Two years ago today I was ordained a deacon in the diocese
of Santa Rosa de Copán, the first permanent deacon in the diocese and the third
ordained in the country.
There were two moments in my ordination when I literally
shook.
The first was during the litany of the saints. I have had a
devotion to the saints since my childhood. They have provided me with
inspiration, motivation, and challenge. During the ordination I was prostrate
on the ground as the litany was sung. I found myself surrounded by a great
cloud of witnesses. But between the invocation of Blessed Oscar Romero and
Blessed Charles de Foucauld, my body shook.
The moment of ordination is when the bishop lays hands on
the deacon. Later, a prayer is read. During that prayer I heard, as if for the first
time, the bishop recall the first deacons and how the apostles “dedicated them
to serve the poor” – “los dedicaron al servicio al servicio de los pobres”.
I shook, overcome by the calling, that
has been central to my life for many years.
Today I wish to re-dedicate myself to my calling to serve the
poor, which I cannot do without the grace of God and the presence of a cloud of
witnesses sustaining me.
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