{"id":47291,"date":"2019-05-03T16:20:30","date_gmt":"2019-05-03T21:20:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/?p=47291"},"modified":"2019-05-12T14:39:31","modified_gmt":"2019-05-12T19:39:31","slug":"diaconal-service-in-peace-for-church-and-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2019\/05\/03\/diaconal-service-in-peace-for-church-and-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Diaconal Service: In Peace for Church and World"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In light of reports circulating that the Roman Catholic Church is nearing a decision on admitting women to the diaconate, I am sharing the text of an keynote lecture on the ministry of the deacon, in peace, in the Orthodox Church. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unlike Roman Catholic deacons, Orthodox deacons cannot preside at the rites of marriage or baptism. Liturgical presidency is limited to specific circumstances. If a priest is unavailable, with the blessing of the diocesan bishop, Orthodox deacons can preside at Typica services (sometimes with the distribution of communion) on Sundays. The practice of deacons assisting with the distribution of communion has returned in some places. Deacons often anoint the sick, lead the Liturgy of the Hours and memorial services, bless homes, and even hear confessions (without completing confession through absolution) – all with the blessing of the bishop. Historically, deacons handled the majority of the liturgy of preparation, an authentically diaconal ministry – perhaps that, too, will be restored someday, and somewhere. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The essay below examines how the deacon can exercise a ministry of peace in the parish. I hope that non-Orthodox readers can imagine how these ministries might apply to their contexts for deacons, and deaconesses. <\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I begin my remarks today with a recollection of the aha! Moment of my youth, when I realized I wanted to go to seminary in preparation for ordination to the priesthood. Raised in a family of Ukrainian immigrants with a grandfather who was the priest of our parish in St. Paul, Minnesota, I attended church frequently, but was not particularly pious. What drew me to church more than anything was the music. In my senior year of high school, I was recruited to sing second tenor for the parish performance of the Exaposteilarion for Matins of Holy Friday, \u201cThe Wise Thief,\u201d a \u201cbig deal\u201d in a parish that prided itself on musical excellence. Within a year, I had not only served as a substitute choir director, but moved to an adjacent parish where I led the choir every Sunday, and eventually migrated to St. Mary\u2019s Cathedral in Minneapolis where I conducted until I enrolled at St. Vladimir\u2019s Seminary in 1997. Those were the days of dreams, shaped by the adventures of researching my grandfather\u2019s office library with its old books and black and white photos of synods of bishops and clergy in displaced person camps in Germany. I hung around the home of the cathedral dean in St. Paul and befriended his son and another friend (who are now priests in the OCA’s Diocese of the Midwest). The cathedral presbytera dubbed us the \u201cThree Hierarchs\u201d for the long theological discussions we had at their home and in a variety of urban cafes. I dreamed of joining the ranks of the clergy who seemed so joyful at the long hierarchical liturgies, and really, my vision of ordained service was quite romantic \u2013 it would make a terrific picture book, or certainly a good promo video to recruit prospective seminarians. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many years later, my vision of this ministry was already more a pile of rubble than it was a solid foundation when I hosted two wonderful people for a symposium on monasticism at Loyola Marymount University (the Benedictine scholar, Fr. Columba Stewart, and Fr. Meletios Webber). An attendee asked Fr. Meletios for an explanation of the process of how the Church grooms candidates for the diaconate and priesthood: he responded, \u201cusually in the parish, when there is a need for a deacon or priest, the people grab a man who is eligible and say, \u2018hey you! We need you to do this! And voila<\/em>, we have a pastor \u2013 this has been the Orthodox tradition for centuries and still remains this way throughout the world.\u201d Fr. Webber\u2019s witty explanation was the dynamite that blew up the last solid rock holding up my amateurish vision of ordained ministry in the Church. And I\u2019m glad he did, because the truth about ordained service is that it is not about you or me or our glory, or how we feel when we have spent a few hours together praying hard. Ordained ministry is all about standing firmly on the ground of the world, in the midst of the people to whom God has appointed us to serve in love, and embarking on a journey with them into the kingdom of God \u2013 our homeland to which God calls all of us to abide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nrealization that this journey takes place with flesh-and-blood people who are\ntrying to navigate their way through this messy world, and often feel like they\nlack the time needed to think things through, leads us to imagine the role of\nthe deacon in leading the assembly on this journey to our homeland of God\u2019s\nkingdom. To be honest, it seems that the customary role assumed by the deacon\nis somewhat minimalist. The deacon is often treated as a liturgical ornament,\nespecially at hierarchical liturgies, and there is plenty of popular affection\nfor the deacons who either chant like champions or swing the censer so\nbeautifully that they could win a liturgical choreography competition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But\nordination to the diaconate appoints much more to the deacon. Fr. John\nChryssavgis says that \u201cdeacons always have the unique advantage of being close\nat once to the ordained clergy as well as to the faithful laity\u201d (Chryssavgis,\n14). We can depict the physical location of the deacon as standing between the\nclergy and the laity when he assumes his customary place at the Liturgy. It is\nfrom this space that the deacon intones the familiar words that you will come\nto memorize, even if you\u2019re like me and have a hard time memorizing lists of\nnames, dates, and facts: \u201cagain and again, in peace, let us pray to the Lord.\u201d\nYou\u2019ll get used to intoning the Great Litany and hearing the word \u201cpeace\u201d over\nand over again as you lead the assembly in prayer. \u201cIn peace, let us pray to\nthe Lord.