On October 11th we saw the canonization of five new saints. Among the five was Saint Damian of Molokai. He ministered to lepers and contracted the disease himself. Eventually he died as a result of his work. What a beautiful example of self gift and of love.Pope Benedict helped us understand this great saint and the value of our journey towards holiness when he said,
"Not without fear and repugnance, he chose to go to the Island of Molokai to serve the lepers who were there, abandoned by all; thus he exposed himself to the disease they suffered from. He felt at home with them. The Servant of the Word thus became a suffering servant, a leper with lepers, during the last four years of his life. We recall, faced with this noble figure, that charity makes unity. It gives birth to it and makes it desirable. In following St. Paul, St. Damien leads us to choose the good battle, not those that lead to division, but those that gather together."
"He invites us to open our eyes to the lepers that disfigure the humanity of our brothers and today still calls, more than for our generosity, for the charity of our serving presence."
"This is the Christian vocation that flows from a proposal of love by the Lord, and that can be realized only thanks to our loving reply. Jesus invites his disciples to the total giving of their lives, without calculation or personal gain, with unfailing trust in God."
"The saints welcome this demanding invitation and set about following the crucified and risen Christ with humble docility. Their perfection, in the logic of a faith that is humanly incomprehensible at times, consists in no longer placing themselves at the center, but choosing to go against the flow and live according to the Gospel."
"Let us give thanks to the Lord for the gift of sanctity that today shines in the Church with a singular beauty... I would like to invite all of you to let yourselves be drawn by the shining example of these saints, to allow yourselves to be guided by their teachings, so that our whole existence can become a hymn of praise to the love of God."
What an invitation by the Holy Father!He invites us to give of ourselves in total and complete sacrifice.
Where are you being called on your own journey?
What is Christ calling you to?
How are you called?
