Today marks the 900th Anniversary of the founding of the Knights of Malta.
Even if you are secular, you can not help but be impressed by the selflessness and the dedication to duty and purpose higher than self embodied in the precepts of the Knights of Malta (KOM).
The mission, and membership of the KOM represents good in the world, at time when the forces of malice seem poised to triumph.
Stateless but sovereign, the KOM transcends regional boundaries in their quest to alleviate suffering.
Wherever they settled, the Knights Hospitallers always established first a Hospital and Hospice and then, if they needed to, built defence fortifications. What does being a Hospitaller mean in the Third Millennium? It means dedicating oneself to easing suffering and to bringing the balm of Christian charity to the sick, anywhere in the world, not only in hospitals but also in private homes and nursing homes in the shantytowns of destitute populations. The Order does not only dedicate itself to the sick, but also to the socially isolated, the victims of persecution and the refugees of any race and religious faith
