I ran across a beautiful paragraph in reading a talk given by Archbishop Roberto O. Gonzalez Nieves, OFM, Archbishop of San Juan de Puerto Rico backon February 19, 2000 on the identity, functions and prospects for the permanent diaconate. Here it is:
“When he is ordained, a deacon is commanded by his Bishop, the successor of the apostles to preach the Gospel. This brings about a change deep in his being. The deacon’s physical breath is now inspired by the Holy Spirit so that what he will preach and teach will not sound like a mere human voice. From that moment on, the deacon’s preaching and teaching must be the voice of Christ, true God and true man.”
I think that is a wonderful paragraph to use as a source of meditation….”the deacon’s physical breath is now inspired by the Holy Spirit…. the voice of Christ….”.
To read the entire address, log on to:
then click on “congregations” followed by a click on “clergy”, then on “Jubilee 2000 deacons”.
