Archbishop Gregory Aymond delivered the homily today at the ordination of eight men to the transitional diaconate at St. Louis Cathedral:
They would like to have you believe that they are relaxed, but they're not!
My sisters and brothers, we all have a story, and that story is very personal. And it began in the womb. For these eight men, that story has continued for many decades; for some, more decades than others. And that story includes very different people and situations, experiences, different kinds of joys and pains, laughter and tears, and challenges.
Each story is unique.
Today we recall their personal story, which we call sacred, and that sacred story has led them to this day – ordination to the diaconate. God has called them to ordained ministry. They have said yes to that call, and through formation and, particularly, through this ordination right we gather as church to recognize that call of God in their heart and to witness their ordination to the diaconate.
As we know, their individual stories include many others, and it is a privilege for me today to say thank you to many in their name. First, to their parents living and deceased. Thank you for giving them life. Thank you for giving them the gift of faith. Thank you for loving them and accompanying them and for the sacrifices that you have made throughout their lives. In their name, we also express gratitude to members of their family, their sisters and brothers, their extended family, children and spouses, friends and coworkers. Each in his or her own way has been a part of that story, a part of the journey. We are glad that you're here today and for allowing God to use you.
We also thank those who helped to awaken God's call in these men and encourage them to enter the seminary. No one does that on their own, and also those whom God has used in seminary formation. Those at St. Joseph Seminary College and Notre Dame Seminary, the rectors, professors spiritual directors and faculty. In the name of these men and in God's name, I thank you very much and I thank all of those who are present, because your presence today certainly is an expression of your love and respect for these men and your desire to journey with them in their diaconate ministry.
My brothers, as you come before us today, you know that God's call to ordained ministry was sometimes clear, but very often it was confusing and scary, and you may have had more questions than answers. And that is sacred, too. That is all part of the story that has led to this very blessed and sacred day, and we thank you for saying yes. We thank the church for recognizing God's call in you.
My sisters and brothers, what we are doing here today has taken place for almost 2,000 years. And we heard about it in the Acts of the Apostles just read to us a few moments ago. The a the apostles were sent by the risen Christ to shepherd his people to care for them to love them apostles quickly became overwhelmed – yes, overwhelmed – by the incredible needs of God's people. And as they committed themselves to the ministry of prayer and preaching, they felt deep in their hearts that they were neglecting the everyday needs of God's people. They saw their human needs, and they wanted to be able to answer them.
They needed to show them greater charity and love from the church. They recognized in a very humble way that they needed help – others to serve at table, as we hear in the Acts of the Apostles. Serving at tables, as we know, does not mean that they were sent to be waiters but rather, in a spirit of humility, to serve others wherever they are, even at table.
And so, the apostles chose seven men after prayer and they made sure that they had men who were of faith and respected by the community. And then, almost 2,000 years ago, after calling them forth, they called forth seven. They prayed over them and laid hands upon them, calling down the gift of the Holy Spirit and sending them forth as men of charity, as coworkers in the vineyard. And they were to be the deacons of the church.
The word deacon comes from the Greek, and it means serving God by caring for others, serving God by caring for others. Today, we do the same. We acknowledge that God has called these men, not exactly the same as in the Acts of the Apostles – seven – we found eight – and the church has recognized this call. The call of God has been a part of their story.
Interestingly, almost 2,000 years later, we look for the same exact qualities in men whom we will ordain to the diaconate. We want men who are of faith. We want men who know the Lord Jesus. We want men who are respected by the community and we desire for men who are humble enough to serve at the table or wherever else they're called, and like 2,000 years ago, I will have the privilege in this rite of ordination to pray over them, to lay hands on them, to call down the gift of the Holy Spirit and to ordain them as deacons of the church. My privilege. And together, we pray.
The ministry of deacon in the church has three major ministries. First, they will be the human face of Christ as the
minister of charity. It is our hope, my brothers, when others see you they will see a Jesus whose heart is filled with charity. You will be sent by Christ to be his arms and his heart and his hands for many, but especially for those who are in need. Yes, all of us as baptized Christians are called to a life of charity. But the deacon in the church is the one who leads us in charity, who leads us in caring for others. In many ways they do this in a radical way and you will be asked to do that, my brothers. In many ways will help us find those who are in need. And you will lead us to them and in so doing you will be the conscience of the church in finding those who need the love of Christ.
