Matthew’s Gospel speaks tellingly of the qualities and requirements for those seeking to serve God. In chapter 9 we are happy and challenged by the promise of an abundant harvest. The sobering counterpoint rests with the limited number of laborers able to bring that sweet harvest home. In chapter 20 the simile between the kingdom of God and a vineyard enlightens our understanding and suggests how we should proceed, “The last will be first, and the first will be last.” That is serious and necessary advice for anybody seeking to work “in the vineyard.” 

Deacon aspirants are successful men in their professional and personal life who seek to find greater fulfillment in serving the Lord through the Church. Our marriages must be strong and our wives, supportive. We must also show our pastor we have the potential for the higher level of ministry which comes with ordination, and with ordination comes the possible presence of God’s providence, i.e., a God who gives us what we need – a God who provides. 

Once I was ordained a deacon, I marched off to the vineyard, supported by the prayers and good wishes of my patient wife, kind parishioners, enlightened formators, Deacons Rick Costley and John Joiner, who supervised my diaconal training with great care, and a supportive (and forgiving) first pastor, Father Piotr Koziel. 

As a retired university professor I have garnered a variety of awards. I served as a department chairperson, Chair of the Council of Chairs and President of the Faculty Senate, but those experiences did not prepare me for my first visit to the sick and the homebound. 

My trips to the local nursing homes tested my resolve to the Lord and pledge of obedience to my bishop. As unworthy as I was, I was the bridge between the Church and the sick and often the only reliable outside person they would see that week. Most important was the need to bring Communion to those who were close to death and see in them the face of Christ. 

The beaming happiness surrounding a baptism offsets many of these tests of my faith. I teach our parish baptismal class, so I often perform baptisms. During a baptism, I am bolstered by the faith inherent in a child. Our children are our future, and in them, we have an opportunity to make our lives better.

Another delight of baptism is the opportunity to help family members, particularly parents, return to the full practice of their faith and bridge the gap in their relationship with Christ. Parents want the best for their children, and the best includes a fully practicing Catholic parent. Although a cleric, a deacon is often seen as “a breed apart” and can approach a separated Catholic with hope, sympathy and acceptance. Deacons are not alone in being able to do this; they are, however, seen as “in the world” and have the potential to close the gap in an informal and caring way. 

Preparing engaged couples for marriage is yet another way of bringing people closer to Christ in a sacrament. I participated in diocesan Marriage Preparation, and have been trained in Facilitating Open Couple Communication, Understanding and Study (FOCCUS). FOCCUS is a short answer review that asks the couple, separately, about important aspects of marriage such as communication, children, sex, finance and faith. It then compares answers and provides the facilitator with guidance materials to assist the couple in their preparation for married life. 

While all clergy have valuable contributions to make in marriage preparation, deacons (many of whom are married) have that special perspective to offer a young couple. It is difficult to explain the joy I feel as I witness two becoming one in union with the Lord in the sacrament of marriage. 

In addition to preparing a couple for marriage, a deacon may validly receive the couple’s vows in the sacrament of marriage outside the Mass. 

Another liturgical responsibility of a deacon is to perform benediction and exposition of the Blessed Sacrament usually done, for example, during Holy Hour. Being able to bless the assembly with Christ contained in the monstrance, to sense our prayers and songs ascend in the incense, is a spiritual exercise that strengthens my faith beyond description. 

On Sunday I assist the priest during Mass, and I perform the Gospel proclamation as well as dispense the Eucharist. These last two actions are the essence of service for me, a deep and profound manifestation of what one source called “the deacon’s concrete ability to be the animator of the service of the Word...in the community to which he belongs.” 

The permanent diaconate is a service ministry, and we must be obedient, efficient and humble as we toil in the vineyard.