September 5th will mark the eleventh month anniversary of my ordination to the permanent diaconate. These months have gone by very quickly, and I
am amazed that God has called me to the sacrament of Holy Orders. I continually pray that I do not get in the way of God’s plan, and I am not
putting my views and words forward but allowing the Holy Spirit to speak through my words and actions. I pray the same for all of us. May we all be the vessel that God uses to bring Him to the world.
Since my ordination, I have been blessed with opportunities to lead services at funeral homes and grave side committals, baptize children, lead
exposition and benediction, assist at mass, preach homilies, and preside at weddings. These opportunities for service are gifts. Some of you have said that I don’t seem nervous, but these opportunities for service can be overwhelming. My reliance on the Lord to lead me and guide me continues to increase. I invite you to ask the Lord for increased guidance. Think back on today’s alleluia acclamation, “Take my yoke upon you, says the Lord, and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart” (Matthew 11:29ab).
Take a moment to re-read the scripture from today’s mass. The Gospel, Luke 14:1,7-14, affirms the need for a humble spirit. Pray that we embrace the humility to always give credit to God for our accomplishments. This is an important message. The message goes more deeply. We are all called to be witness to Him and to serve Him. We are all called to be joyous missionary Christian disciples and to serve Him.
I invite you to pray about how the Lord is calling you to serve. If you don’t know how to do this, please reach out to me. There are many volunteer opportunities to serve. I often hear from our volunteers that they feel as though they receive more than they give when they volunteer. Most importantly, please pray that we may all be the light of Christ.
PAX,
Deacon Chris