HCH photo by Anna Weaver

Here is the prepared text of the homily by Sacred Hearts Father Herman Gomes for the annual Red Mass, Jan. 22, at the Our Lady of Peace Cathedral.

You may have heard this on the radio: One of the milestones in our country’s history occurred in 1955 with the opening of Disneyland in Anaheim, California. At its opening it was labeled “The happiest place on earth.” Few could argue that. Plans were drawn up for a larger theme park in Florida. Unfortunately, Walt Disney passed away in 1965. Disney World in Orlando opened in 1971. At its opening, a reporter spoke to Walt Disney’s widow and said: “Too bad, your husband isn’t here to see this.” Her quick reply was: “He did see this, that’s why it’s here.”

Good people, very soon we are about to celebrate the life of a man who shared a vision with his Lord and Master. Father Damien was able to know, understand and proclaim the words of Jesus: “the Kingdom of God is at hand.” Damien’s life has become an enduring legacy for us in this state and for the world.

The practice of elevating men and women who are outstanding in holiness has been the tradition of the Catholic Church for centuries. We do this, not because we want a hall of fame for Catholics, but for two important reasons. The first is that we believe that people who have made the passage into eternity can help us with their prayers. They pray for us and with us to God. We call this intercession. The church requires two verified miracles for a person to be declared a saint. In Father Damien’s case the first happened in 1897 to a Sacred Hearts Sister in France. The second miracle is here today:

The second reason is that these men and women become role models, examples of what Christian living is all about. Indeed, our list of heroes is a short one. Some on the list are even fictitious like Superman and Spiderman who combat evil and fight for justice for all. In our saints, we have real flesh and blood people who have lived Gospel-inspired lives and have impacted the world to help bring about the Kingdom of God. To that end, after this Mass we will be distributing these little booklets to everyone. People around the world will acclaim Damien and honor him and be inspired by him. What a shame it would be if our own citizens are not familiar with his life and works.

Father Damien’s cause was introduced to the Vatican in 1955. In 1977, he was declared “venerable,” then in 1995, as many of us remember, he was declared “blessed” by Pope John Paul II, and God willing, this year, Pope Benedict XVI will declared him a saint. Of course, his sainthood stretches from his years on this earth to the forever.

When he was beatified he was also given the title: “Servant of God and Servant of Humanity.” This easily matches the commands of the Lord to love God with all your heart and to love your neighbor as yourself.

A quick glimpse of his life will tell us that his trust and reliance in God permeated his life. In the book, “The Heart of Father Damien,” author Vidal Jordan gives us a daily schedule of the good priest. He awakens at 5 in the morning and you can see his whole day punctuated with prayer time: the Mass, adoration, spiritual reading, the Divine Office. Clearly, Damien didn’t see this as an interruption to his work, but as an integral part of his day-to-day activities. He unites himself with his Lord and Master at every moment. Perhaps his most powerful statement of trust in God came toward the end of his life when he was diagnosed with leprosy. He said: (and I paraphrase) “I have no illusion as to what is in store for me with this dreaded disease, but if this is what the Good God wants for my sanctification then all I can say is: ‘Thy will be done.’” Even to this century, people see disease as a punishment, Damien saw it as yet another way to holiness. It would seem that God knows what’s best for each of us!

To understand the impact that he made to society, we need to understand the conditions that he confronted. He arrived in Hawaii in 1864, a professed member of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts and was ordained a priest in this very cathedral. Because he was a religious priest, he knew that he was the face of God to the people he ministered; given our charism, he was the Heart of God. In 1865, through the efforts of the Board of Health, a place of exile was carved out in the northern peninsula of Molokai for those diagnosed with leprosy or Hansen’s disease.

Leprosy, a most dreaded disease. If a person were diagnosed with this sickness (before the 1940s) it was most assuredly a slow and painful death. It starts with respiratory distress and then manifests itself with sores on the skin with flesh literally rotting away. But it gets worse. For the Hawaiian population especially, family was a very important value. The forced removal of a family member to the Kalawao settlement was like a death sentence itself. It didn’t stop there. The settlement at its beginning had no infrastructure. When Father Damien arrived in 1873, he was met with the words: “In this land, there is no law.” Certainly, the only operating principle was: might makes right. Rape was the order of the day. Burglary was common. People who were stronger took advantage of those who were weaker. There were horror stories of the dead being buried in shallow graves only to have their remains dug up by the wild boars.

Damien enters the scene armed with his deep faith in God and profound respect for each person and we find a turning point, things start to change. He came there with virtue and hope. He volunteered to go to the isolated colony to be the priest of the church, but ended up doing everything that needed to be done. One of the first things that he did was to create the Christian Funeral Association so that people could be buried with dignity and respect. In treating the dead in this way, he honored their life. These people counted for something as they were sons and daughters of the living God — a relationship that no one could take from them. He simply did what needed to be done, whether it was carpentry, nursing, doctoring. He begged the Board of Health for lumber and nails, for medical supplies. He spent countless hours helping to build homes, enlarging St. Philomena Church. He is also credited with building the flume which carried fresh water from the valley into the settlement. The work was done with diligence and compassion; all for the love of his people. Damien understood very clearly the dignity of human life from the moment of conception until natural death. Life is sacred and a gift from the Almighty

If I were to summarize his contribution to society, I would say that he was able to transform that place of disease, isolation and despair to a place of respect for the person and a place of hope. His simple life and work transformed the settlement from a place of death and darkness to a place of life and hope. In this transformation, the difference he made to each individual there is incalculable. You see, our religion is all about transformation; each of us individually being transformed into the likeness of Christ. That is what it means to witness to Jesus. And, as a corporate body, all of us being transformed into the Kingdom of God. In the life and work of Damien, there is a powerful and timeless message.

You can see the transformation in his own life. I am convinced that he did not arrive in the Hawaiian Islands as a saint. In his first letter home to Belgium, before he is ordained a priest, he writes that he is happy to be here. The voices of 300 kanakas in the cathedral inspire him and he is eager to be ordained a priest so that he can go and minister to the “savages” of these islands. A few years later, these same people he calls his “sons and daughters” as they called him “Father.” After some time he refers to his flock as his “brothers and sisters” in the Lord. And then, of course, in his famous line, he completely identifies with his people as he says: “We lepers…”

So we are here today celebrating what is called the Red Mass. Red vestments call to mind the fire of the Holy Spirit. In our prayer, we ask for the Holy Spirit to come to us. We know that the Spirit has been alive and well on this land for generations, living and working in the hearts of people before any of us were born. We are confident that this same Spirit will stir us up with a renewed zeal for our work so that we can be agents of change and transformation. All of us can contribute something because we are all gifted by our Creator. The gifts that we are given are not for ourselves alone, but to be given away. Those of you who are legislators are in a unique position to impact the rest of us. May I call you “public servants” and thank you for your humble presence here today; seeking wisdom and guidance from a Higher Power.

The other time we wear red is to symbolize the blood of the martyrs. We are mindful that we get right back into the core of the Gospel message. “There is no greater love that a man has than that he lay down his life for his friends.” Father Damien lay down his life for people, not by dying for them, but by really living for them. He gave himself so that their lives could be better.

The message of Father Damien’s life is powerful and transforming. The question that remains is: Are we able to realize the Kingdom of God in our midst and work to that end? Are we able to come together and work to build a better tomorrow for all our citizens? Somehow, every one of us has to echo the voice of our newly inaugurated president and answer: “Yes, we can.”