VATICAN CITY – Deacons are called to be servants who set
aside their own self-serving plans and are generous with
their lives, Pope Francis said.
A servant “is not a slave to his own agenda,” but rather
always is prepared for the unexpected and responds, even if
that means ignoring the parish schedule, the pope said May 29
at a Mass for the Jubilee of Deacons in St. Peter’s Square.
“It pains my heart when I see a schedule in the parishes –
‘from this time to that time’ – and then, the door is closed.
There is no priest, no deacon, no layperson to welcome the
people. This is wrong. Have the courage to ignore the
schedule,” he said.
Thousands of deacons and their families, braving the
increasingly hot and humid Rome weather, attended the final
Mass of the three-day Year of Mercy celebration dedicated to
the diaconal ministry.
In his homily, the pope reminded them that in order to
proclaim Christ, one must first imitate Him and “strive to
become a servant.”
“If evangelizing is the mission entrusted at baptism to each
Christian, serving is the way that mission is carried out. It
is the only way to be a disciple of Jesus,” the pope said.
The first step in becoming “good and faithful servants,” he
continued, is to be available to others and detached from
living life in one’s own way. A true servant doesn’t “hoard
his free time,” but gives up “the idea of being the master of
his day.”
“One who serves is not a slave to his own agenda but ever
ready to deal with the unexpected, ever available to his
brothers and sisters and ever open to God’s constant
surprises,” he said.
Reflecting on the Sunday Gospel reading, in which a centurion
humbly asks Jesus to heal his servant, the pope noted the
soldier’s meekness. Despite his authority to insist or force
Jesus to come to his house, “he was modest and unassuming, he
did not raise his voice or make a fuss.”
“Meekness is one of the virtues of a deacon. When a servant
is meek, he is a servant and doesn’t try to mimic the
priests. No, he is meek,” the pope said.
Pope Francis said that like the servant healed by Christ,
deacons must have “a healthy heart” that has been healed by
God through forgiveness and constant dialogue with Jesus
through daily prayer and the sacraments.
“You can offer the Lord your work, your little
inconveniences, your weariness and your hopes in an authentic
prayer that brings your life to the Lord and the Lord to your
life. 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,” he said.
