The Deacon

By Dr. Roland Millare, STD

One of the preparatory questions that the bishop asks of the diaconal ordinands is focused on the Holy Eucharist: “Do you resolve to conform your way of life always to the example of Christ, of whose Body and Blood you are a minister at the altar?” Pope Benedict XVI affirms the central role of the Eucharist for every aspect of life: “There is nothing authentically human — our thoughts and affections, our words and deeds — that does not find in the sacrament of the Eucharist the form it needs to be lived to the full” (Sacramentum caritatis, §71). In light of the celebration of the ordination liturgy and the insights of Pope Benedict, we can look to the Holy Eucharist for insight into the identity and mission of the deacon.

Deacon Dominic Cerrato and others affirm the need to articulate the proper relationship of the deacon with Jesus Christ the servant in order to outline with clarity his proper identity and mission. Our Lord instituted the gift of the Holy Eucharist in order to perpetuate his real presence, to commemorate his eternal sacrifice, and invite us into communion with Him. Consequently, we can examine the identity and mission of the deacon with a Eucharistic focus on the notions of presence, sacrifice, and communion.

Real Presence

Jesus Christ promises the gift of his presence to his apostles during his great commission: “lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age” (Matthew 28:20). Our Lord keeps His word by continuing to abide with us in the Holy Eucharist. The gift and value of His Real Presence is accentuated by the “absence” perpetuated by the ubiquitous presence of smartphones that disrupt daily human presence and conversation. One needs only to sit back in a public setting and watch as almost everyone is glued to their phone.

Consequently, people no longer seem to know how to engage in attentive human interaction. While our devices and social media were billed as bringing about more connections with other people, it has brought about greater social isolation, insecurity, and anxiety. The remedy is for deacons to turn to the example of Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, who teaches us the virtues of authentic presence.

Our Lord waits, listens, and receives what we want to say with ready availability. By the same token, the deacon is called to exercise the ministry of presence to the couple preparing for marriage, to the suffering and dying patient awaiting viaticum, to the person in need of addressing pastoral concerns relating to a family member, to the family mourning the loss of a beloved family member and/or the prisoner. In other words — even when they may not have the “right words” — the faithful await the presence of Christ the servant through the ministry of the deacon. Above all, the married deacon is called to be present to his spouse and other family members. The National Directory on the Diaconate exhorts the married deacon to “always remember that through his sacramental participation in both vocational sacraments, first in Matrimony and again in Holy Orders, he is challenged to be faithful to both. With integrity he must live out both sacraments in harmony and balance” (no. 74).

Sacrificial Love

Our Lord continues to give of Himself for the Church in love via the Holy Eucharist: “This is my body which is given for you” (Luke 22:19). The Church has consistently taught that the one sacrifice of Jesus Christ and calvary and the sacrifice of the Holy Eucharist is one and the same. The deacon is called upon to give himself in charity to those in need in ministry.

The deacon generously makes himself available in varying forms of sacramental preparation and catechesis — through the proclamation of the Word, through his attentive and conscious participation in the sacred liturgy, and through his pastoral charity towards those in need. In humble charity, the deacon is called upon to give of himself consistently as he acts in the person of Jesus Christ the servant.

The vocation of the deacon has been forged in sacrifice. During the years of formation, the majority of diaconal aspirants and candidates have full-time jobs, the needs of family members to attend to, and coursework scheduled during weeknights or on the weekends. In any case, the future deacon surrenders the freedom of his time and schedule for the sake of formation. Following ordination, the deacon must continue to respond generously in sacrificial love via ministry.

Married deacons must be conscientious and grateful for the sacrifices that others make each and every day for the flourishing of their ministry. A deacon must constantly examine whether there is more he can do to surrender his own agenda for the sake of the needs of his spouse. His life of sacrifice as a cleric is symbolized by laying fully prostrate on the ground prior to ordination. In order to persevere in sacrificial love, a deacon should turn to our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament and recall that he participates in the self-giving love of Christ Himself.

The Gift of Communion

Twentieth century theologians, such as Fr. Henri de Lubac and the Eastern Orthodox Metropolitan John Zizioulas, highlight the notion that the Holy Eucharist makes the Church via Communion (koinonia). Just as many grapes are crushed to become one wine, so are the many members of the Body of Christ forged into one via the Holy Eucharist: “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread” (1 Corinthians 10:16–17).

The deacon is engaged in the diakonia of communion in his role as a minister of Holy Communion, through the role of catechetical and sacramental preparation, and via his fidelity to presenting the faith in communion with the tradition of the Church. In our present age, which is characterized by division both within the Church and beyond, the deacon is called to preserve the gift of communion by his fidelity in proclaiming the truth in charity. As an emissary of the bishop, the deacon must support the teaching and ministry of the Church consistently. In other words, a deacon must never take it upon himself to contribute to ecclesial disunity by erroneous teaching or uncharitable acts towards others.

The married deacon must seek to preserve the gift of communion with his spouse through fidelity and fruitfulness. The deacon must be a witness to the joys of faithful marriage and the love of the domestic church. In proclamation and witness, the deacon must seek to embrace both of his vocations in service to communion. The Holy Eucharist is the greatest of all the sacraments because it is Christ Himself and it anticipates the end of all of the sacraments: communion with God.

Sacrament of Charity

Jesus Christ gave us a new commandment to love one another as He has loved us (John 13:34–35). Christ loves us “to the end” (John 13:1) and continues to demonstrate his love for via the gift of Holy Eucharist whereby He is fully present to us with a sacrificial love that is ordered towards our communion with our Heavenly Father. Deacons must conform their identity and mission from the loving gift of Our Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament. Jesus teaches us that love is characterized by a total self-gift and deacons are called upon to give witness to his love in word, the liturgy, and charity. TD

DR. ROLAND MILLARE serves as vice president for curriculum and program director of Clergy Initiatives (continuing education and formation programs for priests and deacons) for the St. John Paul II Foundation, Houston, TX, and as an adjunct professor of theology at the University of St. Thomas School of Theology at St. Mary’s Seminary, Houston, TX, the University of Dallas, and the Diocese of Fort Worth. Roland earned a doctorate in sacred theology (STD) at the Liturgical Institute/University of St. Mary of the Lake, Mundelein, IL. He is the author of the book, A Living Sacrifice: Liturgy and Eschatology in Joseph Ratzinger.

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