In today’s Gospel parable, the dishonest manager has been
commended for his astuteness. So what is
this astuteness that he is admired for?
It’s that he takes the time to assess his situation and the people he is
dealing with, and then doing what is necessary to turn it to his greatest
advantage for himself. On my first reading of this
parable, I could imagine Jesus saying that in our own personal dealings, particularly
with financial matters, many if not most of us can also be very astute. Don’t
we expend considerable energy in looking at our own financial resources and expenses and the people we are dealing with, and then developing a plan that leads
to the most beneficial use of our funds? And there is certainly nothing wrong
in being astute about such things. But in commending the dishonest manager for
his astuteness, I don’t think Jesus is referring to matters such as this.
As Catholic Christians and followers of Christ, is Jesus
not more interested in us using this gift of astuteness in order to become the
best version of ourselves when it comes to faith; to live with purpose in the
way God calls us, and to be a joyfully engaged in making God more visible in
our own life and in the lives of others. Is this not the path of true
happiness now, and in the eternal life with Him that follows?
This weekend in our Archdiocese of Halifax, the
Archbishop has asked the Deacons to speak in all the churches about the
permanent diaconate. As a lead up to this, I noticed that Deacon Grant has
placed mini articles about the deacon in the St. Francis and St. Clare parish
bulletin over the past several weeks. I hope you may have had an opportunity to
read these summaries. If not, they are there for your review.
Deacons and Diaconate ministry in our day has a
relatively short history. Although diaconate
ministry in the early church is mentioned in the book of Acts, it had all but
disappeared by the middle ages except as a transitional stage towards being a
priest. But the permanent diaconate was restored again after Vatican 11. Archbishop
Hayes was instrumental in restoring it in our Archdiocese of Halifax in the
early seventies. As a result, it has a relatively short history, and over the
last 50 years or so, has been redefining itself. In this process of redefining, I believe this
ministry has been misunderstood in some circles; and perhaps at times, even by
the Deacons themselves.
From my conversations with people over the last 40 years,
it seems that some think the deacon is one who has been elevated to a level in
the church hierarchy that falls between a lay person and the priest.
As a result, we were often described as a
mini-priest. And, of course, this is far
from the true reality of being a deacon. So what is a Deacon? By virtue of our baptism and our common
desire to respond to Christ’s love, as Catholics, we are all called to serve in
some capacity in our Church, the Body of Christ. This is done in any number of
ways, mainly based on the gifts that God has given us for this mission. One of these ways is through the ministry of Deacon,
or service principally in the area of charity and social justice. Therefore, it is not an elevation but more a movement
towards a way of life or ministry that arose from the needs in the early
church. In Acts of the Apostles, Luke
writes that the ministry came about as a result of problems that arose in the
distribution of food. Some of the widows and orphans had been neglected in
their needs, and the apostles, because of their own ministry, did not have time
to deal with it: So several men, which
they called deacons, were chosen to explore this area of neglect and provide the
service in this area of need. So the Deacon, in effect, became the hands and
feet of the Bishop to handle details of ministry that he was unable to do
himself. Unfortunately, because of the
church’s current shortages in the areas of priestly ministry, the Deacon was
often used to supplement these shortages.
So it has become the custom of many Deacons to minister in pastoral and
parish roles that were previously attended to by the Priest.
However, it is normal for the Deacon to be involved in areas of ministry such sacramental preparation and catechesis, to be presiders at weddings, baptisms, funerals, and liturgies of the Word with communion. And deacons do have an official role to play at mass in proclaiming the Gospel, offering the intercessory prayers, and distribution from the cup.
Brian Dunn, our current Archbishop has recently emphasized
that he would like to see the Permanent Deacons refocus their primary ministry to
areas of Charity and Justice which we have always done, but perhaps not to the
extent that he is now suggesting. So there
is still further redefining going on.
On more of a personal note, my first interest in the
Diaconate formation program came about in 1978 when I was 32 years old. At the
time, Mary Anne and I had been married for 10 years, she was looking after our three
children under 10 years of age, and I was working full time. She, being a cradle
catholic and me being the convert, most faith matters regarding the children
fell into her hands
The most common question that I’ve been asked is why the
diaconate formation program at such a pivotal and busy time of life for both of us. I guess the only quick explanation that I can
give is that I had become enthralled with this person of Jesus Christ. A few years previous to this, I had a
personal encounter with Christ that had a profound effect on my life; an encounter that
radically changed the whole direction that my life was going.
You might say that as a result of this encounter and the
relationship with Jesus that was formed through prayer, I became more engaged
in my faith and began to explore a deeper prayer life and new possibilities for
ministry in the church. We were involved
in quite a few activities in our parish at St. Thomas More during this time,
and through discussions with others, the permanent diaconate formation came up
as a possible avenue for further growth towards ministry.
After some serious prayer and ongoing discussions with
Mary Anne, we together decided to proceed in this direction and see where it
might take us. I didn’t enter formation with the thought “I want to be a
Deacon.” I entered the program to discern if this was an avenue for us as a
family. Is this where God was calling
us?
The formation years that followed became a life-line for
all of us. With the other candidates and their families, we became part of a
like-minded community where we shared many life-giving experiences. This eventually led to my acceptance for
ordination in 1982. Like I said
previously, Diaconate ministry for us was not so much focused on duties and roles to be
assumed, but on a way of life to be adopted. Our sons were involved in church before and after this time, two being
altar servers and the oldest playing in a youth band at mass. I had them in my catechism classes for
confirmation preparation, and worked on the youth groups they attended. As a deacon, I
participated in their weddings, and where possible, the baptism of their children.
Mary Anne and I worked on marriage and baptism
preparation programs, and she joined me in my first assignment as Chaplin of
the Frederick Fraser School for the Visually Impaired where we celebrated
liturgies with the children and involved ourselves in sacramental preparation for some who were living away from home. We shared formation weekends together along with the
annual deacons and wives retreats. Also we
shared the responsibilities of most of our committee work, one being the
Spiritual Life Committee which arranged retreats and study days for the Deacons
and their families.
So why am I telling you all this. On October 1 at St. Ignatius Church in
Bedford, there will be a “come and see” session for those of you who may be
curious about diaconate formation and the ministry of Deacon. If you are
somewhere between 30 and 60 years old, and are currently seeking a deeper
prayer life and a direction for church ministry, this session may be for you. At
least it will respond to any questions you may have. If you are married, speak to your wife about
it, or if you know someone who may be interested in exploring this as an avenue
for ministry, please let them know and invite them to this session. For those interested,
or who know someone who may be interested, I have a single page information
sheet at the back of the church which you are welcome to take with you. The
Diaconate formation process has recently changed to a five year cycle; so this
invitation will not be extended again until after this upcoming five years program
is complete. So if you or someone you know may be interested, it is important that you consider this opportunity. Our prayers are with you. and may God bless you all in your discernment.
