Deacon Blog

May 2017

May 25

Carrying Out the Great Commission

In the Gospel reading today, Jesus states the Great Commission, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.” It’s still a message that we recall quite often, including at the end of every Mass when the priest or deacon says, “Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.” No matter where we go, and no matter...
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May 21

Suffering and Hope

The Kingdom of God is full of paradoxes: we receive by giving, we live by dying, we receive honor when we are dishonored, and there’s many more. One of the paradoxes that we can think about today is that we gain hope by suffering. On the surface, that seems odd. We’d probably expect to be most hopeful when things are going well, and...
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May 18

The Joy of Obedience

In today's Gospel reading, Jesus spells out the three basic elements of faith: obedience, love, and joy. Love is the center; it holds obedience and joy together. When we disobey, it's because we don't fully understand why it's unloving; we don't realize that our sin interferes with our ability to love and to be loved. On the other hand, when we...
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May 11

Blessed are the Servants

Jesus says in this Gospel that we can never be greater than he is. He is our Master- this we understand. What we don't understand so much is how we'll be blessed by serving the same way that he served.  Imagine it- Jesus served Judas even when he knew how he would betray him!   Because Jesus lives in us, it is possible that we can...
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May 4

Full Potential

In today's Gospel reading, Jesus says, "I am the living bread from heaven." A couple questions: Is he only talking about the Eucharist -- or is it more than that? When Jesus taught us the "Our Father" prayer, he said we should ask God to "give us this day our daily bread." Is there a connection between the living...
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