\u201d \u201cFor the peace from above and for the salvation of our souls, let us\npray to the Lord.\u201d \u201cFor the peace of the whole world, for the good estate of\nthe holy Churches of God\u2026\u201d Even in a minimalist paradigm, the deacon intones\nthe peace given freely by Christ, a gift from God\u2019s kingdom to those dwelling\nhere, in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These initial biddings of peace set the tone for the content of diaconal ministry: it is performed in peace, and not just any peace, but the peace granted to the world from Christ, the peace that comes to us from above, and not some alternative source. As much as it pains me to say it, allow me to play devil\u2019s advocate for a moment here. My scholarly colleagues might challenge me by reminding us that the Great Litany did not begin the Eucharistic Liturgy until the medieval age. Its original position was after the proclamation of the Word and before the Great Entrance. Many clergy point to the odd rubric that calls for extra petitions to be intoned by the deacon immediately before the Cherubikon begins, but stronger testimony comes from the structure of the Liturgy handed on to us from the time of St. John Chrysostom, during his time as a presbyter in Antioch. The Liturgy began with the Entrance into the Church (there is no evidence of the prayer said \u2013 the earliest evidence comes to us from Constantinople itself, in the 8th<\/sup> century). Once the clergy assumed the places assigned to them and the people were also assembled, the Liturgy began with the first bidding of peace from the bishop. Then immediately the Liturgy of the Word began (Mateos, 27-28). This evidence led to an observation of the late Fr. Robert Taft on the testimony of late antiquity and its significance for the meaning of the Liturgy: (I paraphrase) \u2013 first, we hear God speak (in the Word); then, we respond to God\u2019s word with our praise; then we offer our prayers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whenever\nthe peace is granted in the Liturgy, it signals that a major action is coming.\nEven though the Great Litany has migrated to its current position beginning the\nLiturgy, the first \u201cPeace\u201d signals the proclamation of the Word \u2013 accompanied\nby incense honoring God who is about to speak to during the proclamation of the\nGospel. The next \u201cpeace\u201d prepares us for the offering \u2013 not the preparation of\nthe table, but the anaphora itself. The Peace seems like it introduces the\nrecitation of the Creed, but that also is a liturgical component that migrated\ninto the Divine Liturgy from Baptism: the Peace is given to us so that we can\nprepare to join the holy angels and archangels before God\u2019s mighty throne to\nmake our offering \u2013 and before we do that, we have to receive God\u2019s peace and\nenflesh it in our own community by offering one another forgiveness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The final peace is also a bit of a puzzle for us because of the same phenomenon of liturgical development: it takes place after the Lord\u2019s Prayer and before the koinonikon<\/em>, so it seems somewhat removed from the beginning of Communion. But that Peace, and our bowing of the heads, is positioned before the original beginning of Communion: the ancient invitation to receive Communion, \u201cThe Holy Gifts for the Holy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then finally, there is one more peace, and this is the peace with which we are to depart the Liturgy and return to the world, having \u201cseen the true light and received the heavenly Spirit\u201d \u2013 let us depart in peace! God\u2019s peace is not confined to the walls of our churches: we are to bring it with us. Oh, and by the way: in the Constantinopolitan tradition, it was the deacon who commanded the people to \u201cdepart in peace,\u201d not the priest or bishop. This is yet another instance of what a retired bishop of the OCA’s Diocese of the West used to call \u201cgrand larceny\u201d (whenever the priest would do something at Liturgy appointed to the deacon at Holy Virgin Mary Cathedral, the bishop would lean over to me and whisper, \u201cgrand larceny\u201d). Of the liturgical components that demonstrate the deacon as the liaison between clergy and people, Church and world, this is the best \u2013 the deacon is the one who exhorts the assembly to depart with the peace from above they have received throughout the course of the Liturgy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Please join me in\nthinking about how receiving that peace from above brings the community into\nthe presence of Christ:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n 1st\/2nd<\/sup>\n Peace\n <\/td> Proclamation of the Word of God (two biddings of
peace) <\/td><\/tr>
\n 3rd\n Peace\n <\/td>\n Offering\n gifts to God\n <\/td><\/tr>
\n 4th\n Peace\n <\/td>\n Invitation\n to receive Gifts from God\n <\/td><\/tr>
\n Final\n Peace\n <\/td>\n Departure\n from Church, return to world\n <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>\n\n\n\n

Now let\u2019s complete the\nentire picture to identify the deacon\u2019s ministry whenever this peace from above\nis granted at the Divine Liturgy:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n 1st\/2nd<\/sup>\n Peace\n <\/td> Proclamation of the Word of God <\/td> Let us attend: Wisdom! Stand upright! (before psalmody and Gospel) <\/td><\/tr>
\n 3rd\n Peace\n <\/td> Offering gifts to God <\/td> (Peace be unto all) Let us love one another\u2026 <\/td><\/tr>
\n 4th\n Peace\n <\/td> Invitation to receive Gifts from God <\/td>\n Bow\n your heads\u2026Let us attend!\n <\/td><\/tr>
\n Final\n Peace\n <\/td>\n Departure\n from Church, return to world\n <\/td>\n Let\n us depart in peace!\n <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>\n\n\n\n

