Saint Anthony and more

San Antonio El Alto

Today is the feast of Saint Anthony of Padua, a favorite saint in many parts of the world. In our parish, there are more than eight churches dedicated to him as primary or secondary patron. So Padre German has been busy these days. He even celebrated one Saint Anthony Mass on Saturday night!

Yesterday I accompanied him to San Antonio El Alto where the feast was celebrated with Mass, tamales, and Saint Anthony’s bread. I got there early and walked with the people in procession with the image of St. Anthony, hymns, and - of course - fire works.

I had accompanied Padre German in the morning Mass in Dulce Nombre but he had four other Masses yesterday. 

Today I accompanied him to Mass in Quebrada Grande and Piedras Coloradas – with more Saint Anthony’s bread and tamales. He had three other Masses today.

Piedras Coloradas

Saturday was a busy morning for me. I tried to get to the meetings of the four zones of the parish to talk with them about my diaconal ordination. I managed to get to two meetings. The third place I ran across them as they were leaving and we held a short meeting. The fourth meeting had ended before I got there – but I met some people on the road and had a extemporaneous meeting in the road; I then went to the town and met the coordinator and one person who will, I hope, pass on the information. We’ll work on this at the meeting of the parish pastoral council this coming Saturday.

This past week we also have had lots of rain in the evening or in the late afternoon. The days are warm – even hot; but the heavy rains have come and brought us much needed moisture.

Driving out in the countryside yesterday and today I saw many men clearing fields and planting corn. I pray the rains continue so that there is a decent corn crop this year.

In Quebrada Grande I was surprised to see and smell some coffee fields still with flowers - alongside coffee cherries in formation. But they are up high and so have a later harvest season.

Tomorrow I'll be going to Santa Rosa to meet with the young man being ordained priest at the same Mass as my diaconal ordination. Then in the evening I'm off to Delicias, Concepción, to meet the youth group there. Hopefully it won't be raining hard and I'll be able to get home after the meeting.

with some folks in Piedras Coloradas

A mini-lesson on the permanent deacon

Tomorrow I’m headed out to the meetings of the councils of the four zones of the parish. Padre German has asked me to do a short formation on the permanent diaconate at each meeting.

This will be interesting – not only because it will be a challenge to get to all four places in the morning, but also because it’s a challenge to explain the diaconate in twenty or thirty minutes. But I’ll try.

What do I want to tell them?

I will of course have to explain that the deacon is not a mini-priest but I want to give them a deeper sense of the diaconate that will help them recognize their own call to the ministry of diaconal service.

First of all, the permanent diaconate is a renewal of the role of deacons in the early church.

Second, the deacon is not someone special. The diaconate is not a privilege. The ministry of the deacon is in some ways an intensification of the ministry of all who are baptized. As Thomas Keating has written:

The deacon possesses no unique power by virtue of ordination but possesses a mission in being sent by the bishop; he evokes from others the power that is theirs by baptism.

In our parish we speak a lot about the Triple Ministry that we all receive at baptism when we are joined to Christ Jesus, prophet, priest, and servant-king.

Vatican II’s Constitution of the Church notes that deacons “serve the People of God in the ministry of the liturgy, of the word, and of charity.” The deacon also has a triple ministry, based first of all in his baptism.

Thirdly, the deacon is not to take over or replace the ministry of others but is called to be, in the words of Pope Paul VI, an animator of diaconia, of the ministry of others. Or, as Cardinal Walter Kasper said in a 1997 talk,

[The deacon] should not and cannot conduct the whole diaconia of the Church; but he can and should inspire, motivate and qualify others for diaconal service, and he does this best, if he himself leads by example in his own diaconal works, by his preaching invites others to follow his example and by sacramental service strengthens them for the way ahead.

Fourthly, the deacon is a sign of our call to live as followers of Christ the Servant. He is called to be, in Pope Paul VI’s words, “a sign or sacrament of the Lord Christ himself, who "came not to be served but to serve.” When people see the deacon they should look through him to see Christ the Servant whom we are call called to follow.

Fifth, the deacon is called to show in a concrete way the connection of the table of the Eucharist with the table of the poor. Cardinal Kasper put it well:

In his ministry of the altar, [the deacon] lays the needs of human beings on the Eucharistic table, and naturally he also speaks of these needs when he preaches. He must make the parish aware of urgent situations of need, motivating them to share with one another and to give practical help.

In an article, Father Paul McPartlan put it very graphically:

The deacon stands at the altar and prepares the gift with clean hands, but he also stands where the practical need is greatest, getting his hands very dirty.

