Brief Background:

St. Marianne Cope (1838–1918) was a Franciscan sister born in Germany and raised in the United States who, in 1883, volunteered to come to Hawaiʻi to care for people suffering from Hansen’s disease (leprosy), who had been isolated and abandoned by society. She served first in Honolulu and later at Kalaupapa on Molokaʻi, where she devoted her life to caring for the sick with dignity, compassion, and deep respect. At a time when many were afraid even to touch those afflicted, Mother Marianne lived among them, organized hospitals and schools, and insisted that her patients be treated not as outcasts but as beloved children of God. She is remembered for her courage, joy, and unwavering trust in God, and for her famous words, “I am not afraid of any disease.” She was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012 and is recognized as the patron saint of people suffering from Hansen’s disease, those who are outcast or rejected by society, the State of Hawaiʻi, and is often invoked by healthcare workers and caregivers.

REFLECTION:

Some years ago, when I was in seminary, Sr. Davilynn AhChick—a Franciscan sister who was one of my greatest supports and prayer warriors—gave me a biography of Mother Marianne Cope. While reading it, one line stayed with me and has never left my heart. Mother Marianne once said: “I am not afraid of any disease.”

Those words are striking, especially when we remember that she said them while caring for people with Hansen’s disease—at a time when fear and stigma surrounded that illness. But her words were not the confidence of someone who thought she was invincible. They were the confidence of someone who had placed her life completely in God’s hands.

In today’s reading from 1 Samuel, David has the perfect chance to eliminate Saul, who is hunting him down. Fear and self-preservation would have made that seem reasonable. But David refuses. He entrusts his life to God instead of taking control himself. He chooses trust over fear, mercy over violence.

That is the same spirit we see in St. Marianne. She did not deny suffering or danger. But she refused to let fear decide how she would live or whom she would love. She went where others would not go. She touched those others would not touch. She stayed when others left.

Her words, “I am not afraid of any disease,” are not only about physical illness. They are also about the many fears that can control us—fear of conflict, fear of failure, fear of losing control, fear of loving too much.

David’s mercy changes Saul’s heart. St. Marianne’s love changed countless lives. Neither used power. Both used trust in God.

And that leaves us with a simple but challenging question:
What would our lives look like if we were a little less afraid and a little more trusting in God?

St. Marianne and King David show us that when God is our security, fear no longer gets the final word.

May St. Marianne Cope pray for us, that we too may have the courage to trust, to serve, and to love without fear.