I have to post something also today written by Mr. Joseph Michalak, the director of diaconate formation for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. The excerpt below is taken from an article he wrote for “The Catholic Spirit”, the archdiocesan newspaper. The article is entitled: “Deacons are a living sacramental sign of Christ the servant, today” and dated, September 8. 2009.
Log on to http://thecatholicspirit.com to read the article in its entirety. It is a really good description of how we deacons think of ourselves, and a basic theology of our vocation.
Here is an excerpt:
“As one thelogian has put it, a priest presides at the Liturgy of the Eucharist that gives rise to charity; the deacon, however, presides at the ‘liturgy of charity’ that culminates in the mystery of the Eucharist. (This, by the way, is why the church envisions a normal Mass to be one with a deacon, alnd it is why you will see after the consecration both the deacon and priest holding up the host and the chalice. Here is a robust sign, so to speak, of the dimensions of Jesus the head of the body, victim-priest and servant laying down his life in love.)”
A good thing for us to remember, brother deacons: we preside at the “liturgy of charity” which culminates in the Eucharist.
Thanks, Joe, for the article!
On
