Jesus offers us His peace which the world cannot give.
Today is the Sixth Sunday of Easter. Jesus offers us His peace. He tells us that His is a peace the world cannot give. Like the disciples in the early Church, we have the responsibility to spread the Word to others so that they, too, may enjoy the peace that Jesus offers.
Tomorrow, May 10th is the first feast day of St. Damien of Molokai. As you will recall, just seven months ago we celebrated his elevation from Blessed Damien to Saint Damien. It was an immense jubilation for the people of Hawaii. We thank God for the gift that this holy man’s sacrifice brought to bear on the spread of the Catholic Faith in Hawaii. His ultimate sacrifice was tireless dedication and commitment to serving the needs of the lepers of Molokai.
This month we are focusing on peace as a theme of Catholic Social Teaching and the theme of our One ‘Ohana event on the 23rd of May. Sometimes we think of peace only as an end to war in the world. Peace, however, is important in our personal and spiritual lives. It is essential to establishing positive relationships in our families, our communities, our nation, and the world.
Peace begins in each one of our hearts and is reflected in the way we love God and serve our brothers and sisters. Matthew 25:35-46 provides insight in just how we can work for peace from the inside out. The Catechism of the Catholic Church offers us the Corporal Works of Mercy as an easy way of remembering the Gospel message Matthew proclaims to us. The Gospel says that to do any of these things to the least of your brothers and sisters is to do them to Jesus:
Feed the hungry; give drink to the thirsty; clothe the naked; shelter the homeless; visit the prisoner; visit the sick, and bury the dead.
This month, we will pay particular attention to those who have gone before us and who lie buried in our cemeteries. Although we bury our dead, they are not to be forgotten. We continue to live in the legacy they have left us. On Saturday, May 22nd at 8am, we will gather at the three cemeteries to clean and tidy them in a way befitting our dead. I ask as many of you who can to please join us. Bring your rakes, your gloves, hats, and any tools that you think might be useful. We will provide water and food for the workers.
Pocho will organize the work at St. Michael’s. Those of you who have relatives, friends, neighbors, etc. who are buried at St. Michael’s, please join Pocho. I will be at the Holualoa Catholic Cemetery, which is about a mile north of Immaculate Conception Church. Those of you who live up there and can help, please meet me there. Fr. John will be at St. Paul’s. Father will have some of the Hispanic people helping him. If anyone has a particular interest in helping at St. Paul’s because of relatives buried there, please feel free to join Fr. John there.
On Memorial Day, May 31st, I will celebrate the 7am Mass in the cemetery. All are invited to attend. Please think about placing flowers on the graves of your family members in preparation for Memorial Day. The cemetery will look beautiful with flowers.
Next Sunday we will have a 9am Baccalaureate Mass to celebrate and pray for those who are graduating from either high school or college this year. Many of them will go on to college to continue the search for knowledge and understanding of the world in which they will live and work. I congratulate the parents of these young men and women. They have sacrificed in so many ways to bring their children to this day of pride and joy. - Fr. Lio
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