Sixthly, I did not seek this. The bishop asked me to consider it and I put forward all sorts of reasons not to become a permanent deacon. But when I read the paragraph on the diaconate in Vatican II’s Decree of Missionary Life (Ad Gentes), I was shocked into beginning the process:

Where Episcopal Conferences deem it opportune, the order of the diaconate should be restored as a permanent state of life, according to the norms of the Constitution on the Church. For there are men who are actually carrying out the functions of the deacon’s office, either by preaching the Word of God as catechists, or by presiding over scattered Christian communities in the name of the pastor and the bishop, or by practicing charity in social or relief work. It will be helpful to strengthen them by that imposition of hands which has come down from the apostles, and to bind them more closely to the altar. Thus they can carry out their ministry more effectively because of the sacramental grace of the diaconate.

Finally, I need to make people aware that this is not a privilege; rather it is a grace to be received in my weakness. James Keating puts it well in The Heart of the Diaconate:

To be called to an ecclesial vocation is not a crown placed upon virtues; it is an act of mercy from Christ in light of one’s own spiritual weakness. Having mercy upon our weakness, the Lord gifts a man with ordination and all the assistance that such a state in life can bring: the liturgy of the hours, daily or more frequent Mass attendance, service to the needy as ministerial obligation, the responsibility of holding a public place as a spiritual leader, and deterrents to sin such as knowing that one has “to preach on Sunday,” or one has to lead others down the path to conversion through the RCIA, adult faith formation, and spiritual counseling, for example. Within all these “helps” and more, Christ begins to slowly shrivel the ego and fill that space with his own servant mysteries. Becoming a deacon is not an honor in the sense that one wins an award for a lifetime of service. In fact, it may be a lifeline of divine mercy to someone who is so weak in the spiritual battle that he needs further and deeper institutional support.

There is so much more I want to share with them, but that will have to wait for another day.

But we will also speak of the ordination day, July 15, with the hope that many can come and share the joy of our call to follow Christ the Servant.

The ordination Mass will also include the ordination of Wilman Pérez, a transitional deacon. Much of the Mass has already been planned, but we will have a part in the procession of offerings during the Presentation of Gifts. 

Padre German and I spoke about this yesterday. Following up on our talk I will suggest that the parish bring sacks of beans, corn, coffee, and salt to present to God and that we take these to a center for abused women and their children in Santa Rosa. That would be really diaconal.

Holy Thursday. Plan Grande, 2014

After the pre-ordination retreat

Back from a retreat last week with deacon candidates in the Newark Archdiocese, I find myself in the middle of ministry, in the middle of my diakonia.

A big surprise at my house in Plan Grande has been the presence of beautiful birds around the house – including oropendolas (chorchas)  and a humming bird – as well as the clarinero who has been here since I arrived. The birds may be attracted by the flowers that are blooming in abundance.

But more than nature welcomed me back.

Sunday was Corpus Christi and I participated in the procession and Mass in Dulce Nombre. I wrote about this in a previous post but what still strikes me is the importance of carrying Christ with us in the streets of the towns and cities.

Monday, I had some errands in Santa Rosa de Copán.

I stopped and talked with the Franciscan Sisters of La Imaculada – a group of mostly Spaniard sisters whom I’ve known since I came here in June 2007. They are like a family to me, especially since I lived on their street for more than six years. They, of course, insisted I eat lunch with them. It was simple – but the food and the conversations were nourishing.

Afterwards, I went to the doctor. I had picked up a terrible cough and congestion going to the US and felt terrible. Well, the diagnosis was bronchitis and the doctor prescribed four different medicines!

Tuesday I facilitated a workshop on the Bible for the catechists of Zone 1 in Dulce Nombre.  These workshops are fun and challenging, since they call on me to find sources of creativity in myself and pull me out of my introversion.

Wednesday, my birthday, I was invited to spend the day with the Dubuque Franciscan sisters. I met them in La Entrada where three of them minister in the parish. They, two from the house in Gracias, and I went to a nearby small archeological park El Puente.

Parking under a tree I got out of the truck and I hear a voice, “Hola, Juancito”. I look and see a young soldier from Candelaria, the town next to Plan Grande. Then, around the corner comes another soldier, also from Candelaria. Both of them had worked on my house and we spoke a bit. I wonder if I can go anywhere without someone recognizing me.

After looking at the museum, we went to the site where we had a short period of prayer together. Erica, the Honduran member of their community, celebrates her birthday on Sunday and so we both got prayed for!

These sisters are my community of support, those who help me be human, faithful, and God-loving here. They are family for me.

