I traveled to Mount Angel, Oregon (for my work with the seminary), Darien, Illinois (just outside Chicago- for Catholic Relief Services), Tampa, Florida (for the National Association of Deacon Directors), and Albuquerque, New Mexico (my second home- to lead the deacons of the Arcdiocese of Santa Fe on retreat).
In between Mount Angel and Darien, I slipped in a trip to see my eldest son, who lives just outside Fort Collins, Colorado, and his wife. Married in June, I hadn't seen them since their wedding.
Finally, this past weekend, along with my wonderful associate director of the Office of the Diaconate, I hosted the deacons of my diocese, along with their wives, on our annual retreat. Since this year we are celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the ordination of the first men ordained to serve the Diocese of Salt Lake City permanently as deacons, we did not have an outside presenter. We only had "inside" presenters.
I gave the first Conference on Friday evening and our bishop gave the final Conference yesterday, immediately following Mass. I admit I was a little nervous. But it could not have gone better.
I also led Morning Prayer on Saturday morning. So, I gave a short reflection on the reading from the office. This is what follows below.
__________________________________________Reading: Romans 12:14-16a
The essence of today's reading for Morning Prayer strikes me as rather diaconal. This includes the first sentence, which urges us to bless those who treat us poorly, even those who persecute us. As most of us have experienced, being a deacon means occupying a pretty strange space.
As deacons, we inhabit the space between the Church and the world. In the Church, we straddle the gap between the clergy and the laity.
In his recent book on the diaconate, Empowered by the Spirit, historian, theologian, and our brother deacon, Hilmar Pabel, points out something very important. Deacons, he insists, seek to serve the marginalized. We must do so by at least pointing out their situation, even if it just means noting their absence from our assembly.
But, he goes on to point out, that this is often made possible and perhaps given some urgency by the fact that, as deacons, we ourselves are often marginalized. He calls us "marginalized ministers."1 This gives us something to ponder, an important connection to explore and even to make in our own lives and ministries.
While Billy Joel sang, "I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints," as deacons, we are called to laugh and cry, to celebrate and mourn with saints and sinners alike, even if, as Billy insisted, "the sinners are much more fun."2 In imitation of Christ, who called himself "the deacon," we do this without making distinctions like "saints" and "sinners," deserving and undeserving, etc.3 We are to serve everyone. As Pope Francis often said: ¡Todos, todos, todos!
In harmony with our reading this morning, as deacons, we are called in a profound way to closely associate with those on the margins, the lowly, the lost, so we can serve them in the name of Christ and for the sake of God's kingdom. Who knows, even participate in the Kingdom through and with them?! We are the ones, unlike those the Lord rebuked in last Sunday's Gospel, who recognize that the sinners, the tax collectors and prostitutes, "are entering God's kingdom" ahead of those who think themselves righteous.4 A deacon needs to understand the difference between true righteousness and self-righteousness!
Ordained to serve permanently as deacons, our ministry is to show that service must both precede and proceed from sacrifice. Deacons need to grasp that worship that doesn't lead to service is not Christian worship. By putting away ambition, especially ecclesial ambition, identifying with the lowly, and taking our lumps in a spirit of Christian charity (i.e., practicing the spiritual work of mercy that bids us to bear wrongs patiently), deacons live in persona Christi servi.
One of the great theologians of the Second Vatican Council, Herbert Vorgrimler, noted that the deacon "makes it clear that the liturgy must have consequences in the world with all its needs." He went on to insist it is the deacon who also shows "that work in the world that is done in the spirit of charity has a spiritual dimension."5
1 Hilmar M. Pabel. Empowered by the Spirit: Deacons and Ministerial Communion in a Synodal Church. Liturgical: Collegeville, 2026, Introduction.↩
2 Billy Joel. "Only the Good Die Young" off The Stranger album from 1977.↩
3 Luke 22:27.↩
4 See Matthew 21:28-32.↩
5 Herbert Vorgrimler. Sacramental Theology. Trans. Linda Maloney. Liturgical Press: Collegeville, 1992, page 270.↩
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