When the first and second biddings of peace are offered at the beginning of the Liturgy, the deacons are busy. We tend to spend the majority of our time discussing who is going to handle the various assigned components (censing, Epistle, Gospel, and when there are multiple deacons, the \u201clet us attend!\u201d goes to the deacon who ranks lowest in seniority!). But something much more significant is happening here \u2013 we\u2019re alerting the people to assume the proper position for the coming of the Lord! It is only possible to receive the peace from above if Christ risen from the dead is in our midst: the same Christ who \u201cshone forth life from the sealed tomb\u201d and appeared to his disciples in the upper room with the doors closed is coming to us \u2013 the deacons are entrusted with the ministry of preparing the people to greet the risen Lord and receive the peace he gives us from above. The third peace offers us a slightly different angle on the deacon\u2019s role in preparing the people to offer their gift from the altar to God. The deacon commands the people to love one another (to take a moment in this Liturgy to greet one another with a holy kiss): the people must be free from disagreements and divisions, and therefore they must exchange peace among themselves after they receive Christ\u2019s peace from above. Accompanying our fourth peace, before Communion begins, is another seemingly \u201cgoing through the motions\u201d moment of Liturgy, but again, the deacon\u2019s ministry is consistent: he is preparing the people to attentively receive not only God\u2019s peace, but also divine grace, the communion of the Holy Spirit given to the people when they heed the command to come forward and receive the gifts given by God to us in Communion. And then finally it is the deacon who leads the people in departing the assembly by bearing with them the peace of the risen Christ that shone forth from the sealed tomb and was granted to the disciples in the upper chamber with closed doors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If\nall of this sounds a little overwhelming, well, it is, and it is a\ndemonstration of the weight of responsibility given to deacons. Isn\u2019t it enough\nthat we have to chant competently, learn Byzantine liturgical choreography, and\nhave octopus arms (as Archbishop Benjamin joked with me when I juggled my\nservice book, the Gospel, book, and the censer at a festal Vigil). Let us not\nreduce the holy diaconate in Christ to liturgical performance. It is much more\nthan that, and I\u2019ll finish the time you have given me here to reflect on the\ndeacon as God\u2019s minister of peace in the liturgy after the liturgy: that is, in\nthe liturgy of everyday life, modeled for the people of the parish in the\nworld, and in the deacon\u2019s everyday life as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Part 2: The Peace from Above in the Parish and Everyday Life<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\nis an antidote to believing that we live in times of much worse decay than\nthose of our predecessors. One need only read the challenges confronted by the\nfathers of the Church throughout the ages. St. John Chrysostom complains about\nthe people\u2019s inattentiveness at Liturgy, at their preference for frequenting\nthe Hippodrome, at the roving eyes of young men, and even more scandalous\noccurrences. St. Cyril of Jerusalem lived in a time of such theological\ncontroversy that he was reportedly deposed and restored several times. Of course,\nwe can just read the New Testament to see the divisions that occurred on\naccount of Christ\u2019s disclosing himself to us as God. St. John tells us that\nmany of Jesus\u2019s disciples abandon him (Jn. 6); the disciples confront St. Peter\nfor baptizing the uncircumcised (Acts 10); Saints Paul and Barnabas have a\nfalling out that is never resolved (Acts 15:36-41). The history books tell us\nthat the ecumenical councils resolved these disputes, but we need to be careful\nwhen we read the history and understand that the historians who refer to a holy\nand absolute consensus stretched the truth to unite the people together as one.\nSt. Vincent of Lerins\u2019 famous assertion that the dogmatic truths of the Church\nare and were held everywhere, always, and by everyone (ubique, semper, ad\nomnibus) is quoted with great frequency \u2013 it is an attempt to dismiss the\ncontinued existence of Arianism by pointing to a Christian consensus that is\ntruly Catholic. In Church life, we are always working and striving to reach\nthis consensus. It exists as an ideal that is sometimes present, but also\nfragile, and this is due to the nature of the Church herself. Her root in Christ\nmakes her divine, and therefore the bearer of God\u2019s truth; but she is also\nhuman, and therefore prone to division and separation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m probably not the right speaker for identifying the issues that cause division in today\u2019s parish life. We know them very well. The vicious exchanges on social media over questions about the ordination of women or the debates on sexuality are enough to make one want to permanently delete a social media account. These divisions exist among us, and this is a reality of the human dimension of the Church: we bring not only our politics, but also our particular experiences into the Church with us. We can talk all we want about \u201claying aside our earthly cares,\u201d and I have argued (and will continue to argue) that a series of small deaths is necessary for each person participating in the Liturgy, but the truth is that people bring their real selves into the Church. And we should also acknowledge that the current social issues of the day are not the only ones that cause division in the Church. People also fight about parish finances, music, liturgical details, and specific parish programs. Orthodox choir directors are intimately familiar with a saying attributed to St. Augustine of Hippo: \u201cthe devil enters the Church through the choir.\u201d A dispute between two singers of a choir can wreak serious havoc in parish life, so sometimes parishes are rocked by interpersonal dynamics, and not only controversial theological and social issues. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nprimary way that a deacon can contribute to healing intra-parish divisions and\nacting as a minister of peace in the parish is by mediating problems that occur\namong parishioners and between the priest and the parish. If I were sitting\nthere with you, I might be skeptical about my claim. But bear with me for a\nmoment. First, let us be mindful of two theological foundations that make the\nmediation of the deacon between the priest and the parish possible. First, we\nhave Fr. Chryssavgis\u2019s smart thesis that the deacon have a \u201cunique advantage\u201d\nof being close to both the ordained clergy and the community of the laity (14).