Today we celebrate the feast of St. Damien, a Belgian priest who dedicated his entire life and priesthood to serve the “Colony of Lepers” in the island of Molokai, Hawaii. It was a coincidence that he found himself in Hawaii. His older brother was to be sent to Hawaii but unfortunately, his brother got ill, and so he decided to volunteer to go for a mission. He finished his priestly formation and in 1864 he became an ordained priest of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Mary in Hawaii.
On the same year, he volunteered to live with 800 lepers on that island until he died of the disease himself. Fr. Damien experienced that being an unruly and desperate community of lepers, his presence made it a community of love due to his spirituality centered on Mary and the Eucharist. When he first contracted leprosy, Fr. Damien was able to identify completely with them with the words, “We, Lepers.” He became the embodiment of God’s love and presence amongst the lepers. His strength came from God and the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist, as he himself wrote: “It is at the foot of the altar that we find the strength we need in our isolation…”
Truly God manifests himself in Fr. Damien’s struggles by giving him the strength, consolation, and hope that he was a faithful servant and by being the happiest missionary on earth, I would say. He died on April 15, 1889. He was canonized on October 11, 2009, by Pope Benedict XVI. His feast day is May 10. He is the patron saint of people suffering from leprosy.
The first reading taken from the Acts of the Apostles tells us about the increasing number of believers and followers of Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of God. We know that the first followers of Jesus were Jews, who were faithful to the Torah, the Mosaic tradition. One of the prominent issues is the observance of their tradition that all males must be circumcised. However, the followers of Jesus also include the gentiles who were not circumcised. Those Pharisees who followed the teachings of Jesus objected that it is necessary that new converts must be circumcised to be true members of the faith.
The answer to this issue had been decided by the Apostles and Elders taking the stance that believing in Jesus is based on faith and is not to be determined by circumcision. Being a Christian is based on believing in Jesus as divine and the Son of God. Thus, the community allows the uncircumcised gentiles to be included, for the solid reason that it doesn’t matter based on a physical trait but on one’s faith in Jesus.
The gospel today speaks about Jesus being the vine, and we are the branches. The ultimate decision a believer needs to make is to be united with Jesus. Our lives must be attached and dependent on the Lord. I know that we spend time being productive in our mission in order to bear abundant fruits by way of good works and charity; however, our lives must be like Jesus’ love, being willing to offer our lives for everyone, like St. Damien, filled with his love for God so that he could continue loving those lepers around him and be one of them. I am inspired by his words, “I make myself a leper, to be with lepers, all for Christ.”
Jesus is the “new vine, the new Israel.” We are called to remain in the true and new vine, for we are the New Israel which is pleasing to God because we continue to bear many fruits. Jesus says, “Remain in Me, as I in you.”
St. Damien, pray for us especially those people suffering from leprosy.
Fr. Arlon, osa