We left the park, stopped for vegetables, and I had to have a tire looked at. No problem, the llantero said. 

With the tire inflated, we went and had a great lunch together. After great conversations and a short rest I left for home.

Thursday I had another catechist workshop. But I was a bit worried. The tire was going flat. But, trusting in God (or being totally stupid) I left. The workshop went well though there were fewer catechists than usual. I mentioned this to Padre German today and he told me I need to go out and see what’s happening.

After the workshop I went to a tire repair place in Dulce Nombre. But I had to stop in El Zapote since José, of the coffee association, had some coffee for me.

The llantero found a screw in the tire and repaired it. As he was finishing, he and a young man there (who had spent six years working in turkey farms in Minnesota) started talking with me. What surprised me was how critical he was of government, some religious leaders, and others. But what really impressed me was his sense that one of the problems is that people are seeking money above all. He said this in a very measured way; it was obviously something that he had thought about. His faith had somehow helped him to see beyond the pursuit of riches.

Returning home, I found e-mails about the exportation process for the association of coffee farmers in El Zapote. I arranged to visit El Zapote early and get the document signed to take to the Beneficio (coffee processing plant) in Santa Rosa.

This morning, before leaving Plan Grande I came upon the school kids getting ready for an environmental march, complete with signs and kids dressed up as trees!

I got José to sign the papers in El Zapote and gave a ride to a woman and her husband to Dulce Nombre. On the way she talked to me about a phone call they had that said they had won a car, but had to go wire money to get it out of customs. It sounded like a scheme to defraud the poor. Rosa had her doubts but her husband seemed very hopeful that it was true. I talked it over with her during the thirty or so minute drive. I hope they don’t waste their money on this. But people are so desperate for anything that will help them get out of the poverty they are in that they are sometime gullible. But we talked and I mentioned a few things to ask about before spending their hard-earned money.

I got to Dulce Nombre and participated in the Mass for the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus – a symbol of God’s love and mercy. (See my post on this, here on Walk the Way.)

After Mass I went to Santa Rosa, had lunch at Weekend’s Pizza, bought some vegetables and groceries, and dropped the signed document off at the Beneficio.

I’m now home – hoping to have a few hours of rest. The weekend promises a Sunday morning meeting with leaders of the youth groups in the parish.

So is my life these days – full of opportunities to be with people, to find ways to listen to them, to help them learn more about their faith and their lives, and to try to find ways of serving.

It’s a blessing to be here.

Corpus Christi in the streets

I arrived back in Honduras on Saturday, May 28, after taking part in a pre-ordination retreat with the deacon candidates of the archdiocese of Newark.

Toward the end of the retreat I started reading Caryll Houselander’s The Reed of God, a classic work on Mary from 1945. The work is rich in so many ways, opening up a contemplative spirituality of everyday life.  

One section, on page 59, particularly struck me:

Today Christ is dependent upon men. In the Host He is literally put into a man's hands. A man must carry Him to the dying, must take Him into the prisons, workhouses, and hospitals, must carry Him in a tiny pyx over the heart onto the field of battle, must give Him to little children and “lay Him by” in His “leaflight” house of gold.

Now we would rightly say that Christ is dependent on human persons to bring Him to the corners of the world.

I think of the Communion ministers in our parish who visit the sick nearby and lead days of prayer every other month in distant parts of the parish. I particularly recall Marco Tulio who has been known to walk three hours to bring Communion to a village.

This morning I went into Dulce Nombre for the Corpus Christi Mass and procession. I usually try to get to one of the four or five Masses Padre German celebrates each Sunday in different parts of the parish.

We started at the outskirts of Dulce Nombre and processed to the main church, stopping five times at altars for a reflection (on creation, mercy, the family, violence, and evangelization) and blessing with the monstrance.

Padre German had me carry the monstrance twice during the procession. The second time I was keenly aware that I was carrying Christ in the streets of the town, passing by people who may or may not believe or practice their faith. I saw a few young guys I know from Plan Grande and all I wanted to do was to turn the monstrance toward them so that they might get a glimpse of a God who is vulnerable and loves each of us.

I know that Christ is already here in all parts of our world. But we need a special presence of God, a God who is vulnerable, who is willing to be broken for us, who is our food and nourishment.

This call to bring Christ in a special way to the vulnerable was one of the fruits of my retreat. Sad to say I won’t be able to do this today – I’m still feeling tired after a day long journey from Newark to Plan Grande and I’m still feeling a bit ill, a cold that I picked up in the US.

But the importance of being there with others, in remote parts of our parish, is clearly something that I have to pay attention as I prepare for ordination as a permanent deacon on July 15.