\nOur ritual practice confirms this: the deacon does not stand in the place of\nthe priest, but is in a position in the interior architectural configuration where\nhe is able to clearly lead the people in prayer. The deacon\u2019s presence in the\nmidst of the people was much more pronounced in the Liturgy of Constantinople,\nin Hagia Sophia \u2013 he led prayer from the elevated ambon, a structure that\nshares little resemblance with our modest ambo (or solea) today. The ambon was\nin the middle of the Church, and one had to climb stairs to participate in the\nliturgical components of the ambon. The deacon\u2019s position of leading prayer\nfrom the ambo illustrated his presence among the people. I would add that the\nlate antique practice of deacons collecting the breads and wines, and preparing\nthem, and leading the entrance chant that escorted those gifts over the ambo\nand to the patriarch also symbolizes a more engaged liturgical relationship\nbetween the deacons and the people. Essentially, the deacons led what we now\nknow as the \u201cprothesis\u201d or \u201cproskomedia\u201d rite, and in the early medieval\nperiod, the patriarch\u2019s role was to say the prayer that concluded the\nprothesis. The decline of the diaconate and the tendency for the presbyter to\nassume all of the liturgical duties resulted in a minimal role for the deacon\nin the prothesis. But the practice of commemorating the names of the living and\nthe dead as part of the Eucharistic offering is diaconal, stemming from the\ndeacon\u2019s presence among the people, his knowledge of the sick and suffering. It\nis that presence among the people that leads to the deacon\u2019s mediating role. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\n20th<\/sup> and 21st<\/sup> centuries witnessed to the emergence of\nconciliarity in the Church, punctuated by the Moscow Council of 1917-18 and the\nincreased role of the laity in the Church. This notion of conciliarity\npermeated parish life in Western Europe and America in particular, and it\nremains a staple feature of parish life. There is a difference between the\nconciliarity that encourages people to participate in parish life and assume\nleadership roles, together with parish clergy, and congregationalism, which\nidentifies the parish as an entity that owns property and employs clergy. In\nour cultural context that values both egalitarianism and the subversion of\npower, congregationalism can contribute to tensions between the parish and the\npriest. The same tensions can occur from the opposite flow of power, especially\nif the priest attempts to impose power on the people and does not attempt to\nlive the Christian life with them. These two factors, along with others, can\ncontribute to tension \u2013 and there are tensions in the life of the parishes.\nQuestions about the way money is spent, the number of minutes the priest\ndevotes to preaching, or even moving an icon an inch can be sources of tension.\nSometimes the priest and parish just let that tension simmer, and the parish\nsuffers. In such cases, one might hope that there might be some kind of\nmechanism within the parish that could be employed to address tensions and\nresolve conflict without bringing in people who are not familiar with the\nsituation. The deacon\u2019s role as someone who is among the people is conducive to\nmediating parish-priest conflicts, at least initially. In this sense, the\ndeacon\u2019s service is as a kind of ombudsman, but the difference is that he is\nsomeone God has appointed to intervene, and to promote peace within the parish\nby mastering the skill of listening to all parties. Please know that I am not\nsaying that the deacon is a professional negotiator, or is the parish conflict\nversion of the handyman who walks in with his toolbox ready to fix the problem.\nNot at all. I am saying that the deacon is a member of the clergy who has the\ncapacity to overcome any mistrust laity might have of priests who have either\nattempted to impose power or who symbolize power by virtue of their ordination.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s think about this through an analogy: the workplace. Let me draw upon my own workplace experience to illustrate this point. Some years ago, I worked for a Christian publisher on the West coast. I was part of a team of editors, copyright experts, marketing and sales staff, and the head of the division. The workplace environment was intense: the pressure to produce engendered camaraderie among middle management employees, and I became close to the marketing and sales assistants with whom I worked every day. But there was tension within our team, as some employees took issue with the behavior of their supervisor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The supervisor was brilliant, a business savant with a side of intellectual fortitude. This person was prone to emotional outbursts, occaisonally shouting from the office and in the hallway. The worst part, as a new employee, was this person’s use of physical power: as they trained us to learn the complex data management system, this person stood directly over us, staring over our heads looking onto our computer screens. With each error came an angry and sharp rebuke, a pattern of exercising hierarchical power in an intimidating manner (through an organizational lens). Informal conversation with office mates showed that this was a dilemma shared by all. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now you\u2019d think that we could turn to someone in the organization who was the supervisor’s equal \u2013 but even though there were three such people, they constituted a social cohort of their own. Not only did they work together, symbolized by \u201cexecutive committee\u201d meetings, but they also socialized together, talking about their parties, lunches, dinners at one another\u2019s homes, and so on. We had no one to whom we could turn for mediation or intervention. The proverbial cat was \u201clet out of the bag\u201d when the supervisor asked the employees to fill out sheets with suggestions to generate a positive dynamic of cooperation on the team. Employees fulfilled these sheets anonymously, and read them aloud at a meeting. After reading three or four sheets, everyone heard the dirty laundry \u2013 bitter complaints about verbal abuse and intimidation. It was a humbling moment, to see the supervisor run out of the meeting room in tears. Please know that this was not a moment of victory for the subordinates, even though they felt some relief from the opportunity to air our concerns anonymously. In retrospect, we saw that supervisor as a broken person. In the right situation, with a mediator able to deal with this situation, we could have experienced reconciliation by creating a new work environment rooted in new relational practices. Instead, the moment passed, and we resumed business as usual. Each one of us looked for the first opportunity to find something new to escape this situation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prudence\nbeckons us to see the Church for who she is: a body of broken people. There is\nno single course, program, list of principles or \u2018best practices\u2019, or ideology\nthat can prevent the brokenness accompanying flesh-and-blood people from\nentering the church. Even the flagship parish of a diocese that everyone wishes\nthey could attend will experience some kind of relational tumult at some point in\nits history. That situation could play out in a manner similar to the example I\nprovided, or it could manifest itself in a myriad of other ways. I offered that\nstory for two reasons: first, to show how problems persist and become more\npoisonous when there is no possibility for mediation; and second, to show how\nthe offender is a broken person. