I'm really happy at the news of Fr. Damien now St. Damien. As a little girl I read biographies about anyone and everyone and I remember being so impressed by the life of sacrifice and zeal led by Fr. Damien. I had little knowledge of what leprosy or Hansen's disease was about but it was not something I would want to mess with and I thought he was a true follower of Jesus.
In preparing prayers for some meetings later this month I've came across this writing of Fr. Judge,
What are we going to do this coming year... to show a good and thankful heart to Him whence every good gift comes? The answer must be individual and personal. It may work around our practice, it may bring us out of bed more promptly in the morning. It may make us more zealous in our morning prayer and meditation, it may make us more alert and Eucharistic in the chapel and at the altar... It may increase fraternal charity in our relations with one another. It may show us more zealous and urge us to strive for a better knowledge of the value of the human soul and make us forget ourselves that we may think more of God and do more for His honor and glory.
I was thinking about St. Damien and the North American martyrs, Jesuits who flung their lives into the mission to the Native Americans & Canadians. Their lives were full of missionary zeal and it it makes me wonder about following Christ as a missionary today, am I flinging my life gladly into the service of God and the Church?
In visiting our Sisters I see ample evidence of the virtue of missionary zeal. I'm visiting one of our Cenacles now where four sisters live a life which may not seem as romantic and cool as going off to wild, dangerous place but in fact they steadily follow a pattern of daily service and prayer in order to build up the faith of the people they serve. Each one serves in a different ministry from adult faith formation to social service ministry to the Latino population but in each I see a spending of self in the service of God.
Their generous service and joyful attitude gives glory to the Triune God and surely is a spur to my living of our life as a Missionary Servant of the Most Blessed Trinity.