My brothers, you picked the readings of today, and so well you did. In that letter from St. Peter, he says, “Let your love for one another be intense”; and from the Gospel of John, “Love one another as I have loved to you.”
And that is what you promised to do today – that your love for others as a deacon will be intense and that you will love others as the Lord Jesus has loved you. And so we ask you, please show us the way as the church to reach out to the poor and the needy and the hopeless. Help us to find those children with special needs. Help us to find those who live on our streets. Help us to recognize those in society who have been pushed aside and people say they don't belong. Help us to find the victims of human trafficking. Help us to be led to those who are hurt by racism or short words that cut their hearts, and, my brothers, help us to be a more welcoming community, to be a man of charity. The face of charity in the Lord Jesus is your first priority.
Secondly, as a deacon you will be the voice of Christ and you will be his voice by teaching and by preaching. You are given the privilege to proclaim the Gospel at the liturgy. You are given the privilege to preach to God's people to break open the word of the Scriptures so that people will be fed by that word and that Scripture can give direction to their lives. What a privilege. And from the time that the word of God leaves your lips when you proclaim the Gospel and when you preach and it arrives in the heart and the ears of another, God intervenes, and he brings his message. You know as well as I do that people today are very hungry, and they deserve the very best fresh food. We as ordained ministers want to make sure that we never give them stale food. In order to feed the people of God in your preaching, you must pray and you must prepare. Please never preach without prayer and without preparation. When we do so, we sort of test God by saying, “Oh, I'll just wing it. So, God you have to do all the work.” Enter into prayer and preparation so that you can feed people from your heart and your hands. We pray with you today as a community that God will use you to speak his word and for each and every one of us who are in ordained ministry and preach, we have to make sure that we don't get in the way of God's word. And it's truly his word.
Thirdly, as a deacon these men will be given the responsibility and the privilege to lead others in prayer. They will assist the priest at Mass. They will feed others with the Eucharist, they will witness marriages. They will baptize, bring Communion to the sick and the dying. They will bury the dead and comfort those who are in grief. Yes, my brothers, I can read your mind, and you're thinking to yourself once again, so much is asked of me. And you're right. But today the Holy Spirit gives you much. Much is given to you by God today so that you may lead and serve his people with energy and enthusiasm, even when you're tired; even when you're tired. You can fulfill this ministry of Jesus entrusted to you today if you live the three promises that you will make in just a few moments. You will promise to be a man of prayer, to know Jesus and to know him well and to spend a lot of time with him and to come to know Jesus as your friend, and also the person of charity and the servant the servant of others. You can only get to know him if you spend time with him, and quality time. Then you will be fed.
Secondly, you will be able to fulfill this important ministry of diaconate if you live out obedience, which you promised today. And truly speaking, I will ask if you promise obedience to me and to my successors. But that's really not what you're promising, not to me, but to the church. What you're saying is that you will do whatever the church asks of you, even if it's not your preference. Even if you may feel inadequate. You will do and you promise that you will do what the church needs and what others recognize in you as gifts.
Thirdly, today you will promise a life of celibacy. My sisters and brothers, we value marriage. It is a sacrament of the church and a very important part of our church, family life and marriage. But you, my brothers, are willing to remain single to give your entire life to the ministry of Christ, and you have no other responsibilities – no others except to live out the ministry of Jesus Christ as the servant. You're not a bachelor. You're committed – and deeply, deeply committed – to Christ and to his church. And you promise that today.
After they are ordained and vested, I will have the privilege to give them the book of the Gospels which contain, of course, the word of Christ. As I give them that book and present it to them, I will send them forth to pray the words of Jesus. Secondly, to speak his message to others as contained in the Gospel. And thirdly, to live his message yourself and to ask forgiveness when you do not, because in ministry, we are not perfect. We are sinners, and you will fail. You will fall, and know that you need to ask forgiveness, because sometimes we in ministry do not live and fulfill the message of Christ.
After today, you will receive a new title. You'll receive vestments. You will have a place in the sanctuary. Don't be impressed. It's not for status, and you are never ever to become elite or separated from God's people. That title and vestments, that place in a sanctuary, is simply a sign of being the servant – you are sent to serve and not to be served.
For all of us here, we have been a part of the story of these men. Today we thank God for calling them to ordained ministry. We thank God that we are here today to be able to witness their ordination to the diaconate.
But, my brothers, we also thank you because you said yes, and in saying yes, you have given your entire life, however many years in the future, your entire life to Christ as a servant, as one who has come to serve and not to be served.
