[In the Dioceses of the United States]
#561A
From the Common of Pastors or the Common of Holy Men and Women
Biographical
information about St. Damien of Molaka’i [1]
 |
| “St. Damian” (two weeks before his death) by William Brigham, 1889 |
Author’s Text Selections [2]
Reading 1:
6. Isaiah 61:1-3a (From the Common of Pastors)
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
because the LORD has anointed me;
He has sent me to bring glad tidings to the lowly,
to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
and release to the prisoners,
To announce a year of favor from the LORD
and a day of vindication by our God,
to comfort all who mourn;
To place on those who mourn in Zion
a diadem instead of ashes,
To give them oil of gladness in place of mourning,
a glorious mantle instead of a listless spirit.
You yourselves shall be named priests of the LORD,
ministers of our God shall you be called.
I will give them their recompense faithfully,
a lasting covenant I will make with them.
Their descendants shall be renowned among the nations,
and their offspring among the peoples;
All who see them shall acknowledge them
as a race the LORD has blessed.
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Commentary on Is 61:1-3a
The prophetic vision from Isaiah begins with words used by Jesus himself in Luke 4: 18-19. In the day it was first used it was inspired by the return of faithful from the Babylonian exile. It envisions the coming of the messianic age, foreseeing the saving work of the Messiah (“…glad tidings to the lowly, to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners”).
CCC: Is 61:1-2 714; Is 61:1 436, 695, 716, 1286
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Responsorial Psalm:
3. Psalm 40:2 and 4. 7-8a. 8b-9, 10 (From the Common of Pastors)
R. (8a and 9a) Here
I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
I have waited, waited for the LORD,
and he stooped toward me and heard my cry.
And he put a new song into my mouth,
a hymn to our God.
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Sacrifice or offering you wished not,
but ears open to obedience you gave me.
Burnt offerings or sin-offerings you sought not;
then said I, "Behold I come."
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
"In the written scroll it is prescribed for me,
To do your will, O my God, is my delight,
and your law is within my heart!"
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
I announced your justice in the vast assembly;
I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know.
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
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Commentary on Ps 40:2 and 4. 7-8a. 8b-9, 10
While Psalm 40 is a song of thanksgiving, it is also combined with
a lament. The initial waiting is satisfied by favor shown by God to one who is
faithful in service to Him. Praise and thanksgiving are given to God whose
justice is applied to all.
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Gospel:
4. For Missionaries
Matthew 28:16-20 (From the Common of Pastors)
The Eleven disciples went to Galilee,
to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them.
When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted.
Then Jesus approached and said to them,
"All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.
And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age."
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Commentary on Mt 28:16-20
This passage from the Gospel of St. Matthew presents “The Commissioning” monologue that concludes this Gospel. The doubting disciples are reassured that all the Lord had predicted, and all the prophets had foretold, had come to pass, and the Lord had now assumed his place with the Father. He then sends them out to continue his earthly mission. His command to them is an important one: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” In this statement, we receive the proper “form” and institution of the Sacrament of Baptism and the command to bring all nations to follow the Lord. The critically important emphasis here is: "make disciples," which goes beyond the sacramental act of Baptism, the imparting of the Holy Spirit, to converting the hearts of those so washed. Finally, he reassures them that he will be with them always.
CCC: Mt 28:16-20 857, 1444; Mt 28:16-17 645; Mt 28:17 644; Mt 28:18-20 1120; Mt 28:19-20 2, 767, 849, 1223, 1257, 1276
Reflection:
Saint Damien De Veuster of Molokai, SS.CC. (1840-1889). Most of us are given the gift of faith in varying measures and feel, at some point in our lives, a call to express that faith in action. The “vocation” of faith can have many different expressions. Many of us marry and express the vocation of married life, primarily in love for spouse and family, working tirelessly to make sure they are safe, well, and to the best of their ability, happy. A relative few express their vocation of faith in holy orders and the religious life. They generally express their vocation through work to which the Lord has called them, sacrificing worldly comforts in service to the faithful, the poor, the imprisoned, and the infirm. A select few, in addition to responding to the call to holy orders or the religious life, receive the gift from God of heroic virtue that may be expressed in an extraordinary way. Such was the gift given to and received from St. Damien.
In a time when the pathology of disease was not well understood, the word “leper” was one that brought terror to most people. From biblical times, the most common way to respond to “Hansen’s Disease” or leprosy was to excommunicate, shun, or cast out those so afflicted. Such was the case in the island state of Hawaii when the disease was first transmitted among the native inhabitants (ironically in the year St. Damien was born, 1840). It became epidemic among a population with few natural immunities and the response by those in authority was the same as it had been from the time of Christ – isolate, excommunicate, and incarcerate. Being an island state, they selected the island of Molokai, and transported all of the victims they could find to that island, often not caring if they reached their isolation alive or dead.
God cried out through these helpless victims to those who had brought Christ to this part of the world, members of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. They called for a spiritual leader, a pastor for these horribly diseased sheep. There may have been others who would have gone (three other priests volunteered), but St. Damian was selected and in 1873 began what was to be his final assignment on earth. He is credited with transforming the hopeless state of the colony into a community of faith. He inspired, not only his flock but also the world at large, many of whom saw for the first time what faith could accomplish when given free reign.
Jesus told his apostles to go out and make disciples of all the nations, knowing that it was through love that this would be accomplished (“teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you”). St. Damian, through his selfless acts inspired many, even other saints, since as he himself was dying he was tended by Saint Marianne Cope (Feast Day January 22nd) and some of her sisters who were inspired by his example.
Today we ask for the intercession of the "Apostle of the Lepers" (as St. Damian is named in the Catholic Encyclopedia). May his prayers give each of us the strength to see Christ in those we encounter and through our example see the mercy of God who answers every prayer.
Pax
[1] The photograph is
of “St. Damian” (two weeks before his death) by William Brigham, 1889.
[2] The readings are
taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its
response which were developed by the International Committee for English in
Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for
private use only.
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