When I learned that I would be ordained a deacon on Friday, July
15, I was very happy that this would occur on the feast of the great
Franciscan, Saint Bonaventure. A return to my Franciscan roots.
The parish of Dulce Nombre de María, where I have helped
since October 2007, had decided to celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving on Sunday,
July 16.
That left July 16 without anything planned.
But July 16 is a special day here, the feast of our Lady of
Mount Carmel, a feast special for the devotees of the brown scapular.
There are three places in the parish which have a church
dedicated to La Virgen de Carmen. My one wish was to first exercise my diaconia
during Mass in Debajiados, one of the poorest and most remote villages in the
parish. I have been there at least four times before, including one Ash Wednesday and Good Friday in 2013 and this year.
Phil Barutha, a visitor from the parish of St. Thomas Aquinas
in Ames, came on his own to accompany my ordination and he is going around with me in my ministry.
He and I got to Debajiados a little before 10 o’clock when
Mass was scheduled and so we had time to walk around and talk with people. A
group had come for Mass from a nearby village. They belonged to another parish
and had not had a visit from a priest for 18 years. (That may be soon changed.)
One of the young women wanted a photo with Phil and me – for the social media!
Padre German finally arrived and he proceeded to hear
confessions. So Mass didn’t start until after 11:00. An auspicious beginning to my first full Mass
functioning as a deacon.
I proclaimed the Gospel for the first time, aware of the
privilege.
I distributed communion (and we almost ran out of consecrated
hosts!)
After Mass we had a tasty squash seed soup in the best house
in the village.
When I arrived, I asked Juan Ángel, who is preparing to
become a Communion minister, if his parents would be at Mass. He told me that
they are still sick and so I offered to take them communion. So, after eating,
Phil and I headed out with Juan Ángel and other folks.
The last time I had made this trip I went on horseback. This
time I drove about a third of the way and then we walked – more than half an
hour, mostly up hill.
Sweating a bit, we reached the house of his parents, Juan
Antonio and Reina. I entered, we talked, and then we prayed and I gave them
Communion. Juan has trouble with inflammation and his wife is still suffering
after an operation for uterine cancer almost two years ago. The pain was
evident on her face. But, as we talked, they shared their deep faith in God, in
the midst of suffering.
Before I left I concluded our prayer with a blessing.
Preparing for the visit I had looked at a book on pastoral
care of the sick, noting a short ritual for bringing Communion to the sick. I realized that I as a
deacon could bless them.
I reflected that, when I give a blessing as a deacon, I am
not giving them my blessing. I am a channel for the blessing of God
through the entire People of God. The blessing is from the whole Church – not
from an individual. (That merits another blog post.)
I pray that the blessing of the Church that I shared with
them helps them live with more consolation and courage than before.
We walked back – a beautiful landscape, though in the midst
of poverty.
Juan Ángel then gave me a sack of beans and we gave him and
a son a ride up the hill and down the hill (about 30 minutes) to a nearby town.
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| Juan Ángel and his son Ever, with Phil |
Juan Ángel and his parents were blessings for me. They help
me see what I am called to as a deacon – to accompany the poor and suffering,
to bring Jesus in Communion to them, and to share what I have with others – as
a poor man shared with me.
This was a great way to celebrate my first full day as a
deacon – learning to serve God and the poor, among the poor.
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