Diaconal Ordination (Transitional)
May 20, 2023
Cathedral of Mary Our Queen
In the Spirit of Jesus Christ
We are gathered in great numbers and in even greater joy for the diaconal ordination of six men who are being formed for the priesthood. Through these sacred rites, we will do what the Apostles did long ago: we will choose and set apart for service six worthy men who will manifest the love of Christ in our midst. This they will do through a three-fold ministry of proclaiming the word, service at the altar, and charity for those in need.
What we do today constitutes a step towards the priesthood, but it is more than that. It is foundational to the self-giving love that must characterize a priestly heart. So, the diaconate is not like a booster rocket propelling one towards the priesthood, a booster rocket that is jettisoned once the appropriate ‘altitude’ has been reached. No, indeed, dear brothers, so soon to be ordained! Diakonia, a spirit of self-giving love, must remain with you always. But how do you define it? Where do you find its source and exemplar? Let us look no further than the short Gospel reading you chose for today’s liturgy.
The Context
This Gospel is more than a moral exhortation to be of service. Instead, it shows us Jesus transforming the hearts and minds of the Apostles. For moments before Jesus spoke these words about diakonia or service, the mother of James and John had approached him, asking that her sons occupy positions of prominence in his kingdom. This, of course, did not sit well with the other Apostles, who may have wanted such positions for themselves – but whose mothers were not bold enough to ask Jesus for such a favor! … So… here we find in the Apostles an early manifestation of that virus we call “clericalism”.
And it was for this reason that Jesus “summoned” his Apostles. He gathered them to himself, not because they were physically far away, but because their way of thinking was far removed from his Truth and Love. Now, he summons you, dear brothers, gathering you to himself, and as the Good Shepherd invites you with gentle but persistent persuasion, to undergo a continual conversion, a transformation of body, mind, and spirit.
From What to What?
Conversion, transformation, of course, always involves the rejection of something bad, and in this case, the Lord is urging his Apostles to abandon the evil of worldly thinking. When Jesus speaks of rulers who lord their authority over others, the Apostles know well what he is talking about – for they lived under the oppressive thumb of the Roman empire. In that empire, the powerful crushed the weak, just as we see in today’s world. In every age, the powerful ensure that the destructive force of their authority is felt. Jesus told his Apostles, and now he tells you, that his followers cannot be like that. We must reject worldly ways of thinking and acting. We must be purified from attitudes that can infect our ministry, including all forms of elitism, narcissism, and authoritarianism.
A New Kind of Society
And while Jesus touched the heart of each Apostle and aims to touch your hearts, he is also doing something more than that in this Gospel reading. He is founding his Church to be a new kind of a society, different from the world, where the great ones in our midst are those who serve and the those who rank first are those who make themselves the slaves of others. Indeed, dear brothers, you are being ordained today, not merely for your own spiritual betterment but for the sake of the Church which Christ founded to be the sacrament, the living sign of the God who is love.
Let us be clear. The drive to succeed is strong. Greatness beckons. Being first counts. These are strong human drives with which we do not easily part. Jesus does not reject these drives but he does seek to transform them, …to transform them into a passion, not just to serve God and others, but to belong to God body and soul, and to belong to him by serving others – a belonging and a service expressed in your promises of celibacy and obedience. Actually, though, serving God might just be the easy part. In moments of quiet prayer, we might earnestly ask to become “the slaves of Jesus Christ”, like Paul or Peter or James! But as for being “the slaves” of those around us – this is much harder. It is hard to serve those who cannot or will not return our love “measure for measure”. Yet we cannot belong entirely to God, unless we become servants one to another. This brings us to the very heart of self-giving love.
Diakonia: Self-Giving Love
Self-giving love, as you know, dear brothers, is not a mere moral imperative. Self-giving love has as its source and exemplar a Person, the Incarnate Son of God. Scripture calls Jesus “the splendor of the Father” but in what does his luster consist? It consists not in cosmic pyrotechnics but in the humble self-deferring love that eternally circulates through the heart of the Trinity – the very love Jesus revealed by becoming one of us, by taking the condition of a slave, by kneeling before his Apostles to wash their feet, by assuming the burden of our sins. But it was when Jesus was most powerless that his glory was revealed. It was when worldly power had done its worst, that he triumphed. His was a triumph of humility over pride, of truth over lies, of love over hatred, of life over death – a victory forever encapsulated in the Church’s eucharistic heart.
Diaconal ordination puts you into living contact with the Christ who “did not come to be served but to serve,” with the Christ who came “to give his life as a ransom for many.” You will model your life on Christ, but only if you cling to him in prayer that flows from a heart that is free, receptive, obedient, and loving… only if you continually nurture the gift you are receiving today, only if you exercise diakonia by putting your whole self at the service of God and others.
My prayer for you is that you will actively, lovingly, and passionately cling to the Christ who is Lord of all because he is the servant of all, and that your greatness will be in that self-giving love that flows from his heart into yours. May God bless you and keep you always in his love.