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If\nI were you, I\u2019d ask: why does the deacon need to be this mediator? Obviously, a\nparish might construct a system for mediation that circumvents a power struggle\nbetween priest and parish council; I can imagine experienced archpriests\nstammering under their collective breaths, \u201cthis is what a deanery is for!\u201d I\u2019d\nlike to propose that it makes sense for a deacon to perform this role in a\nparish. The deacon should be the one able to listen carefully and patiently to\nall people of a parish, and also to provide a collegial sounding board to the\npriest. The process of listening carefully, without rendering condemnation or\ncanonical interdict, is in itself a way of ushering peace into a conflict. Here\nwe draw upon Fr. Chryssavgis\u2019s observation that the deacon never completely\nleaves the laity, symbolized by his liturgical ministry in the midst of the\npeople. But I\u2019d like to broaden Fr. John\u2019s image of the deacon, with the\nreminder that the deacon is also the bishop\u2019s liaison. Every time the deacon\nintones prayers that name the living and the dead we commemorate \u2013 commending\nall to pray for patriarchs, bishops, the sick and suffering in the world and in\nour midst, and the beloved departed \u2013 we are reminded of the deacon\u2019s antique\nministry of notifying the bishop on the sick and suffering in the community in\nneed of prayer. I think this is why the deacon also used to be the presiding\nminister of the liturgy of preparation: the deacon was the one who knew the\nnames of those to be commemorated. The ministry of bringing a meal to the\norphan and widow reported to us by St. Luke in Acts connects organically to the\ndeacon\u2019s preparation of the Eucharistic meal. The act of commemorating all the\nmembers of the community is guided by a ministry of love. In this sense, the\ndeacon has a ministry of ambassadorship: he advocates for the people to the\npriest and the bishop; he carries out the bishop\u2019s ministry in the parish; he\nrepresents the priest when he is among the people. In other words, the deacon\ncannot be confined or reduced to one or another cohort \u2013 he is not merely\nclergy, even though he is ordained; he is not merely \u2018laity\u2019, even though he is\nnot a \u2018priest\u2019 \u2013 the deacon\u2019s ministry embraces the bishop\u2019s and the priest\u2019s,\nall while he is in the very midst of the assembly of people \u2013 an assembly of\nbroken people. It is natural for the deacon, then, to be the mediator during\nconflicts and confrontations, even if we tend to view this ministry as\ndominated by presbyters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How\ncan the deacon perform this ministry of mediation? How can he usher in the\npeace from above into the chaos of our world? Our theological models are\nbeautiful, but for the peace of Christ to take root in hearts, beautiful words\nare not enough. To have teeth, the deacon\u2019s ministry of mediation requires\ntrust. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trust<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\nseems oxymoronic (or just plain moronic!) to claim that the Church is not a\nsafe space for dealing with tough issues. Shouldn\u2019t we have the courage to\nbring these issues out into the open and deal with them? We need to keep in\nmind the delicate challenge of a broken wound: the way we address wounds can\neither help to heal it or can make it much larger and infected. Because of his\npresence in the midst of the people, the deacon is in an optimal position to\nbegin the process of healing brokenness and wounds in the assembly. I\u2019m\nconfident I have established the capacity of a deacon to perform this ministry:\nit will be effective only through trust, and trust begins with a lost art:\nattentive, careful listening. The deacon gains the trust of the people by being\nnot only among them, but by being one of them. I vividly recall a popular\nconvert in a parish I attended as a choir director: he reflected on coffee hour\nand how the clergy only wanted to talk theology with him. He openly wished that\npeople would ask him about his job, family, challenges. It is possible to gain\none\u2019s trust by being with one, not only during Liturgy, but outside of it, too.\nWhen a deacon has a secular job, it levels the proverbial playing field: he is\nconfronting the challenges of the people by living them himself. This is but\none link of a long chain of trust: as the deacon comes to know people, he can\nhear them out on a variety of issues \u2013 including church problems. The deacon\ngains the people\u2019s trust by not betraying it: this means that he honors\nrequests for confidentiality and refuses to confuse careful listening with\ngossip. Yes, there is room for the deacon to challenge the people, but he\nplaces a priority on listening and contemplating what he has heard without\nrushing to judgment. When he recognizes that a situation needs to be elevated\nto the attention of the priest or bishop, he does so transparently \u2013 by keeping\nthe people in the loop. In some instances, the deacon may need to cool the\npeople off by challenging their complaints about the priest (you\u2019ll know that\nthere\u2019s a problem if a cohort of parishioners keeps inviting you to barbecues\nand you notice that the priest is never there). The deacon might also need to\nchallenge the priest if the priest is reacting too hastily or exacerbating a\ntough situation: keeping in mind that the deacon\u2019s ministry is lived alongside\nthe priest\u2019s, with both orders rooted and nourished by Christ\u2019s high priesthood\n\u2013 it is not a matter of the deacon acting as the priest\u2019s personal servant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nbrokenness of the people in our Churches can drive them out if they are\nstigmatized. The reason people leave is because they want to have their wounds\nhealed, and not enlarged. Hearing that they are bad or being called some other\nname can lead to