to was disbanded, and the homeless Camillus lost everything in the gambling dens. Camillus then went from place to place with another gambler. They made gambling their trade, turning to begging when they had lost everything.
One morning, the two men were begging in Manfredonia, Italy, when a wealthy man spoke to Camillus and urged him to work. Camillus said he was a disbanded soldier and now no one would employ him. At the time the wealthy man was building a monastery outside the town, so he sent Camillus with a note of instruction that he should be given employment on the building.
His companion did his best to dissuade him. At first Camillus gave in, and he left Manfredonia with his companion for the next town. But on the road there came to Camillus a great grace.
Archbishop Alban Goodier, author of the book Saints for Sinners, wrote: “He had felt the goodwill of the man who had offered him work; thought of the Franciscan monastery brought back to him memories of his early efforts to amend, five or six years before; it seemed to him that here was an opportunity which should not be missed, and which might never occur again. With a mighty effort, the greatest he ever made in all his life, he shook himself free. To the surprise of his companion he suddenly turned round and began to run back to Manfredonia as fast as his legs would carry him. Next morning, he found himself enrolled among the labourers on the monastery building.”
Doing humble works was not easy for Camillus, but he persisted. He knew that in order not to fall back to his former sins, he must keep himself occupied. The months of humble work were the turning point of his life.
聖卡米諾斯戒掉賭博
聖卡米諾斯（1550-1614）是由於真心悔改而成聖。卡米諾斯的父親是軍人，也是天生的冒險者、為財賣命的顧傭兵、是敗家的賭徒，給兒子卡米諾斯非常壞的榜樣。
卡米諾斯雖高個子，卻是個其貌不揚的年青人，又懶惰、笨拙、暴燥、固執，學業不佳。十二歲時，母親死去，十七歲時，這身高六呎半的年青人綴學，沉迷賭博，與父親一起成為職業賭徒和為金錢賣命的僱傭兵。
一天，父子兩人到維也納參加與土耳其人的戰鬥，卻又雙雙病倒。父親病危時，痛悔往罪，熱心地領受了臨終聖事。
父親死前的皈依，對卡米諾斯起了變化；他有意要作方濟會的修道者，卻因腳傷而幾次被迫離開。
在第一次嘗試入方濟會失敗後，卡米諾斯又回復賭博的陋習，流離浪蕩，最後在羅馬的聖若望醫院留下來治療腳傷。一貧如洗的他，曾當傭工渡日，然常以賭博消閑，終被醫院開除。
十九歲到二十一歲時，卡米諾斯為威尼斯軍隊對抗土耳其人，但因賭博爭執，後來又被逐出僱傭兵行列。無計可施下，卡米諾斯參軍，成為西班牙軍隊的一員；偏偏在一次風暴中，他所屬的編隊解散，卡米諾斯只無所事事，終日與賭徒為伍，把僅有的都輸得一乾二淨。
一天早上，卡米諾斯夥伴一人在曼弗雷多尼亞行乞，遇上一位富翁，勸他找工作謀生；他解釋自己是被解散的軍人，很難找到工作。富翁剛好在城外建築一座修院，遂寫字條推薦卡米諾斯到工地工作。起初，卡米諾斯同意夥伴的慫恿，繼續到鄰城行乞，企圖賺取既快又容易的金錢；路途上，卡米諾斯受到天主聖寵的光照。阿爾邦.高迪厄總主教寫道：「卡米諾斯感受到介紹工作的富翁的好意；想到方濟會修院，激起他五、六年前努力改過的回憶；看來現在是一個不能錯過的機會，以後可能再沒有這樣的機會。他便下了一生以來最大的努力去將自己解放。他突然轉身，盡快跑回曼弗雷多尼亞，讓同伴感到愕然。翌日早晨，卡米諾斯已經在建築修院工人的行列中。」
幹著卑微的工作，為卡米諾斯不是容易的事，但他執意堅持，明白到為避免重犯舊罪，他必需避免空閒，勤奮工作；而幾個月的卑微工作，促成卡米諾斯生命的轉捩。