Editor’s note: The following is Bishop Lucia’s homily from the Mass 16 Ordination to the Transitional Deaconate Mass at St. Mary of the Assumption in Binghamton.
What a joyous day once again for the Diocese of Syracuse as we gather for the Ordination of Jonathan and Douglas to the ministerial service of the Order of Deacons. Pope Benedict XVI would comment on this role: “In terms of the sacrament, being a deacon means making present the mystery of the diaconate of Jesus Christ, his love in the Church.”
My sons, like Philip in our first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, you are being charged this day before God and by God to offer yourself as a Sacrament – as a manifestation – an outward sign of a living Gospel for all people to hear through the gift of Holy Orders. Having heard the call of God in your own life, you come to lay it down in diaconal service to the People of God as one devoted to serving charity, serving at the altar, and serving with the Word.
Central then to embracing diaconal ministry are these words spoken by our present Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, at the vigil event for the Jubilee of Young People last August 1st in Rome: “Friendship with Christ, which forms the basis of faith, is not just one aid among others for building the future; it is our guiding star…It is when our friendships reflect this intense bond with Jesus that they really become sincere, generous and true. Dear young people, love one another! Love one another in Christ! Know how to see Jesus in others. Friendship can truly change the world. Friendship is a path to peace.”
Brothers and sisters, these words of His Holiness get to the root and substance of the gospel that we just heard proclaimed. “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you…love one another…remain in my love” (see Jn 15:9-17). As the priest and Catholic educator, St. John Baptist de la Salle would say, “Lord, the work is yours.” And consequently, our work as disciples of the Lord Jesus, ordained and laity, is to daily build up our friendship with God and neighbor.
More than ever in our world today, together as Church – as the Body of Christ – we are being called to announce this treasure in earthen vessels; and by letting light shine out of darkness by radiating Christ through ourselves to those who are neighbor to us. In her book, Wouldn’t Take Nothing for My Journey Now, poet laureate Maya Angelou shares memories of her grandmother, who raised her in the little town of Stamps, Arkansas. Her difficult life caused her to rely utterly on the power of God. Angelou writes that Mamma would clasp her hands behind her back, look up into the distant sky, and declare, “I will step out on the word of God.” Maya continues, “She would look up as if she could will herself into the heavens, and tell her family in particular and the world in general, ‘I will step out on the word of God’…Immediately, I could see her flung into space, moons at her feet and stars at her head, comets swirling around her. Naturally, it wasn’t difficult for me to have faith. I grew up knowing that the word of God has power.”
So here is my challenge to you, my sons Jonathan and Douglas…step out on the word of God and its power! Please let your ministry be rooted in the friendship – in the communion of love – you have been building with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Its fruit will be seen in the communion of love you build wherever you are sent to work in the Lord’s vineyard. Remember that the heart of your response to your promise of obedience in this Ordination ceremony is to become a better listener (and responder) to the voice of God in your life. As Pope Leo said in one of his first general audiences after his election on May 8th: “Life is made up of encounters, and in those encounters we emerge for what we are.” He also stated, “The practice of worship does not automatically lead to being compassionate. Indeed, before being a religious matter, compassion is a question of humanity! Before being believers, we are called to be human!”
Jonathan and Douglas, in the Sacrament you are about to receive through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, you will assist the Order of Bishops and the Order of Priests in the ministries of the Word, of the altar, and of charity – but mostly in meeting people where they are at on the road of life and showing them through you own manner of life Christ’s care and compassion. Care is not watering down the truth, but it is (using another image of St. Paul) being “ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us” (2 Cor 5:20). Consecrated by the laying on of hands that comes down to us from the Apostles and bound more closely to the service of the altar, my sons, you are called to perform works of charity in such a way so as to be recognized as a disciple of the One who came not to be served, but to serve.
Sisters and brothers, the Lord Jesus has set an example for his disciples to follow so that they could remain in his love and act in His Name. This is seen in his outreach to those encountered along the way, especially those on the sidelines of life – the afflicted, the poor, the sinner, the stranger – anyone who didn’t seem to meet another’s personal standards. The ultimate sign came in his willingness to get down and get his hands dirty (and maybe even his reputation) by washing grimy, soiled feet – including the one who would ultimately betray him, the one who would deny him, the ones who would run away from him – in other words, the feet of sinners!
Jonathan and Douglas, as deacons, as one who minister in the Name of Jesus – who came among his disciples to lay down his life for God’s friends: serve the people in love and joy as you would the Lord – for yours is the Lord’s work. You will exercise your ministry committed to the celibate state: know that celibacy is both a sign of pastoral charity and an inspiration to it, as well as a source of spiritual fruitfulness in the world. Compelled by the sincere love of Christ the Lord and living this state with total dedication, you will cling to Christ more easily with an undivided heart. You will free yourself more completely for the service of God and the human family, and minister more effectively in the work of spiritual rebirth.
My sons, heed the words once again of Pope Benedict XVI: “All service of the word must ultimately be anchored in this sentence: ‘God loves all men (and women) and wants everyone to be saved.’ Being a deacon means having the privilege of making the deacon Jesus Christ present in the life of the Church.”
In this hour, with our ancestors in faith – the communion of saints, we are all praying for you, that you will be touched increasingly by the experience of the Lord’s nearness. And in turn, ever more of your lives will be turned into the good that transforms the world. In this way, when you go out to meet the Lord on the last day, you may be able to hear him say: “Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Lord.” Amen.
