Family, Job, Church
When you serve at the table of the Eucharist, there you will find the presence of Jesus, Who gives himself to you so that you can give yourselves to others. In this way, available in life, meek of heart and in constant dialogue with Jesus, you will not be afraid to be servants of Christ, and to encounter and caress the flesh of the Lord in the poor of our time.” ~Pope Francis
When men are in formation as they prepare to become permanent deacons, they hear the mantra over and over again: Family, Job, Church. That is the “holy trinity” of a deacon’s life. He should always place his life and his service in that order. He is to care, primarily, for his family. In order to do that, of course, he needs to dedicate a large amount of his time to his job. Without a job, he will not be able to take care of his family. Then, and only then, should he give his service to the Church.
Many men, when they are first ordained, mix that order up. Sometimes, their jobs or their marriages/families suffer because they are spending too much time doing for the Church. A Church vocation is a noble call, yes. However, it should not destroy someone’s life.
Balance is a word that all of us need to learn and employ in our lives. We cannot give the Lord more than we are. We cannot give the Lord more than we have. That is a hard lesson for most of us to learn.
We love God and we want to do our utmost to serve Him and to love Him. But He does not us to destroy ourselves in the process.
Balance. God is calling us to faithfulness and trust today. But, he is not calling us to this faithfulness and trust in a vacuum. We are to be faithful in the life in which He has placed us and in which He calls us.
Continue to care for all people as you attempt to get closer to the one who truly matters.
FAITH ACTION: Kindly pray for the nine men who will be ordained permanent deacons and the one man who will be ordained a transitional deacon this morning at a special Mass at Holy Angels Cathedral.