One day last week I mentioned to one of the boys who journeyed to the World Youth Day 2009 with me that I would be returning to Hawaii and would be staying here at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace.
"Isn't that where they treated you like a god," he asked. Leave it to a high schooler to exaggerate a point.
Exaggeration aside, it is the same place where I have always received a more than warm welcome. I have have always been welcomed not so much for who I am, but for what I am: a priest of Jesus Christ. And because they have received me as a priest, they have come to know me in a very short time. Many of them, anyway. They are delightful people.
The faith of the people here is very strong and vibrant, and very encouraging and edifying.
Immediately after Mass, the faithful swarm the priest (or at least they do me; other priests seem to scurry past them) before he reaches the sacristy asking for various items to be blessed, and for a blessing themselves. They share a bit about themselves and inquire into me, and share some of their profound experiences of the Lord. And nearly thirty minutes later the line has ended. It's a good thing I have no set schedule to meet.
Their love for Jesus Christ and his Church is most evident. This is one of the reasons why I love Hawaii. May their love always abound!
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