Diaconate Life, Marriage & Family
Deacons Continue the 10
Diaconate of Jesus The Diocese of Winona-Rochester's newest permanent deacons (pictured with Bishop John Quinn) were ordained in August of 2020.
By DEACON ROBERT YERHOT
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eacons are emissaries of God the Father as heralds of the Gospel and continue the diaconate of Jesus the Deacon in the local Church. What are essential aspects of Jesus’ ministry to which deacons are called? Jesus was sent by the Father into the world yet He remained united and obedient to His Father at all times. Jesus was always contemplating the Father and was faithful in fulfilling His will. Contemplative prayer was a foundational aspect of the diaconate of Jesus. Deacons are called to become deeply immersed into Trinitarian life, which means they must become men of contemplative prayer. The primary vocation of a deacon is to be an icon of Jesus at prayer. This aspect of a deacon’s identity and mission cannot be overstated, and it runs contrary to many misconceptions about the diaconate. The world must clearly see Jesus at prayer when a deacon prays. It must see a man who is attentive and listening to the voice of God within him. The contemplative character of a deacon’s life must be evident when he is assisting at Mass, praying the Divine Office, making a holy hour,
and in his active ministry. A second aspect of the diaconate of Jesus flowed, without contradiction or confusion, from the first: Jesus was sent as an emissary of the Father to suffering humanity, especially the poor and the sick, the ignorant and the hopeless. Like Jesus, deacons, then, must be present to people in need. There is no room for loneliness or isolation in the life of a deacon. He must be permanently available to God’s people. He cannot hide or run, but must humbly stand at the Cross of Christ seen in the lives of wounded and oppressed. Deacons are to live out the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. To a deacon who neglects his prayer life, this active aspect of the diaconal vocation is often experienced as conflicted with a contemplative interior life; to a deacon who prays in a contemplative manner, it becomes a natural, integral extension. Jesus the Deacon was prophetic and courageous and was not overcome by fear and evil. This points to a third aspect of diaconal ministry that is, I believe, being called forth in a particular way by the Holy Spirit at this time in the life of the Church, and is an urgent and needed aspect of the diaconal ministry.
Religious Freedom Week June 22-29
Beginning June 22, the Feast of Saints Thomas More and John Fisher, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops celebrates Religious Freedom Week. Join us in promoting religious freedom For the Good of All.
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ll people desire to know their Creator. All people have a natural impulse to seek the good and to live in accordance with that good. All people can flourish when they pursue the truth about God and respond to the truth. Religious freedom means that all people have the space to flourish. Religious freedom is both an American value and an important part of Catholic teaching on human dignity. When we promote reliJune 2021 w The Courier w dowr.org
gious freedom, we promote the common good and thus strengthen the life of our nation and the community of nations. This year there are several areas of concern: Adoption and Foster Care, Catholic Social Service in the Pandemic, The Equality Act, Church Vandalism, Catholics in Nicaragua, Conscience Rights for Healthcare Workers, Pope Francis’ Solidarity with Beleaguered Christians in Iraq, Free Speech. You might not be aware of all the ways our Religious Freedoms are being threatened. Free Speech, for example, has always been cherished in our country, yet just this year, a book on problems with gender ideology by a prominent commentator was removed from Amazon. A Catholic news outlet
Deacons must be courageous prophets, convicted by the grace of Holy Orders, and the Gospel, entrusted to them at their ordination. They must boldly proclaim and preach the Gospel and willingly suffer, even die, in doing so. This prophetic suffering is a form of martyrdom. It is not an ancillary aspect of diaconal ministry; it is a primary and necessary aspect of all men in Holy Orders, flowing from diaconal grace, prayer, and ministry to the suffering members of Christ’s Body. Every deacon must be willing to suffer the consequences of preaching and teaching the fullness of the Gospel. Those consequences may be costly. From the very beginning of the Church, deacons died assisting their bishops in proclaiming the Gospel: St. Stephen, St. Lawrence and the deacons of Pope Sixtus are examples. Deacons must be courageous in facing the fears that so many today refuse to face, fears which are fertile soil for the work of the Evil One. Jesus was not afraid to touch the leper or enter the houses of sinners, nor should deacons be! Rather, as St. John Paul II said, they must open wide their hearts to Christ in the lives of the afflicted. They bear the Gospel which all desperately want and need to hear. They must find ways of preaching it to men and women of today. These core aspects of diaconal identity and mission are rooted in the diaconate of Jesus Christ. By his ordination, every deacon is configured to Jesus the Deacon and is sent forth to continue the work of Jesus Christ. Deacons are so necessary and needed in the Church today. Let us thank God that we have many men who have responded to the call and are now carrying on what Jesus the Deacon began as deacons in the Diocese of Winona-Rochester! Deacon Robert Yerhot serves the parishes of Crucifixion in La Crescent, Holy Cross in Dakota and St. Patrick in Brownsville.
Peter Martin
Director of Life, Marriage & Family pmartin@dowr.org
had its Twitter account suspended for noting that a government official who claims to be a transgender woman is a biological male. While these companies may have a right to control the materials they help to distribute, it is disturbing that the views of some can be protected from scrutiny, particularly when these views do not promote human flourishing. The Church in the United States of America has celebrated Religious Freedom Week since 2018 and it seems to become more and more necessary for us to protect our God-given Freedom! Learn more at: www.usccb.org/ReligiousFreedomWeek www.usccb.org/freedom
Twitter: @USCCBFreedom
For text and action alerts, text "FREEDOM" to 84576.