They would like to have you believe that they are relaxed, but they're not!
My sisters and brothers, we all have a story, and that story is very personal. And it began in the womb. For these eight men, that story has continued for many decades; for some, more decades than others. And that story includes very different people and situations, experiences, different kinds of joys and pains, laughter and tears, and challenges.
Each story is unique.
Today we recall their personal story, which we call sacred, and that sacred story has led them to this day – ordination to the diaconate. God has called them to ordained ministry. They have said yes to that call, and through formation and, particularly, through this ordination right we gather as church to recognize that call of God in their heart and to witness their ordination to the diaconate.
As we know, their individual stories include many others, and it is a privilege for me today to say thank you to many in their name. First, to their parents living and deceased. Thank you for giving them life. Thank you for giving them the gift of faith. Thank you for loving them and accompanying them and for the sacrifices that you have made throughout their lives. In their name, we also express gratitude to members of their family, their sisters and brothers, their extended family, children and spouses, friends and coworkers. Each in his or her own way has been a part of that story, a part of the journey. We are glad that you're here today and for allowing God to use you.
We also thank those who helped to awaken God's call in these men and encourage them to enter the seminary. No one does that on their own, and also those whom God has used in seminary formation. Those at St. Joseph Seminary College and Notre Dame Seminary, the rectors, professors spiritual directors and faculty. In the name of these men and in God's name, I thank you very much and I thank all of those who are present, because your presence today certainly is an expression of your love and respect for these men and your desire to journey with them in their diaconate ministry.
My brothers, as you come before us today, you know that God's call to ordained ministry was sometimes clear, but very often it was confusing and scary, and you may have had more questions than answers. And that is sacred, too. That is all part of the story that has led to this very blessed and sacred day, and we thank you for saying yes. We thank the church for recognizing God's call in you.
My sisters and brothers, what we are doing here today has taken place for almost 2,000 years. And we heard about it in the Acts of the Apostles just read to us a few moments ago. The a the apostles were sent by the risen Christ to shepherd his people to care for them to love them apostles quickly became overwhelmed – yes, overwhelmed – by the incredible needs of God's people. And as they committed themselves to the ministry of prayer and preaching, they felt deep in their hearts that they were neglecting the everyday needs of God's people. They saw their human needs, and they wanted to be able to answer them.
They needed to show them greater charity and love from the church. They recognized in a very humble way that they needed help – others to serve at table, as we hear in the Acts of the Apostles. Serving at tables, as we know, does not mean that they were sent to be waiters but rather, in a spirit of humility, to serve others wherever they are, even at table.
And so, the apostles chose seven men after prayer and they made sure that they had men who were of faith and respected by the community. And then, almost 2,000 years ago, after calling them forth, they called forth seven. They prayed over them and laid hands upon them, calling down the gift of the Holy Spirit and sending them forth as men of charity, as coworkers in the vineyard. And they were to be the deacons of the church.
The word deacon comes from the Greek, and it means serving God by caring for others, serving God by caring for others. Today, we do the same. We acknowledge that God has called these men, not exactly the same as in the Acts of the Apostles – seven – we found eight – and the church has recognized this call. The call of God has been a part of their story.
Interestingly, almost 2,000 years later, we look for the same exact qualities in men whom we will ordain to the diaconate. We want men who are of faith. We want men who know the Lord Jesus. We want men who are respected by the community and we desire for men who are humble enough to serve at the table or wherever else they're called, and like 2,000 years ago, I will have the privilege in this rite of ordination to pray over them, to lay hands on them, to call down the gift of the Holy Spirit and to ordain them as deacons of the church. My privilege. And together, we pray.
The ministry of deacon in the church has three major ministries. First, they will be the human face of Christ as the
minister of charity. It is our hope, my brothers, when others see you they will see a Jesus whose heart is filled with charity. You will be sent by Christ to be his arms and his heart and his hands for many, but especially for those who are in need. Yes, all of us as baptized Christians are called to a life of charity. But the deacon in the church is the one who leads us in charity, who leads us in caring for others. In many ways they do this in a radical way and you will be asked to do that, my brothers. In many ways will help us find those who are in need. And you will lead us to them and in so doing you will be the conscience of the church in finding those who need the love of Christ.
My brothers, you picked the readings of today, and so well you did. In that letter from St. Peter, he says, “Let your love for one another be intense”; and from the Gospel of John, “Love one another as I have loved to you.”
