Daily Journey Through the Great Fast With the Early Churchনমুনা

I heard the following story from my parish priest who shared it with the congregation, which was originally submitted by Dr. J. Mark Platt:

“A Belgian priest named Fr. Joseph Damien De Veuster was sent to minister to lepers on the Hawaiian Island of Molokai. When he arrived, he immediately began to meet each one of the lepers in the colony in hopes of building a friendship. But wherever he turned, people shunned him. It seemed as though every door was closed. He poured his life into his work, erecting a Chapel, beginning worship services and pouring out his heart to the lepers. But it was to no avail! No one responded to his ministry. After 12 years Father Damien made the decision to leave.

Dejectedly, he made his way to the docks to board a ship to take him back to Belgium. As he stood on the dock he wrung his hands nervously as he recounted his futile ministry among the lepers. As he did he looked down at his hands, he noticed some mysterious white spots and felt some numbness. Almost immediately he knew what was happening to his body. He had contracted leprosy! It was then that he knew what he had to do. He returned to the leper colony and to his work.

Quickly the word about his disease spread through the colony. Within a matter of hours everyone knew. Hundreds of them gathered outside his hut, they understood his pain, fear, and uncertainty about the future. But what was the biggest surprise was the following Sunday, as Fr. Damien arrived at the Chapel, he found hundreds of worshipers all there. By the time the service began, there were many more with standing room only and many gathered outside the Chapel.

His ministry became enormously successful. The reason? He was one of them. He understood and empathized with them. This is the essence of sacrifice - that God came and became a man - ‘The Word became flesh.’ [John 1:14]”

Service is not always pretty. In fact, service can feel, at times, like it is lonesome, quiet, frustrating, and mundane but true service allows God to lift these selfish feelings to the surface so we can see ourselves move out of the way for a deeper and more rich benefit….a benefit for the Kingdom and glory to His name.

Fr. Damien’s service was one of faith, putting in the work, not seeing immediate benefits, in it for the long haul. In service, we should emulate the goodness and sacrificial characteristics of God. The core of this story is that God chose to give humanity His only Son for our sake, to become like one of us in everything except for sin alone. His Son was sent for the lost sheep, for the sick, for the widows, the orphans, the strangers, those in prison and bitter bondage, those who had no one to care for them or care about them. Jesus Christ came to live in this desolate world among us, to take what was ours and to give us what was His, to show us Love.Thatis service.

Let us sacrifice for one another. Let us serve one another. Let us love one another. Let us serve those that are in need. Let us serve others by carrying their burdens and if we do so then Christ will carryourburdens. A ship’s anchor provides stability and security, even in dangerous waters. When we anchor ourselves in Christ, then we will be helpful to others because we cannot serve others, unless we first allow ourselves to be served by Christ, who is the True Servant. We cannot serve others in the dangerous storm of life unless we are tied to an anchor that will support us, keep us stabilized and safe, like a ship’s anchor - that anchor of our souls is Christ! (Hebrews 6:19-20)

“It is profitable to me to know that for my sake Christ bore my infirmities, submitted to the affections of my body, that for me and for all he was made sin and a curse, that for me and in me was he humbled and made subject, that for me he is the lamb, the vine, the rock, the servant, the Son of a handmaid, knowing not the day of judgment, for my sake ignorant of the day and the hour.” [St. Ambrose, 4th century Bishop of Milan]

“He is our sanctification, as himself being purity, that the pure may be encompassed by his purity. He is our redemption, because he sets us free who were held captive under sin, giving himself as a ransom for us, the sacrifice to make expiation for the world. He is our resurrection, because he raises up, and brings to life again, those who were slain by sin.” [St. Gregory of Nazianzus, a 4th century Archbishop of Constantinople, known as "Gregory the Theologian" and a “doctor of the Church”]