The Deacon

By Deacon James Keating, Ph.D.

In an early address in his pontificate to the clergy of Rome1, Pope Leo XIV invited priests and deacons to consider three themes within which to anchor their vocations. These three themes give us an insight into how Pope Leo may secure his own vocation in Holy Orders, as well as a glimpse into his own exercise of diaconia.

In his first theme, communion, he invited the deacons and priests to consider establishing and preserving a life of communion with God and one another. Communion, the state of being united with another without losing one’s own identity, is a vital “ministry” today. Western culture has descended into individualism, emotional isolation, and social loneliness.

The pope says, “[Be] a man of communion…be the first to live it, and continually nurture it. We know that this communion today is hindered by a cultural climate that favors isolation or self-absorption. None of us is exempt from these pitfalls that threaten the solidity of our spiritual life and the strength of our ministry.”

If those in Holy Orders can potentially drift into this isolationism, then the watchword to join to our state of communion is vigilance. We must watch for threats to communion and guard the practices that keep us at one with God and each other.

The second theme that secures our vocations in spiritual and emotional health is fidelity to the practices and promises of our way of life.

The pope explains, “[True] fidelity is required of the servant. None of us is exempt from the suggestions of the world, and the city, with its thousands of offerings. These could even draw us away from the desire for a holy life, inducing a leveling down wherein the profound values of being a cleric are lost. Let yourselves be drawn once again by the call of the Master, to feel and live the love of the first hour, that which influenced you to make important vocational choices and courageous sacrifices. If together we try to be exemplary in a humble life, then we will be able to express the renewing force of the Gospel for every man and for every woman.”

Faithfully living our vocation is itself a service to the Church. Seeing our fidelity gives others the courage to begin again if they have become lukewarm in service and devotion. Cultivating fidelity to morals, worship and ministry is possible by tapping into the grace received through daily prayer and regular spiritual direction.

The third theme the pope explored was the prophetic qualities of Holy Orders. “We are concerned and saddened by everything that happens every day in the world: we are hurt by the violence that generates death, we are challenged by inequalities, poverty, many forms of social marginalization, the widespread suffering that assumes the features of an unease that no longer spares anyone. And these are not distant realities, far from us, but rather they affect…our cities…, marked by multiple forms of poverty and grave emergencies such as the issue of housing. The Lord wanted us here in this time filled with challenges that, at times, seem to exceed our strength. We are called to embrace these challenges, to interpret them evangelically, to experience them as opportunities to bear witness. Let us not flee from them! Pastoral commitments, like that of study, become for us a school to learn how to build the Kingdom of God in today’s complex and challenging history.”

The prophet remains at his post despite suffering or rejection or difficulties in being understood. The prophetic deacon draws strength to see into current affairs with an evangelical eye through his communion with Christ and fidelity to prayer and doctrine. And so, in the prophetic vocation all three of Pope Leo’s themes coalesce. These three themes are not only to be received by deacons as gifts from the pope to meditate and act upon, but they also give us a glimpse into Leo’s own enfleshed ministry.

In a current YouTube documentary produced by Vatican News, “Leon de Peru,” we see clearly the prophetic charity and generosity of Pope Leo while he was the Bishop of Chiclayo in Peru. The video contains testimonies by the people he served. They give witness to his love of the poor. The documentary is an avalanche of gratitude for his ministry and highlights how Pope Leo truly lived with his people. He was a man of communion, fidelity, and prophecy. The way he dwelled with his people defined his vocation to holy orders. He lived to serve human needs such as hunger and housing. But he also served the need for fellowship, for communion, as evidenced in the many family meals he shared with others. Such communion healed numerous families and made them realize that the love of God was among them in the person of their bishop, Robert Prevost.

In recent published essays on the new pope’s life, one can see the theme of fidelity embodied in his ministry as well. During his time in Peru, he was known to be a man of prayer and one who loved the Eucharist. These devotions were sources from which he drew sustenance to serve during the Covid pandemic and natural disasters.2 Remaining at these spiritual fountains – prayer and the Eucharist – is vital for all clergy. Living within them and from them prevents a cleric from growing weary, refusing to turn in on himself for rejuvenation rather than remaining with the Holy Trinity. Many clerics have known the waning of initial enthusiasm for ministry that defined ordination day.