12/5/1977,
I am always struck by the strong sense of duty emphasized in the Fijian culture. I remember giving the last rites to an old Fijian man in a village in Ba. He received the sacraments lying on the bed. But when the rites were finished he sat up straight and said to me, “Father, I have done my duty to my vanua (clan), to the government and to the Church.” That was how he summed up his life.
Today I was called to Saivou village to hear the confession of an old Fijian man who was sick. After making his confession he called his eldest son. “My son,” he said, “I owe Samu here in the village a pig; I owe Suliana ten dollars and I owe Marika in Lomaloma village a tabua (whale’s tooth). I am sick and dying and I can’t repay these debts myself. I want you to repay them for me.” I admired the way the young man immediately agreed to take on his father’s debts and to repay them himself.
That scene has often reminded me of Jesus’ last request to his disciples (then and now) on the mountain in Galilee just before he ascended to heaven. He said, “All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. Go therefore to all nations teaching them all that I have commanded you to do and baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.”
by Fr. Frank Hoare
