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| "The Ecstasy of St Catherine of Siena" by Pompeo Batoni, 1743 |
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Acts 6:1-7
As the number of disciples continued to grow,
the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews
because their widows
were being neglected in the daily distribution.
So the Twelve called together the community of
the disciples and said,
“It is not right for us to neglect the word of
God to serve at table.
Brothers, select from among you seven reputable
men,
filled with the Spirit and wisdom,
whom we shall appoint to this task,
whereas we shall devote ourselves to prayer
and to the ministry of the word.”
The proposal was acceptable to the whole
community,
so they chose Stephen, a man filled with faith
and the Holy Spirit,
also Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon,
Parmenas,
and Nicholas of Antioch, a convert to Judaism.
They presented these men to the Apostles
who prayed and laid hands on them.
The word of God continued to spread,
and the number of the disciples
in Jerusalem increased greatly;
even a large group of priests were becoming
obedient to the faith.
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Commentary on Acts 6:1-7
This account from Acts is considered to be the
institution of the diaconate or the Order of Deacons. There is a clear
delineation of roles. The Apostles retain their pastoral role as shepherds of
the faith (through “prayer and ministry of the word”), while assigning
the service role (distribution of food and material to the needy) to Stephen
and his six brother deacons. It is noteworthy to observe that Stephen and
Philip especially began their own service of the word as well, but in an
evangelical rather than liturgical way.
Understanding the roots of the imposition of
hands is key to understanding the rationale for its use as an ordaining
function. While this was a Hebrew tradition for designating a person for
a task, it was later adopted by the Church as a mark of ordination and sacramental
selection by God. ("From that time on the apostles, in fulfillment of
Christ's will, imparted to the newly baptized by the laying on of hands the
gift of the Spirit that completes the grace of Baptism.”[4])
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 33:1-2, 4-5, 18-19
R. (22) Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we
place our trust in you.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Exult, you just, in the Lord;
praise from the upright is fitting.
Give thanks to the Lord on the harp;
with the ten-stringed lyre chant his praises.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place
our trust in you.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Upright is the word of the Lord,
and all his works are trustworthy.
He loves justice and right;
of the kindness of the Lord the earth is full.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place
our trust in you.
or:
R. Alleluia.
See, the eyes of the Lord are upon those who
fear him,
upon those who hope for his kindness,
To deliver them from death
and preserve them in spite of famine.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place
our trust in you.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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Commentary on Ps 33:1-2, 4-5, 18-19
Psalm 33 is a hymn of praise. In these strophes,
we hear the note of thanksgiving for God’s salvation and complete faith in
God’s mercy. The final strophe (v. 18-19) hearkens to a time of great
tribulation where the Lord’s saving hand was clearly seen. (“The eyes of the
Lord are upon those who fear him, upon those who hope for his kindness.”)
This song also can also be applied to the virtue of the seven deacons
(See Acts 6:1-7 and 1 Timothy 3:12-13 "Upright is the word of the Lord,
and all his works are trustworthy”).
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Gospel: John 6:16-21
When it was evening, the disciples of Jesus went
down to the sea,
embarked in a boat, and went across the sea
to Capernaum.
It had already grown dark, and Jesus had not yet
come to them.
The sea was stirred up because a strong wind was
blowing.
When they had rowed about three or four miles,
they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming
near the boat,
and they began to be afraid.
But he said to them, “It is I. Do not be
afraid.”
They wanted to take him into the boat,
but the boat immediately arrived at the shore to
which they were heading.
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Commentary on Jn 6:16-21
This is the fifth sign of Jesus’ identity as the
Son of God from John’s Gospel. We see Jesus sharing God’s power (see also Job 9:8). The disciples are in a boat at night and the sea is up (“The
sea was stirred up because a strong wind was blowing”). They were clearly
frightened by their situation when the Lord appeared and said: “It is I, Do
not be afraid.” Immediately they were relieved and wanted to take him
aboard but before they could do so they arrived at their destination.
CCC: Jn 6 1338
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Reflection:
We have choices again today as to which part of
scripture we reflect upon. While the story from the Gospel is compelling
because of all the neat metaphors built into the story (the disciples’ fear and
how the Lord’s presence calmed them; their need to bring him into the boat; the
Lord’s identity revealed as he assumed power reserved to the Father) the deacon
must address the reading from Acts.
In the passage proclaimed today from the Acts of
the Apostles an important event is defined in scripture. Most biblical
and Church scholars agree that the appointment of the seven Hellenists
represents the establishment of the Order of Deacons (the diaconate) in the
Christian community.
St. Timothy later fleshes out the selection
criteria for deacons (1 Timothy 3:12-13), but here the
Apostles select these men to provide service to the community. They pray
over them and impose hands upon them, calling them pointedly to service.
Since the modern permanent diaconate was
re-established at the Second Vatican Council, the diaconate has grown faster
and in different ways than was anticipated in Sacrum Diaconatus Ordinem. Permanent
Deacons are, for the most part, now widely accepted as the “servant clergy”
they were intended to be. There are some notable exceptions. Unless
I missed something, the Knights of Columbus still do not recognize Deacons as
clergy at the national level, and many of the older religious orders are still
in denial, seeing the permanent diaconate as some sort of lay apostolate with
delusions of grandeur. But the true servant finds these kinds of push backs a
grace from God. They remind him that what he does in ministry, for God’s
greater glory, sets him on the proper course, in the footsteps of his Savior who
was also not always held in high esteem. And, as we will see later in the story
of St. Stephen, deacons should not expect an easy road.
St. Paul says it best in his First Letter to the
Corinthians: “There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit;
there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different
workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone.”
Perhaps what we need to remember most is that Christ came to serve all mankind,
and that service was not intended to generate honor for those who serve, but
for the God in whose name that service was done. If we can keep that
squarely in focus, we will be with him who died as his final service to us.
Pax
[1]
The Picture is "The Ecstasy of St Catherine of Siena" by Pompeo
Batoni, 1743
[3]
The
readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the Psalm
and its response which were developed by the International Committee for
English in Liturgy (ICEL). This re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and
is for private use only.
[4]
CCC 1288
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