the perpetuation of the stigma. The statistics on\nparticipation in Church life furnished by agencies like the Pew Forum or a\nresearcher like Alexei Krindatch show that people do leave. Sometimes pastors\nknow exactly why people left, but sometimes they don\u2019t know why, through no\nfault of their own. You\u2019d be surprised about the contexts in which people feel\nsafe and comfortable to expand on their feelings about Church. It actually\nhappens in the college theology courses, because class sessions on creeds, beliefs,\ndogmas, sacraments lead to shared memories of young people\u2019s participation in\nthe Eucharist. It can be hard to hear a student speak about the Church without\nlove: how often have I heard a nominally Catholic student smile about attending\nMass with their family, only to leave the Church when one of their family\nmembers was stigmatized because of a divorce \u2013 in these instances, their\nconsciences bothered them when they received communion, and had to hold their\ntongues when a beloved aunt or uncle was excommunicated because they did not\nhave a Church annulment. For many of these students (and divorce-annulment was\nnot the only example), a theology classroom provided a safe space for\ndiscussing these issues. (Please note: I\u2019m not trying to reduce this to a trigger\nwarning \u2013 this is about people who feel threatened by Church authority and\nwanting some kind of mediator to help them come to terms with an issue). I\u2019ve\nhad students share experiences and divulge personal experiences with me in my\noffice. They came to me because they wanted to talk about these issues in a\nsafe environment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Challenging\nthe people or even disagreeing with them is not necessarily a betrayal of\ntrust. Violating a promise of confidentiality is a betrayal. Most people want\nto be treated fairly; with time, those who do not get \u201ctheir way\u201d can come to\nappreciate fairness. Here, I would like to emphasize trust as necessary:\nwithout trust, people will protest with their feet if they do not feel like\nthere is someone in the community willing to hear them out patiently and\nlovingly. We have to acknowledge the fact that the priest might not always be\nable to fulfill this function \u2013 delegating this ministry to the priest just\nadds to the pile of presbyteral duties. It is a wonderful ministry of the\ndiaconate and much good could come from its revival. The few words recorded in\nthe New Testament (1 Tim) about the qualifications for ordination to the\ndiaconate offer a helpful reminder on trustworthiness: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

8 <\/sup><\/strong>Deacons likewise must be serious, not\ndouble-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for gain; 9 <\/sup><\/strong>they\nmust hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. 10 <\/sup><\/strong>And\nlet them also be tested first; then if they prove themselves blameless let them\nserve as deacons. 11 <\/sup><\/strong>The women likewise must be\nserious, no slanderers, but temperate, faithful in all things. 12 <\/sup><\/strong>Let\ndeacons be the husband of one wife, and let them manage their children and\ntheir households well; 13 <\/sup><\/strong>for those who serve well\nas deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the\nfaith which is in Christ Jesus.     <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The holy apostle\nemphasizes certain qualities required of a deacon: they are to manage their\ntongues well, to avoid drinking too much (on this note, beware of the parish\ngathering where people keep bringing you a drink). The faithful husband who\nmanages a solid household is considered trustworthy \u2013 he\u2019s not going to screw things\nup (as it were). These qualifications are all about trustworthiness to deal\nwith the people of God with love. God\u2019s trustworthy servants heal brokenness \u2013\nthey don\u2019t make it worse. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peace, Safety, and Danger <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My favorite part of serving as a deacon is the litany of aitesis<\/em>, or demands. The litany petitioning God to send the us \u201cangel of peace, a guide and guardian of our souls and bodies\u201d is a staple feature of all Byzantine Liturgical offices. The text of this litany gives us a clue that the time for prayer has concluded, and that we are now preparing for dismissal: \u201clet us complete our prayer to the Lord.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his seminal scholarship on the office of Vespers in the ancient Eastern rites, Taft suggests that the litany of aitesis<\/em> is very old, known even by St. Basil himself in Cappadocia (Taft, 38-9). This litany is also mentioned in the Church Order known as the Apostolic Constitutions, dating to approximately 380 CE (Taft, 44-6) The key for us, in terms of historical legacy, is that it is the litany that sends the people from the Church back into the world. In terms of its position at daily Vespers, it prepares the people to give thanks for the day, to ask forgiveness for their offenses committed during the day, to spend the night in safety (hence to be accompanied by the angel of peace),  and to be prepared for the one thing guaranteed to all of us: death. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So,\nwhy have I gone on about the significance of this one litany? Isn\u2019t it just yet\nanother litany among the collection of litanies we offer? The litany of aitesis\nhas a special feature that helps us understand the bridge between prayer at\nChurch and the life we live in the world, each and every day. We have\nestablished that the ministry of the deacon is directed to this bridge, to be\nwith the people as they live in this world while preparing for life in the\nkingdom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the rule of daily\nprayer teaches us that we end of the day with specific requests of God, then\nthis litany is worth our time. And the primary message of this collection of\npetitions is that God grants us peace as we end each day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The notion of \u201cdemands\u201d\nrefers to the set of petitions that end with \u201clet us ask of the Lord.\u201d It\nshould be of no surprise to us that the first petition asks for peace:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\nthe whole day (or evening) may be perfect, holy, peaceful and sinless, let us\nask of the Lord.