All you who read the Deacon Digest may have read Deacon Harold Jopp’s article in the November-December edition. He states the challenge for deacons is to become “the modern Incarnation of God.” We are to incarnate our spirituality in the realities of human life, especially in the lives of those we serve.
What then does the deacon look like?
Jopp uses two stories to describe this. In the first, he illustrates the gentleness of God that should be reflected in all that we do. In the second, he describes enkindling the fiery furnace within us. He says, “It is in our power to become all flame if we allow God’s grace to enkindle the call within us.”
Gentleness and Fire. What great images!
I tend to think that our gentleness is best expressed in our one-to-one interactions with parishioners, prisoners, patients and the poor. We must let others, not us, be judges here. We are to bind the wounds and heal the hearts by presence and listening.
The fire can be expressed in our preaching. People want preachers enflamed with conviction and love. Passionate. Speaking to the heart. Challenging in that way.
The diaconal face of the incarnate God may well be the face of gentleness toward others and aflame with the love of God, aflame by moving ourselves off center-stage and letting God speak through us.
