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Isaiah 55: 10-11
Thus says the LORD:
Just as from the heavens
the rain and snow come down
And do not return there
till they have watered the earth,
making it fertile and fruitful,
Giving seed to the one who sows
and bread to the one who eats,
So shall my word be
that goes forth from my mouth;
It shall not return to me void,
but shall do my will,
achieving the end for which I sent it.
The Word of the Lord.
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One of my favorite Saints is Damian of Molokai. He was a priest born in 19th century Belgium. After his ordination, he felt called to move half-way around the world to the hellish Hawaiian island of Molokai.
Molokai was home to hundreds of lepers, including children. At that time, whenever someone contracted leprosy, they were immediately removed from their community, often shipped off to Molokai, where they’d eventually die in despair.
Somehow, word of Molokai made its way to Belgium, into Father Damian’s heart.
He thought of Christ’s final sermon – the Judgment of the Nations, which we heard in yesterday’s Gospel – and was deeply moved by the promise, “Whatever you do to the least of my brothers and sisters, you do to me.”
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So, he left his parish, his family, and his native language, ministering in Molokai for 16 years, knowing that, once he set feet ashore, he could never turn back.
Father Damian built a school, taught the children, celebrated Mass, assembled a choir to worship on Sundays, broke bread with the broken, and even dug their graves with his bare hands – more than 600 in all.
He loved and served these lepers as if they were Christ himself until he contracted leprosy himself, dying from it after a years-long struggle at the tender age of 49.
So, what might Father Damian’s legacy say to us today?
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That we should be receptive to – and challenged by – the Word of God.
“Thus say the LORD,” the prophet Isaiah proclaims in our first reading, “Just as from the heavens, the rain and snow come down and do not return until they have watered the earth…so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me void.”
How has the Word of God changed my decisions in life, either big or small? How receptive is my heart to God’s Word today?
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May we hear the Word of God and act on it, showing the Lord it will not return to him void.
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Image credits: (1) Saint Damian of Molokai, Britannica (2) QuoteFancy (3) Saint Damian of Molokai, Catholic World Report