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Five of the six petitions\nmention peace:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201can angel of peace\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll things that are good\nand profitable for our souls, and peace for the world\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat we may complete the\nremaining time of our life in peace and repentance\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cA Christian ending to our life; painless,\nblameless, and peaceful;\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And of course, the series\nof petitions leads us to peace, followed by our bowing of our heads \u2013 a\nclassical gesture of preparation for dismissal, to be sent from the liturgy\nback to our lives in the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It would be arrogant to\nattempt to parse out all of the possible dimensions of this peace from above we\nseek, especially as we are dismissed from prayer, so <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\nwill focus on two foundations of our faith to bring this presentation full\ncircle: the meaning of the peace from above, and the relationship between\npeace, safety, and vulnerability. The peace from above is a peace that we have\nalready received \u2013 it is the peace that has been given to us by Christ, and it\nis the peace that our Lord gave to his disciples when he appeared to them in\nthe upper room in the Gospel of John 20:19. The peace from above is the gift of\nreconciliation, the end of the alienation between God and humanity. We know\nthat the condition of humanity\u2019s estrangement from God was death: complete\nseparation and isolation from the source of life. Peace between God and\nhumanity is restored through Jesus\u2019s death and burial, and the death of death\nwhen Jesus rises for eternity, to live forever. We announce this peace over and\nover again at the Liturgy  – and we\ndemand it in five of our six \u2018demand\u2019 petitions \u2013 because this is the purpose\nfor which we were created, to live in the community of God, forever. Christ\u2019s\npeace inaugurates the end of humanity\u2019s futile and narcissistic war with God. The\ncondition of this peace is to share in the fellowship of God forever; it\u2019s good\nnews because death is no longer the \u2018final frontier\u2019 \u2013 death is now only a\npassage to live in and with God. The presence of a human being standing with\nGod \u2013 who the holy apostle says is like us in every way except for sin\u2019\n(Hebrews 4:13). The presence of risen humanity living with God, started by\nChrist and followed by Mary and the communion of saints proves that we are\npromised a gift of which we are unworthy: the peace from above is the\nannouncement of the promise of this gift: we are given the gift of peace with\nGod through Christ, a peace that promises us human life after a temporary stop\nat death. My own emphasis on this peace is simply a way of reading the liturgy:\nit is the Liturgy that tells us over and over again that Christ is giving us\npeace in response to our request for it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For some reason, it can\nbe hard to find the words to describe just how marvelous this gift of peace is\nfor us. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\ndeacon\u2019s role as one of the Church\u2019s mediators of peace is crucial here because\nthe deacon can help us understand how the peace from above is an incomparable\ngift. We live in a time that tempts us to desire a distorted version of this\npeace from above. We seek a peace that is going to keep us safe from the\ntemptations of the world, and we identify the Church as a space that can\nprovide a protective layer that is impenetrable to the dangers posed by\nexternal threats. Usually, we name this threat as \u2018secularism\u2019 without\ncarefully defining what we mean by secularism, as a broad and somewhat\nimprecise way of bundling up worldly values that are foreign to the Gospel and\ntradition. We are especially threatened by the dangers posed by the \u2018chaos\u2019 of\nsecularism, especially when that chaos subverts our notion of order: so, for\nexample, feminism threatens Orthodox notions of patriarchy and order, modern\nmethods of childrearing challenge the traditional household, acceptance of\npeople with alternative lifestyles threatens the moral rigor of the Gospel, and\nso on. There are lots of examples one could add to this list, and I\u2019m sure that\nwe could entertain ourselves by pouring more of them into the pot, but the\npoint is this: the Church can become a place that seeks peace by keeping the\ndangers of the world out. We view the Church as a place of protection and\nrefuge. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nproblem with this mentality is that the Gospel itself contradicts it \u2013 it is a\nmisinterpretation of the peace from above, which is reconciliation with the\nliving God, not safety from worldly danger. I\u2019m not saying that we shouldn\u2019t\npetition God for safety \u2013 we should, and our Liturgy also does that, quite\nfrequently. I am saying that having the courage to receive God\u2019s peace requires\nus to become vulnerable to God by testifying to God in the context of our\neveryday lives. The German martyr Dietrich Boenhoffer, who risked his life by\nrejecting the rabid nationalism of the fascist regime and sought solidarity in\nan international arena, famously said: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peace\nis confused with safety. There is no way to peace along the way of safety. For\npeace must be dared. It is the great venture. It can never be safe. Peace is\nthe opposite of security. To demand guarantees is to mistrust and this mistrust\nin turn brings war. To look for guarantees is to want to protect oneself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two examples help us\nunderstand how the deacon can be a mediator of this peace. The first comes from\nthe original archdeacon, the Holy Martyr Stephen himself. The easy way out for\nSt. Stephen would have been to delegate the duty of testifying, of witnessing,\nto an apostle since he was among those appointed to wait tables by serving the\nneeds of the widows. But Stephen was steadfast in witnessing to the foundation\nof Christianity: Christ sent to us, as the son of God and the fulfillment of\nIsrael\u2019s hope. He did not run away from the danger posed to him by this moment,\nbut he offered witness to the core teaching of the Gospel even though it cost\nhim his life: St. Luke shows us an unwavering confidence in Christ\u2019s mercy,\ncertainty that he would be with God, a desire to be with Christ. His status and\nrank below the apostles was not an obstacle to his