Today - May 12 - is the feast of Saint Pancras. When we took a train from London to Brussels, to get to sight see Bruges, we had to go to the station at Saint Pancras. That was where the train that went through the Channel Tunnel was: the Eurostar. I began wondering what a train station in London - named after a saint - was all about. I looked it up. Pancras was a 14 year old kid - who was beheaded in Rome for being a Christian. This took place way back around 304. Pope Gregory the Great sent Augustine - not THE Saint Augustine - but Augustine who was to become Augustine of Canterbury - to England. He gave him some relics of Pancras to take along with him - as he went there to bring Christ to England - way back when. In time various churches named "Saint Pancras" appeared on English soil - if I have this correct. In London, there was Old Saint Pancras Church. I could not find out for absolute surety, if that was where the Saint Pancras Train Station was built. It looks like a church is part of the whole enterprise. Great train station - worth seeing if you go to London - even if you don't take a train. It has great statues. It's a great place for people watching. It has great sounds. It's a great place for picture taking. Check out the enclosed videos. Amen.
The old frog and
the new robin stopped to look at each other - for just one tiny, tiny
moment.
Frog: “Oh, to be
young again.”
Robin: “Oh my God!
You're ugly. I hope that never happens to me.”
Frog: “That comment
really hurt.”
Robin: “Let me tell
you something, Mister Frog: my life’s going to be different than yours. I’m
going to soar. I’m not going to crawl." Frog: “Honey you
have no idea what you’re in for. Take a good look at your actuaries. My life
span is 4 to 15 years of life. Yours, sorry to inform you, is only a year and a
half for most. That's just the way it goes. But don’t forget
to enjoy the flight.”
In the course of his journey to Jerusalem he
was travelling through the borderlands of Samaria and Galilee. As he was
entering a village he was met by ten men
with leprosy. They stood some way off and called out to him, “Jesus, Master,
take pity on us.”
When he saw them he said, “Go and show
yourselves to the priests”; and while they were on their way, they were made
clean.
One of them, finding himself cured, turned
back praising God aloud. He threw himself down at Jesus's feet and thanked him.
And he was a Samaritan.
At this Jesus said: “Were not all ten
cleansed? The other nine, where are they? Could none be found to come back and
give praise to God except this foreigner?”
And he said to the man, “Stand up and go on
your way; your faith has cured you.”
INTRODUCTION
Today we celebrate the feast of Damien of
Molokai. His dates were 1840- 1889.
He is famous for his work with folks who
have Leprosy or Hansen’s disease. He did that full time from 1873-1889. That’s 16 years. He died at the age of 49 - having contracted the disease as well. I didn’t know he was that young when he
died. St. Vincent de Paul was 79 and Mother Teresa was 87 when they died. Well
he packed into those 49 years - lots of love - and lots of service for God’s
people.
He wasn’t stupid. On the other hand he wasn’t the smartest in
his class - but who knows if he had the chance for better educational opportunities? He was just one strong Belgian who gave his life for the folks of
Hawaii - first putting in regular priestly work around Honolulu - from
1864-1873.
I get the impression from reading a bunch of
things about him last night - that he was a gruff - strong - hard working -
farmer type priest.
He wasn’t scared to get his hands dirty and
do for others.
He ended up becoming world famous - perhaps
because of reports about him working with those who had leprosy - were heard by
folks who stopped into Hawaii - while sailing around the world.
Then there were complaints that the natives
and others with whom he worked with didn’t get enough credit. That seems true -
but it wasn’t because he was self-promoting. He and others were doing a job
that could be quite difficult. In another sense there is the old saying, “Work
goes smoothly if everyone worries about the work and not who gets the credit.”
STAGE
PLAY
When I was in the seminary in my second year
of college, I got to direct a 3 act
play. It was a great opportunity - but instead of giving me a comedy - the only kinds of plays that I
had acted in - in my earlier years - I got this serious play to direct - the life of
Father Damien of Molokai. It was long,
serious, and had about 21 scenes. It wasn’t
a flop. Nor was it a big success. A
priest named Frank Browne had the lead - playing Father Damien and Max Pauli - whom many here in St. Mary's remember - he played the part of very “yes sir, no sir” right hand servant for Damien.
What I got out of it, besides the experience
of directing a 3 act play, was a growing awareness of the Saint: Damien of Molokai.
PATRON
SAINT OF WHAT?
To really make it as a saint, it helps to be
the patron saint of some basic issue or theme or need in life.
Like being Patron Saint of Lost Car Keys or
what have you. Like being patron saint of those who travel or the one you pray to with great
perseverance for lost kids to come back to the faith - like praying to St. Monica -
who prayed that her son Augustine would come home to Christ.
Damian could be considered the Patron Saint
of those who work with the tough cases in life. He could be the Patron Saint of
those whose motto could be People with Leprosy Matter.
His life could be a poster with the words: “Don’t
reject; do respect.”
People who were working with those who had
AIDS did bring Damien into that story.
Today we could add Transgender Folks. We
could pray to him for all folks whom others don’t want to touch or to welcome to
the family or church table.
That’s St. Damien of Molokai.
When I see pictures of where he lived and
served in Molokai, I see places and scenes that don’t look like those beautiful
brochures of the beaches of Hawaii. Amen.
