About a dozen years ago, while in formation for the
Permanent Diaconate in the Diocese of Trenton, an essay was shared with us from
Cardinal Edward Clancy of Sydney, Australia, in which he spoke of the
differences between deacons and priests centered on the liturgical ministry at
the altar. The Cardinal pointed out that
priests extended their ministry out to the community from their central
position at the altar presiding at the Eucharist, while deacons joined the
celebration of the Eucharist from the community as we gathered around the
altar.
I always found that distinction to be insightful to
the ministry as a deacon, often sharing that I felt at times that I did more
ministerial work in the coffee line at Wawa than in the church building. While something of an exaggeration, there is
some truth to this idea, too. Much of the ministerial work of deacons takes
place outside of liturgies, while preparing couples for marriage, and
ministering to those in hospitals and hospice care. Over the past few years, the invitation from
friends, family, and even just casual acquaintances to join them as they prayed
for chronically or critically ill loved ones has marked special, sacred time in
my ministry. I have been welcomed into the intimate circle of family members
during times of crisis, when fears and emotions are strained, where God is
challenged and questioned, and ultimately where the comfort of Jesus may be
felt. I know that in a number of these moments of ministry, I was there because
of my acquaintance through that community position more than from the altar.
We are Eucharistic people. The Eucharist is the
source and summit of our faith lives, but if left in churches as a liturgical
experience, we have failed. We are the People of God in community; Father Ron
Rolheiser commented that, “The Eucharist is not a private devotional prayer,
but is rather a communal act of worship that, among other things, calls us to
go forth and live out in the world what we celebrate inside of a church.” When
I consider the specific role of the deacon during the Eucharistic liturgy, I
see that interaction with the community: the invitation to pray together in the
Prayer of the Faithful; the invitation to share a sign of peace; and the charge
to go forth and live the Gospel in our lives out in the secular world. As a
permanent deacon these past nine years, I have been called to invite others to
communal prayer and to carry the witness of the Gospel to classrooms and board
rooms, to athletic fields and to kitchen tables. When I participate in the Eucharistic
celebration, I am called to be a full and active member of the Body of Christ
in every step of my weekly journey, with friends, family, business colleagues
and strangers.
This past weekend, I was able to gather with many at
the Cathedral in Trenton as seven of my fellow seminarians received the
sacrament of Holy Orders, ordained transitional deacons; with the grace of God,
they will be ordained priests a year from now. They will learn many things in
the next year, presiding at sacraments and sharing the Gospel in their words,
actions and the witness of their lives. I pray that they will carry the hopes,
dreams and fears of the parish communities they serve each time they stand at
the altar with the priests presiding at the Eucharistic liturgy. And, I give
thanks that I have been able to embrace and to be embraced by my parish
community these past nine years as a permanent deacon.
It is my hope and prayer that as my journey
continues forward, I will always feel called to be from the community I serve,
and to be amazed at the remarkable lives I am invited to share in as God’s
minister. It is a blessing to serve God,
and a grace to serve my fellow pilgrims in the Body of Christ. Please keep me,
along with our newest transitional deacons – John, Carlo, Rafael, Jean,
Augusto, Jerome and Mark in your prayers as we each move forward guided by the
Spirit.