performance of this\nministry. In his classical treatise on salvation, St. Athanasius of Alexandria\ndevotes an entire chapter to the proof of the resurrection. It is fitting that\nhe does not embellish the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus, but instead\nshows one example after another of Christian people who no longer fear death,\nknowing that the promise of the resurrection is coming to them. We live in an\nage when our young people are looking for heroes to show them the way, and they\nget Marvel characters who use metahuman or inhuman or enhanced human powers to\nphysically defeat their opponents when the Gospel calls for ordinary humans to\njust be faithful and accept the good news that dying is not final. The peace\nfrom above described here sound intangible, utopian, a promise that is too good\nto be true. Deacons have an opportunity to lead the people and join them in\nnavigating everyday life in such a way that they do not hide from the world but\nconfront its challenges head-on. All that is required is unshakeable faith and\nconfidence in the promise of Christ\u2019s resurrection. It is not enough for us to\npoint to the heroes of the past or to ask priests alone to fulfill this duty.\nWe also need living models of faith, and it is clear that deacons are called to\nthis ministry, to be vibrant, joyful, authentic witnesses to the power of\nChrist\u2019s resurrection in an age of cynicism. This is the pattern handed down to\nthe diaconate from our forebear St. Stephen. An advanced theological degree\nfrom a seminary is not required for pure, human witness: as Evagrius of Pontus\nreminds us, the theologian is the one who prays. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\nspecial ministry can deacons assume? They are poised to lead faithful to live\nlife in the world without fear, as it is fear of external threats that\nparalyzes living faithfully. One of my family members really has it in for\nbusiness. For years, we have been taking long walks while he romanticizes the\nbattle between unions and businesses, and the people in business are always the\nbad guys. I recently asked him, have you considered the possibility that there\nare actually good places to work, that it is possible to be a manager whose\nwork is shaped by Christian priesthood? Think for a moment of our young people\nand the heroes who inspire them. Many of our young people are going to receive\nadvanced degrees preparing them to work in the world as business professionals.\nYes, this world presents risks and threats and we might want to shelter our\nyoung adults from corruption, gluttony, love of wealth, and so on. But we can\nalso show them a different way, that it is possible to conduct this work with\ndeep Christian dignity, to grow an organization that truly honors human dignity\nand uses wealth to clothe the naked and feed the sick, to have a mission that\nis much more than just a healthy bottom line. Deacons are uniquely poised to\nlead this ministry, to accompany young people as they learn how to navigate and\nread the world. Part of our problem is that we are afraid to dream, we allow\nfear to stop us from following Jesus\u2019 example where he sends his disciples into\nthe towns to be with the people; not to hide in the synagogues and only observe\nthe liturgy, but to be with the people in their daily lives, too. The natural\ndiaconal bridge between world and church makes this possible, and deacons are\nalso positioned to show that there will always be resistance to sharing the good\nnews that God\u2019s peace from above is being offered to all humankind, and that\nfidelity to sharing that good news through diverse means could lead one to\ndanger \u2013 just as those first apostles in Matthew 10 were instructed to pack\nlight  – they weren\u2019t staying in luxury\nhotels \u2013 they were doing whatever was needed to share the good news of the\nGospel, and Jesus warned them that there would be resistance. As a wise elder\nonce said, Jesus\u2019 instruction to shake the dust off their feet was a warning to\nrid themselves of the spirit of those who rejected the Gospel in one place lest\nthey bring that polluted dust into a new town that had not yet been\nevangelized. Deacons are the ones who are appointed this task of telling the\ntruth and announcing it, with the full knowledge that some will oppose it. We\nare agreeing to a dangerous adventure here \u2013 we have to embrace the paradox\nthat confronting danger and opposition over and over again is the only path to\nGod\u2019s peace from above in Christ.    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We have inherited a legacy of diaconal ministry in the Church that features the deacon\u2019s liturgical role. Every parish appreciates a deacon who serves and chants beautifully: a deacon whose liturgical service is powered by love for God and God\u2019s people contributes to the ascension of the people to God\u2019s throne for sanctification and communion. Liturgical ministry will always be the heart of the diaconate. A healthy heart pumps blood to make the whole body healthy, and our thesis today breaks open the power of peace proclaimed so often by the deacon in the daily and weekly liturgies. For years, Christians have earnestly sought strategies and methods to capture the peace they receive in the Liturgy in a bottle and thread it throughout their everyday lives. By the grace of God and the prayers of the Theotokos, deacons possess a charisma of the very peace they proclaim at the Liturgy and have the capacity to witness to the peace from above granted by Christ in parish life and among the people they serve in love. Let us pray, then, that God would again bestow Christ\u2019s peace upon us and give us the courage and the strength to share that peace with our brothers and sisters in Christ, for the life of the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sources:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chryssavgis, John. Remembering and Reclaiming Diakonia: The Diaconate Yesterday and Today<\/em>. Brookline: Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 2009.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mateos, Juan. La c\u00e9l\u00e9bration de la parole dans la liturgie byzantine: \u00e9tude historique. OCA 191. Rome:\nPontifical Oriental Institute, 1971. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\nTaft, Robert F. The Liturgy of the Hours in East and West:\nThe Origins of the Divine Office and Its Meaning for Today, 2d ed<\/em>.\nCollegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1993.\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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