What a harsh way to
begin a passage: “O stupid Galatians!”
Paul obviously was very ticked off at the way he saw the Galatians
forsaking the faith they had in God with regards to their salvation and trying
to rely on human works and human effort.
We Catholics here in the South get accused sometimes of trying to rely
on our good works and our own efforts in order to achieve our salvation. However, our good works are to be a fruit of
our faith and salvation, the way that we live out our faith, not a means to
salvation, which is to be understood as a freely given gift from God.
And I
think that is how we should interpret the life of the saint whom we celebrate
today: Father Damien of Molokai. Father
Damien’s story has long sparked the imagination in both believers and
non-believers alike. A welcoming spirit,
a rebellious and tenacious spirit, would be words that we could us to describe
Damien. He was born in Belgium in 1840,
and was forced to leave school at the age of 13 in order to work on his
family’s farm. Yet, Damien persevered in
joining the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus & Mary at the age of
19. Damien’s brother was originally
assigned by the congregation to work in Hawaii, but when he became ill, Damien
volunteered to go in his place. He
hadn’t even been ordained a priest yet.
But, it was Damien’s zeal, persistence, and faith that led him to work
in Hawaii. The Holy Spirit eventually
led Damien to volunteer to serve at the colony of lepers who were treated as
outcasts on the island of Molokai.
Damien fought hard to get adequate food, medical treatment, housing, and
education for the lepers under his care.
He even persuaded a congregation of Franciscan sisters to come to help
with these daunting tasks. Damien
eventually contracted leprosy himself, dying from complications of this disease
in 1889. Today, Damien is a saint and
model of Christian charity and Christian faith throughout the world. He not only is the patron saint of Hawaii,
but his statue was selected by the newly formed state of Hawaii in 1959 to be
included in statuary hall in our nation’s capital to represent that state. He is also the patron saint of those with HIV
and AIDS. Benedict XVI states that the
example of Father Damien "teaches us to choose the good fight not those
that lead to division, but those that gather us together in unity."
May
our good works flow out of our faith and out of the salvation we receive as a
freely given gift from the Lord. May the
example of Damien and other men and women of faith inspire us along our
journey.
No comments:
Post a Comment