Serving With Joy

Lessons From Pope Francis for Catholic Deacons Today

William T. Ditewig, Greg Kandra, Frank DeSanio, Steve Swope, Silas Henderson

• Publisher: CareNotes
• Year: 2016
• eBook ISBN: 9781504037747
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Denominations

Since the early days of his pontificate, Pope Francis has challenged us to reclaim the "good news" of the Gospel and to allow that good news to heal shattered lives. He is an evangelist of hope who models true servant leadership and whose witness to joy has changed the Church and the world. This small volume brings together the reflections of five leaders in the deacon community in the United States on the joy-filled witness of Pope Francis and what his message means for deacons today.

CHAPTER II

Servant of the Church of Mercy: The Permanent Deacon

by Deacon Steve Swope

God has greatly blessed the Church with our last three Popes, each of whom has made significant contributions to the Church despite their radically different personalities, charisms, and spirituality. Pope Saint John Paul II, in the spirit of Vatican II, taught us about our faith, essentially what we believe. Pope Benedict XVI devoted much of his pontificate to teaching us the theology underlying our faith, explaining why we believe. Now, Pope Francis is teaching us what it means to put our faith into action, in effect, how we are to live our beliefs.

The hallmark of Pope Francis’ teaching on how we put our faith into practice may be summed up in one word: mercy. In Misericordiae Vultus (MV), which announced the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy, Pope Francis exhorts us to be a Church of Mercy saying, “Jesus Christ is the face of the Father’s mercy. These words might summarize well the mystery of the Christian faith” (1).

As deacons, we “[are] called to gaze more attentively on mercy so that we may become a more effective sign of the Father’s action in our lives” (MV, 3). This attentive gaze means we are to reflect on the reality of mercy and contemplate what it means for the Church and our vocation.

The concept of mercy may too often be distilled down to the remittance of deserved punishment or the extension of forgiveness. This interpretation of mercy is far too simplistic. Saints, mystics, popes, and theologians over the ages have taught that the Church’s understanding of mercy goes much deeper. St. Thomas Aquinas said, “Mercy takes precedence over all other virtues,”¹ while Meister Eckart wrote that “God’s highest work is mercy and the highest work that God ever performed in all creatures is mercy.”²

Pope Saint John Paul II reflected that, “the Church lives an authentic life when she professes and proclaims mercy—the most stupendous attribute of the Creator and Redeemer.”³ More recently, in his book Mercy, William Cardinal Kasper stated that, “Mercy expresses God’s essence … therefore, we must describe mercy as the fundamental attribute of God.”⁴

What an astounding concept, that mercy takes precedence over all other virtues, including faith, hope, and love. How can mercy be the most stupendous and fundamental attribute of God when we have all been catechized to believe that God is love? Is God mercy or is God love?

In truth, God is both.

God is fully and totally love and his extension of unmerited love to us is His mercy. The very act of God loving us (which is totally unmerited) is an act of supreme mercy. God’s great gift of love is accomplished through an act of mercy. The Church must express this same mercy in her life and in all of her works for “mercy is the very foundation of the Church’s life” (MV, 10).

The deacon’s vocation of service to the Church demands that we inculcate mercy into our ministry and lives, and in doing so, inspire others to be “merciful as the father is merciful” (Luke 6:36). To do this, we must understand the constituent components of mercy.

The first component of mercy is reflected very well in the Hebrew word Hesed (pronounced ‘Ch-sed’). Hesed literally means “unmerited loving kindness, friendliness and favor” and contains within it the desire that all humans live lives of dignity and happiness. Dignity means that every person will have those things which permit them to live in humane conditions with access to the necessary means for sustaining life. Dignity also includes just treatment and receiving what is due to any person simply by virtue of their humanity.

In the context of Hesed, happiness does not mean fleeting sensations of well-being or pleasing emotions, but rather a clear understanding of self and of reality and an understanding of one’s place as a child of God. It extends also to feeling joy at the accomplishments, qualities, and talents of others. Merciful, loving kindness is more than warm thoughts or feelings; it must be accompanied by a sensitivity to others and a determination to do whatever is necessary for them to attain authentic dignity and happiness.

The second component of mercy can be described by the Latin word misericordia, meaning to feel great pity and compassion in the heart for the suffering or misfortune of others. Misericordia is the form that mercy takes when confronted with the suffering of others. This heartfelt compassion extends well beyond those who suffer common misfortunes in life. In a very particular way, it encompasses all of the poor; those throughout the world who lack the basic necessities of life such as food, security, fresh water, shelter, clothing, education, and medicine. Like loving kindness, misericordia cannot simply be a “feeling.” It must have a transformative power that prompts us to action. It demands that we strive to take every action possible to remedy the suffering of others. Through charity we can eliminate suffering superficially and temporarily, but only justice can permanently eradicate suffering by addressing its root cause.

These two components of mercy—loving kindness, which desires all humans to experience dignity and happiness, and heartfelt compassion, which focuses on the eradication of suffering—are evident throughout the life and ministry of Jesus. In all of his interactions, with friends, strangers, and even foes, Jesus’ words and actions always reflect one or both of the components of mercy.

Given the true nature of mercy, it is apparent that Pope Francis isn’t directing the Church toward some new interpretation of the Gospel. The Holy Father is calling us all together—laity, religious, and clergy—to reawaken our consciences so that we may live the one authentic Gospel of Jesus and understand the foundational and essential role of mercy.

As deacons, we have a special responsibility in communicating mercy to the world. The life of a deacon is intended to be a life of service, and naturally there are many different ways to serve, depending on our gifts and skills. ...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Contents
• Editor’s Preface
• Foreword
• Pope Francis: The New Evangelist by Deacon Greg Kandra
• Servant of the Church of Mercy: The Permanent Deacon by Deacon Steve Swope
• Breaking Down the Categories: The Power of Mercy by Father Frank DeSiano, C.S.P.
• Accompanying the Laity in Evangelization by Deacon James Keating
• Pope Francis as Servant Leader: Servant of the Servants of God by Deacon William T. Ditewig
• About the Authors
• Copyright Page