Thoughts on my Deacon Retreat

 Early evening at Subiaco Abbey in Arkansas

My wife and I just returned from the annual Diocese of Shreveport Deacon retreat. This year we were again at the Subiaco Abbey in Arkansas. It is a beautifully place with space to walk; from a valley floor to a wonderful overlook.  The retreat allowed us time to take advantage of the grounds at the abbey, experience spiritual growth and visit with fellow deacons and their wives. Like most people we always tell ourselves that we will make more time for each other and like most people it never seems to happen. The benefit of being away from home is that we cannot attend to our normal daily duties nor address the feeling of immediacy that seems to emanate from the emails, phone calls and texts we receive.  This freed up time for my wife and I to reminisce, make future plans, examine our present lives and laugh at some of our crazy adventures.

Our retreat director was excellent. He gave us a wonderful message that I will be able to use and recall for a long time. We were reminded that all people are walking in a wilderness and to find our way through that wilderness we must trust our guide. His example was the Israelite’s journey to the Promise Land. The Israelites had to learn through Moses to trust in God. One thing I did notice was that our retreat director never spoke of avoiding the wilderness or shortcuts through it. The wilderness is the journey we take on this earth and it cannot be avoided. This retreat has been a good reminder for me to never stop prayerfully discerning where God is guiding me.

Another benefit derived from our retreat has been the chance for all of the deacons and their wives to gather together again.  It was in the relaxed atmosphere of the abbey that we shared our thoughts, our joys and our struggles. I quickly discovered that we have a very talented group of husbands and wives. There are those who can sing and others who play musical instruments. There are deacons and wives who are wonderful speakers while others have a great knowledge of Church teachings. The sharing of talents by the deacons and their wives made our retreat so much better.

The one common denominator between all the deacons and all the wives was their love for God.  It does not matter what talent God has given you, there is a common bond that unites all people.  Is this bond due to our love of God or is it the shared wilderness journey we take? Whatever the reason that unites us, I feel blessed to have shared a few days of my journey with my fellow deacons and their wives.  May each of you be blessed with others to share your wilderness journey.

Our Hope in God

Sometimes the things we enjoy doing the most are pushed back for what we consider more important matters. This blog is one of those things. I enjoy writing for it but there always seems to be something to do with a higher priority.  I will try to do better in posting to this blog.

I have just returned from our annual diocese Diaconate retreat. This year it was at the Subiaco Abbey in Arkansas. It is a very beautiful place. If you have never visited the Abbey, it is definitely worth the drive.  Our very own Bishop Duca was the retreat master and I think this was one of the better retreats I have attended since being ordained a Deacon.

The Bishop had a different topic for each of our sessions but they all related to one common theme. That theme was that each and everyone of us has been called to a vocation.  The deacons at our retreat have been called to the Sacrament of Holy Orders, more specifically to the order of the Diaconate.

The Diaconate which we have been called to is a twenty four hour vocation. We cannot step away from it at any time of the day. As ordained clergy we represent both the Church and most importantly the hope we have in God.  We show our hope in God by the way we treat others. We must show and give that hope to everyone we meet regardless of the time of day or our own personal thoughts, attitude or feelings.

This same hope in God is something everyone can show. It is not just the domain of the clergy. Remember as a Christian, you represent the risen Lord to others. Your actions are a reflection of your hope in an eternal life with God that the risen Lord has given us. Think of the old cliché; actions speak louder than words.  Let us make sure that our actions express our hope in God to others.

There is a prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours that sums up my thoughts on this very good:

Father, creator of unfailing light, give that same light to those who call to you. May our lips praise you; our lives proclaim your goodness; our work give you honor, and our voices celebrate you for ever.