This afternoon I received an early but very unwelcome gift: It appears as though I have a very large “ascending aortic aneurysm” which has grown from 4cm to 4.88cm in a little over a year. For those of us that don’t speak metric, that’s about 2″. According to the cardiac surgeon this is cause for concern and needs to be taken care of as soon as possible.
At ordination, the Bishop places the Book of the Gospels into a Deacon’s hands and says “Receive the Gospel of Christ, whose herald you now are: Believe what you read, teach what you believe, and practice what you teach.” A Deacon is called upon to proclaim the Gospel of Christ to everyone, but especially to the poor and marginalized.
Diaconal ministry consists of three integral functions: Word, altar, and service. First and foremost is his service to the poor, the rejected, and the marginalized. Equally important are serving at the table of the Lord and preaching the Word of God at liturgy. All three are essential elements in the ministerial duties of a deacon. As Monsignor Buelt writes in A New Friendship “If a deacon assists at the altar or preaches the Word but does not actively serve the poor, his ministry is lacking an essential element … Nor on the other hand is a deacon credible if he serves the poor but does not proclaim God’s Word, teach what the church teaches, and live by those teaching himself … without all three functions he would lack integrity, and therefore credibility, in diaconal life.”
Early church writers describe bishops as representing God the Father in the community, priests as representing the Apostles, and deacons as representatives of the ministry of Jesus Christ.
The apostles, ordained by Christ to the priesthood, were called to preach and spread the Word of God to all the nations of the world. This was and is a heavy burden, a full-time vocation. But much more was required and demanded of them.
A Lenten Reflection
How do we approach the Season of Lent?
Lent is a time of preparation, a time for reflection, a time for introspection. Ultimately we are preparing for the Easter celebration, especially the Easter Triduum, the high point of our faith, the passion, death, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
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