Lent Day 35 // Fr. Damien of Molokai & The Greatest Love
Image by Beautiful Light Photography

Image by Beautiful Light Photography

1 Corinthians 16:14 John 3:16 John 15: 13 Mark 12:30-31

The love I have in my heart for my family is enormous. When I married Christopher, I thought that the love I had for him couldn’t grow anymore than where it was. And the idea of having to share that love with children was something so incomprehensible to me at the time.

Then our daughter came along and my heart nearly exploded. Yet, she grew a day older each day and my heart learned how to make room to love her more. Then, we got pregnant with our son, and the question arose again. How are we going to have enough love in our hearts for each other and for both our children?

Yet, here he is and somehow my heart has made room to love him, and each day it keeps growing more. My love never stopped for my daughter, it kept growing right along side my love for my husband and son. 

But this isn’t where our love stops. Remember, we have life and the ability to love and the opportunity to share that love with others because Jesus died on the cross and was buried in the tomb. He did it out of love for us. 

“Do everything in love.”

We are called on the daily to love in all we do and show our neighbors love through our words and actions. We are called to say and do things out of love so that they can see the face of Christ in us. 

When we do everything in love, just as Father Damien did for the people of Molokai and just as Jesus did when he died on the cross and was buried in the tomb for us, the rewards are great in heaven. 

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but shall have eternal life.” 

Lastly, there is no greater example of love than to lay down your life for your friends. So I challenge you, are you laying down your life for your friends on the daily basis?

Are you the one to stay by their side and lay them to rest when they have relentlessly loved as we are called to? 

“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”

We are to love without abandon, love without boundaries, love with all we have to the very last moment possible. We are to love until we get laid to rest, until we get put in the tomb, till we have nothing else to give...just as Father Damien did with the people of Molokai and just as Jesus did for us.