Homily: All Saints Day 2022

All Saints Day 2022 “What Saint Inspires Me”

          Today we contemplate what it means to be saintly. We can describe saintliness in two ways. We can reflect on it in a very cerebral way. We can also consider how a saint lives.

          What, then, are qualities of a saint? We would say that a saint is morally upright. Such a person may not be perfect in their actions, but they have the desire to be. A saint prays asking that they might find the right path. The saint always asks, “What do you want my life to be God?”

          Usually, a saint is characterized by unselfishness. The saintly person is a person who believes in being a servant. Christ is the model for them. He washed the feet of his disciples. Saints are those who wash the feet of the world. Another quality of a saint is that they always see others in a positive way. A saint is charitable in every respect.

          A second way to reflect on saintliness is to examine the lives of saintly individuals. A saint that we have been reflecting on a lot at Sacred Heart is Damien de Veuster also known as Damien the Leper. He is the patron of our capital campaign. Who was he?

          Damian was a Belgium immigrant to the United States just like the people who founded this parish. He was born in Tremelo, Belgium He was forced to quit school as a boy to work on the family farm. Later, he was able to enter the Congregation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Mary, a missionary order. His unselfish choices shaped his destiny. When his older brother, who was a priest of the same order, got sick and could not go to Hawaii. Damien volunteered to go in his place. He was ordained there in 1864.

          In 1873 he volunteered to go to a leper colony on the island of Molokai. At first four priests were going to rotate on and off the island, but Damien volunteered to stay all the time. He ministered to the lepers physical, medical and spiritual needs. He planned a town and led the construction of homes, a hospital and church. He wanted the lepers to have as normal an existence as possible.

          His was a lonely existence. The thing he missed most was the spiritual support of other religious. Stories are told of his going out to the supply ships on a small boat and asking for a priest. When the priest would come to the rail Damien would go to confession shouting his sins over the roar of the ocean.

          St. Damien eventually contracted leprosy. He died a slow painful death. When Hawaii became a state, he was one of two individuals who Hawaii put in statuary hall in our Nation’s Capital.

          We see in St. Damien the qualities of a saint, the desire for perfection, prayerfulness, unselfishness, and charity. Today, we remember that there is a universal call to holiness. How do we respond?

Reflection Questions:

1.    Who is a saint that I have known? What qualities did they have?

2.    Do I find St. Damien someone I could relate to? Why or why not?

 Dear Parishioners,

           Today I have mentioned St. Damien in my All Saints Day homily. I find his story very inspirational. He had a tunnel vision that is often necessary when doing holy works. He fought ecclesial authorities and government bureaucracy to get the help the lepers of Molokai needed. His hard headedness was well known.

          Fighting for other’s rights is a holy endeavor. When we don’t just look out for ourselves, but advocate for others we walk in the footsteps of Jesus.

          Remember that there are still holy cards at the doors that depict St. Damien.

          St. Damien pray for us today along with all the Saints.

          Fr. Mark