Luminous Examples
Tuesday, October 13th, 2009For Sunday, October 18, 2009
29th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Isaiah 53:10-11
Hebrews 4:14-16
Mark 10:35-45
Earlier this week, when Pope Benedict declared five new saints of the Church, he praised their “luminous example” and said they were people who “did not put themselves at the center, but chose to go against the current and live according to the Gospel.” (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/12/world/europe/12pope.html?_r=1) We can certainly appreciate that in the life of arguably the most famous of these new saints, Fr. Damien of Molokai, who elected to live among the lepers of Hawaii, before contracting leprosy himself, and ultimately dying from it. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Father_Damien). There was a profound kind of martyrdom in the selfless way he sacrificed himself for the outcasts of Molokai.
But less familiar is the story of another new saint, Jeanne Jugan, the foundress of the Little Sisters of the Poor. The order’s website has an extensive biography of her and the order (http://www.littlesistersofthepoor.org/about_jeanne_jugan.html) that makes for compelling reading. One of the most surprising details of her life, though, is that so much of it was spent in utter obscurity.
Shortly after Jeanne Jugan started the order, a young priest named Fr. Le Pailleur became involved with the sisters, and arranged to have Jeanne Jugan transferred to another convent. As one biographer noted: “She was to devote herself entirely to prayer and overseeing the manual work of the postulants.” By the time of her death, even the young novices who lived and worked with her had no idea that this aging nun was, in fact, the woman who had founded their growing order. It wasn’t until an inquiry 11 years after her death that the truth came out. (http://www.catholicfounders.org/jeanne.htm).
Incredibly, during that entire time, Jeanne Jugan submitted to every order from Fr. Le Pailleur with obedience, humility, charity and love. She never sought to set the record straight, never demanded credit. She considered it God’s will.
Who among us could be that humble?
Yet, in this Sunday’s scripture, that is precisely Christ’s call to all those who seek to follow him.
As he explains in Mark’s Gospel: “Whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
In their selfless service, Jeanne Jugan and Fr. Damien did not seek greatness - but they achieved it, anyway, through a tireless commitment to the needs of others. They sacrificed everything for those who had nothing.
Their lives serve as a beautiful testament - “luminous examples,” indeed, of what it truly means to give one’s life “as a ransom for many.”
Deacon Greg Kandra
Prayer
Heavenly Father,
we ask you to give us the heart of a servant,
serving others as we serve you.
Help us to offer our talents and our lives
in service of your Word.
May we always see in daily life an opportunity to give
rather than to receive,
and to continually manifest in our service to others
your will and your love.
We ask this through the servant of all, Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Notices
CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES RESPONDS TO FOUR EMERGENCIES
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is responding to four emergencies in the Asia Pacific region. The Philippines and Vietnam have been hit by typhoon Ketsana, while a tsunami struck Samoa, American Samoa and Tonga, and an earthquake affected the island of Sumatra. CRS is working with Caritas Internationalis to plan for the long-term reconstruction vital to recovery efforts even while providing immediate emergency relief. For more information, and to learn how you can encourage parishioners to help, visit: http://crs.org/.
THE LITTLE SISTERS OF THE POOR
Continuing the charism of their founder, Jeanne Jugan, the Little Sisters of the Poor serve the elderly throughout North America. For more information on their homes and their community, visit: http://www.littlesistersofthepoor.org.
LPi PARTNERS WITH PONTIFICAL MISSION SOCIETIES
Liturgical Publications Inc (LPi) has partnered with the Pontifical Mission Societies (http://www.onefamilyinmission.org/) to distribute clip art and cover art in support of the World Mission Sunday Collection on October 18, 2009. To learn how your parish can receive free access to these materials, click here.
A friend at work today was talking about his older brother who retired a few years ago after working for county government for many years. My friend was reflecting on how his brother was now set in his retirement with a generous pension that allowed him and his wife to travel and live comfortably. In the meantime, my friend, who is concerned about his own position, said, “What am I left with? a 401(k).”