ALL SAINTS NOVENA DAY 5, 10-27-09, SAINTS LONG FOR THE SACRAMENTS

Perhaps one of the boldest and most compelling aspects of Damien’s life was his longing for the sacrament of reconciliation. This was illustrated in the movie we watched in that no other priests would go to Molokai to hear Damien’s confession, so his Bishop agreed to go. For his own safety and the safety of his crew, the ship’s captain would not allow Damien to board the ship or the Bishop to get off the ship and go to the island. Damien’s desire to go to confession was so strong, that he got into a boat and shouted his confession in French as to make it private loud enough so that the Bishop could hear.

We found among his writing also a strong desire for the Eucharist:

"Were it not for the constant presence of our divine Master in our humble chapel, I would not have found it possible to persevere in sharing the lot of the afflicted in Molokai… The Eucharist is the bread that gives strength…It is at once the most eloquent proof of His love and the most powerful means of fostering His love in us. He gives Himself every day so that our hearts as burning coals may set afire the hearts of the faithful"

How does this apply to us? In reviewing both of these accounts it occurs to us that the sacraments are so readily available to us any time we should choose to partake in them, that we sometimes take them for granted and don’t have the extreme longing that Damien exemplified.

Prayer: Lord, renew the wonder in our hearts that the creator of the universe comes so very near to us in the sacraments. Remind us to be amazed at your desire to be close to us and to stay a long while with that amazement.

ALL SAINTS NOVENA DAY 5, 10-27-09, SAINTS LONG FOR THE SACRAMENTS