And that is what you promised to do today – that your love for others as a deacon will be intense and that you will love others as the Lord Jesus has loved you. And so we ask you, please show us the way as the church to reach out to the poor and the needy and the hopeless. Help us to find those children with special needs. Help us to find those who live on our streets. Help us to recognize those in society who have been pushed aside and people say they don't belong. Help us to find the victims of human trafficking. Help us to be led to those who are hurt by racism or short words that cut their hearts, and, my brothers, help us to be a more welcoming community, to be a man of charity. The face of charity in the Lord Jesus is your first priority.
Secondly, as a deacon you will be the voice of Christ and you will be his voice by teaching and by preaching. You are given the privilege to proclaim the Gospel at the liturgy. You are given the privilege to preach to God's people to break open the word of the Scriptures so that people will be fed by that word and that Scripture can give direction to their lives. What a privilege. And from the time that the word of God leaves your lips when you proclaim the Gospel and when you preach and it arrives in the heart and the ears of another, God intervenes, and he brings his message. You know as well as I do that people today are very hungry, and they deserve the very best fresh food. We as ordained ministers want to make sure that we never give them stale food. In order to feed the people of God in your preaching, you must pray and you must prepare. Please never preach without prayer and without preparation. When we do so, we sort of test God by saying, “Oh, I'll just wing it. So, God you have to do all the work.” Enter into prayer and preparation so that you can feed people from your heart and your hands. We pray with you today as a community that God will use you to speak his word and for each and every one of us who are in ordained ministry and preach, we have to make sure that we don't get in the way of God's word. And it's truly his word.
Thirdly, as a deacon these men will be given the responsibility and the privilege to lead others in prayer. They will assist the priest at Mass. They will feed others with the Eucharist, they will witness marriages. They will baptize, bring Communion to the sick and the dying. They will bury the dead and comfort those who are in grief. Yes, my brothers, I can read your mind, and you're thinking to yourself once again, so much is asked of me. And you're right. But today the Holy Spirit gives you much. Much is given to you by God today so that you may lead and serve his people with energy and enthusiasm, even when you're tired; even when you're tired. You can fulfill this ministry of Jesus entrusted to you today if you live the three promises that you will make in just a few moments. You will promise to be a man of prayer, to know Jesus and to know him well and to spend a lot of time with him and to come to know Jesus as your friend, and also the person of charity and the servant the servant of others. You can only get to know him if you spend time with him, and quality time. Then you will be fed.
Secondly, you will be able to fulfill this important ministry of diaconate if you live out obedience, which you promised today. And truly speaking, I will ask if you promise obedience to me and to my successors. But that's really not what you're promising, not to me, but to the church. What you're saying is that you will do whatever the church asks of you, even if it's not your preference. Even if you may feel inadequate. You will do and you promise that you will do what the church needs and what others recognize in you as gifts.
Thirdly, today you will promise a life of celibacy. My sisters and brothers, we value marriage. It is a sacrament of the church and a very important part of our church, family life and marriage. But you, my brothers, are willing to remain single to give your entire life to the ministry of Christ, and you have no other responsibilities – no others except to live out the ministry of Jesus Christ as the servant. You're not a bachelor. You're committed – and deeply, deeply committed – to Christ and to his church. And you promise that today.
After they are ordained and vested, I will have the privilege to give them the book of the Gospels which contain, of course, the word of Christ. As I give them that book and present it to them, I will send them forth to pray the words of Jesus. Secondly, to speak his message to others as contained in the Gospel. And thirdly, to live his message yourself and to ask forgiveness when you do not, because in ministry, we are not perfect. We are sinners, and you will fail. You will fall, and know that you need to ask forgiveness, because sometimes we in ministry do not live and fulfill the message of Christ.
After today, you will receive a new title. You'll receive vestments. You will have a place in the sanctuary. Don't be impressed. It's not for status, and you are never ever to become elite or separated from God's people. That title and vestments, that place in a sanctuary, is simply a sign of being the servant – you are sent to serve and not to be served.
For all of us here, we have been a part of the story of these men. Today we thank God for calling them to ordained ministry. We thank God that we are here today to be able to witness their ordination to the diaconate.
But, my brothers, we also thank you because you said yes, and in saying yes, you have given your entire life, however many years in the future, your entire life to Christ as a servant, as one who has come to serve and not to be served.
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