Diaconal Preaching

By DEACON ROBERT YERHOT, MSW

Our world today stands in need of God's mercy. Our world is deeply wounded and in need of healing, forgiveness, and peace. Deacons must be in the world and transform it through a well-proclaimed Gospel. I repeat: Deacons must be in a wounded world and proclaim well the Gospel of mercy and forgiveness. What are we up against? What would the world have us believe? Here are just a few examples:

The world says: "The sick and homeless are numerous, and growing in numbers. There are too many of them and we cannot afford to care for them all."

The world says: "The willingness to forgive is weakened with each new act of terrorism and war. Forgiveness is a sign of weakness. The response to terrorism is war."

The world says: "The Christian faith is antiquated, corrupt, and unworthy of trust. It is best discarded in favor of Eastern philosophies or the New Age religions. Worship the created world, the sun and the moon, the wind and the earth."

The world says: "The joy and peace of Christianity is naïveté. The only rational response to reality is fear, seriousness, cynicism, and a dour mood."

The world says: “The answer to injustice is punishment. Injustice without punishment is intolerable.”

The world says: “An unborn child is the property of a woman.”

The world says: “You are who you decide to be.” Yes, these are just some of the messages prevalent in today's world. These were the same social messages in the Roman world at the time of the Apostles. They faced the same world we face. What did the Apostles do? They changed that world!

The Apostles went forth and preached the Gospel with fervor, and at great cost to themselves. They announced the mercy of God found in Jesus Christ who died to save us and rose from the dead. They went forth with trust and confidence, and hundreds were healed and thousands were converted.

Pope Benedict XVI wrote something remarkable in his encyclical Deus Caritas Est: "God's passionate love for his people - for humanity - is at the same time a forgiving love. It is so great that it turns God against himself, his love against his justice."

Deacons, we too must go forth and do what the Apostles did! We must change the world by proclaiming that love is stronger than death, mercy prevails in justice, and that we are to live in Jesus who gives us our identity and our mission in life.

Deacons, we must live and eloquently preach in a wounded world so desperately in need of the Gospel. Every deacon must preach the Gospel! It is at the core of our vocation. Like the Apostles, we must change hearts from the dominant social messages to the message of Jesus.

Jesus says: "The sick are numerous and they are my Body. You will find freedom in serving them. I will give you everything you need to serve them well."

Jesus says: "There is great power and authority in forgiveness. Forgive those who have harmed you, and pray for them."

Jesus says: "Your faith in me and in my Church is ancient and forever new. Behold! I am sending forth my Spirit to renew the face of the earth. You shall have no other god before me."

Jesus says: "To those who are mature in faith, filled with hope, and fervent in love, I give a peace and joy that is beyond understanding."

Jesus says:”Forgive and seek not vengeance! Do not judge.”

Jesus says: “Every unborn child has the right to life.”

Jesus says: “I have made you and I know you. In me you will know who you are.”

Yes, a deacon is to preach the Gospel with clarity, to put love and mercy into daily life, and change the attitudes of society. It is our mission to engage the world and, through the power of the Holy Spirit, transform what it is into what it can be in Jesus. May each of us do just that!

Deacon Robert Yerhot serves the parishes of St. Mary in Caledonia and St. Patrick in Brownsville.