Transitional Diaconal Ordination
May 21, 2022
Cathedral of Mary Our Queen
Nine Men of Good Repute
This morning I have the joy and privilege of ordaining nine men as deacons, nine men in priestly formation who, God willing, will be ordained priests next year. I hope that everyone shares my joy this morning – it’s been a long time since we have ordained numbers like this, and while it’s not all about numbers, we must give thanks to the Lord that so many have said “yes” to the Lord and “yes” to a priestly vocation. Increasing numbers of priestly vocations in the Archdiocese of Baltimore promise to open new doors of evangelization and service to the people of this Premier See. So even as we give thanks for the diaconal ordination of these nine men, and look forward to the ordination of five new priests next month, I ask everyone here and everyone participating in this ordination electronically, please to pray for vocations and to encourage likely candidates for the priesthood to open their hearts to the possibility of a priestly vocation – great is the need!
The men I am ordaining today hail from various places – Kenya, Cameroon, Nigeria, and the Archdiocese of Baltimore – and all of them have truly made this local church, this Premier See, their home. Moments ago, as their names were called, they answered, “present!” Present, not only in the sense of being physically present in this Cathedral today, but present to the Lord and to this local church, present to you and to me, and to all who look forward to their ministry and their continued journey to the altar. Just as the Apostles called seven men of good repute to be the original deacons, so now, nine men of good repute have been called to assist in the ministry of this local church. This year, we outpaced the Apostles by two! I ask you to pray intensely for these men being ordained today as now I address a few words of exhortation and encouragement to them.
“Unassuming Authority”
And so, dear brothers: Daniel, John, Javier, Paul, Luke, Felix, Nicholas, and Sampson: Long ago, you heard the voice of the Lord calling you to the priesthood. It came at various times and through various channels but principally, I daresay, through the revealed Word of God in Scripture. Searching the Scriptures, you heard the gentle voice of the Shepherd speaking to you, as once he spoke to the Apostles, “Come, follow me!” You have answered the call and now the Church joyfully confirms its authenticity.
Since you have listened so intently to the Word of God, I paid special attention to the Scripture readings you chose for this Mass. On the one hand, the reading from the Prophet Jeremiah urges you not to be timid but rather bold and courageous in proclaiming God’s Word. On the other hand, Jesus himself, the Divine Word urges you to exercise the authority that comes with your office with great humility, with nothing other than a desire to serve, as he, the Lord, has served. God’s Word is calling us, therefore, to reflect on the three-fold ministry of the deacon through the lens of a humility that is bold and a boldness that is humble. Let’s see how this works out!
Ministers of the Word
In the living Word of God, we encounter in the power of the Holy Spirit not words, but the Word – the Eternal Word of the Father, the Word made flesh. The Word you proclaim and preach is the same Word who speaks to your heart when, each day, you read and study the revealed Word of God prayerfully – the word of Scripture and living voice of Tradition expressed in Church teaching. To proclaim and preach with boldness, read the Word with humility. Since no disciple is greater than the Master, know that neither you nor anyone else will surpass truth and love of this Word. Only a contrite, humble heart is adequate to receive the Word, only such a heart allows the Word to infiltrate every hidden recess, only such a heart allows the Word to form us into courageous witnesses.
When the Word of God takes hold of our being and possesses us, then it is that we proclaim and preach believably, convincingly, effectively, for it is no longer we who speak but Christ speaking in and through us – the Christ who became one of us, the Christ who knows and love us. Keeping our gaze fixed on Christ does not avert it from the people we serve, nor does it render us oblivious to their triumphs and struggles, quite the contrary! As you pray before you proclaim remember, it is Christ, who reveals us to ourselves!
Ministers of Sacrament
Just as you have graciously made yourselves present to the Lord and the Church, even more wondrously has the Lord made himself present to us all, not only in his Word but in mystery, under sign and veil of sacrament. To become a deacon is to become a minister of both Word and Sacrament: you will assist the priest in the celebration of Mass, distribute Holy Communion, bring Holy Communion to the sick, baptize, and preside at weddings. The call of Christ as confirmed by the Church prompted you to step forward boldly, to place yourselves in intimate proximity to the Holy of Holies. Your ongoing formation and your life of prayer enjoins you to step forward humbly, conscious that the earthen vessel of your humanity is becoming the instrument through which Christ continues to redeem the people he has made his own.
Just as you will never surpass the wisdom and love of the Word you proclaim, so too you will never surpass the holiness of the sacraments you share. We are not above them. They are not our possession. We are but the stewards. As a minister of the altar, never call attention to yourself but always point to the Christ who is the cause of unending joy for ourselves and those we serve.
Ministers of Charity
Just as you are present to the Lord and to the Church, and Christ is present to us in Word and Sacrament, so too, as Jesus said, ‘the poor we will always have with us’ (Mt 26:11; Mk 14:7; Jn. 12:8). Listening to Christ and preaching his Word, finding him in the Sacraments and ministering him to others, leads you to the poor. To minister to the poor you must be at once bold and humble: bold to enter their world, whether on the street or in a prison, or in desolation; humble to enter their world, not in a spirit of noblesse oblige, but as their servants. For, having listened to Christ and having seen him under the veil of sign, we will also find Christ in his distressing disguises, in the poor and suffering.
The Church, including the Archdiocese of Baltimore provides untold charitable care. Even so, that does not suffice. We need to be involved in some hands-on charity. Ministers of word and sacrament must also be ministers of the poor, not in some remote way but rather in such a way that we encounter the poor. By encountering the poor, we encounter the Lord, and learn from them how to bear witness to Christ in a way that touches the heart and thus opens the mind.
Christ – Poor, Chaste, and Obedient
Finally, dear brothers, I pray not only that you will be effective in your diaconal ministry, but above all, that those whom you encounter, in whatever circumstances, will see in you and in your manner of life the Christ who was poor, chaste and obedient. To that end, may you be “effective in action, gentle in ministry, and constant in prayer.” Mary, Mother of the Church, pray for us!