I don’t think we can imagine the
obstacles the Paul faced in his missionary work. We heard in a reading last week that he was
stoned by an angry mob once and left for dead.
It is estimated that Paul spent at least 3 years in prison during his
missionary travels. And we all know that
he was martyred for the faith. Yet, he
received a lot of encouragement along the way from the Lord. We hear of a vision that Paul received from
the Lord, how the Lord encouraged to continue his ministry and not remain
silent. Paul then remained in Corinth
for a year and a half, preaching the Good News to the community there.
Today, we celebrate a very beloved
saint – St Damien de Veuster, also known as Father Damien of Molokai. Father Damien was born to a poor family in
Belgium in 1840. He had little formal
education, and was thought to be ill suited for the priesthood. Yet, Damien did become a priest with the
Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, and eventually shipped out
to be a missionary in Hawaii before he was even ordained, taking the place of
his brother who got sick and was unable to make the voyage. After serving in different mission sites in
Hawaii, Damien volunteered to serve the community of lepers exiled on the
island of Molokai, where he served from 1873 to his death in 1899 at the age of
49. Even in the midst of his illness,
Damien was able to proclaim: “I consider myself the happiest missionary in the
world.” Damien could have a combative
and stubborn personality, which sometimes caused conflict with his companions
and superiors, but his desire to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus to others, and
his love for those who suffer at the margins of society, speak so loudly to many
in our world, both in the religious and the humanitarian sense. The joy that Damien felt was a joy that came
from his faith. Even Gandhi proclaimed:
“The world can boast of very few heroes who can compare with Father Damien of
Molokai.” The way Father Damien’s
example of faith speaks to us is a testimony to his canonization which took
place in 2009 by Pope Benedict XVI.
Both Damien and Paul served the Lord
out of love and fidelity. They both died serving the Lord with great joy in
their hearts. My their example inspire
us on our own journeys of faith.
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