Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph 2016

Published: December 30, 2016

Bishop Anthony B. Taylor preached the following homily during the diaconate ordination for Brother Reginald Udouj, OSB, and Brother Cassian Elkins, OSB, at Subiaco Abbey on Friday, Dec. 30, 2016.

Bishop Taylor

You may have noticed that the readings we have for the Mass are not readings typically chosen for a ceremony of ordination to the diaconate. The reason is that today we celebrate the feast of the Holy Family, which is a solemnity and therefore takes precedence over ritual Masses.

But notice how appropriate that is for the ordination of two men who belong to a monastic community — indeed, a monastic family — and as such a community called  to be a holy family modeled on that of the original Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

Abbot means "father" and like St. Joseph, your abbot is the head of the household. Like the Blessed Mother, all of you have a role in bringing Christ into the world and fostering his growth as you do, for instance, for the young men entrusted to your care at Subiaco Academy and in the parishes you serve.

And like Jesus himself, you are committed to a life characterized by the virtues listed in our first reading today: holiness, compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, love, peace and thankfulness. If you live that way, your monastery will be a "holy family" indeed.

Reginald and Cassian, by accepting ordination to the diaconate — and eventually the priesthood — you are taking on yourself a greater obligation to place yourself more fully at the service of your brothers in this monastery and the people of God more generally, not only in line with whatever assignments your abbot may give you, but also in all the other opportunities to serve that simply present themselves — things you know Jesus would like you to do.

In this way, the conversion of life, which you have vowed as a Benedictine, will become so ingrained in your character that service and the desire to serve will simply become second nature to you — if for whatever reason that's not the case already. That's the way it was with the original Holy Family.

Cassian and Reginald, with ordination to the diaconate you will be entrusted with service at the altar and the proclamation of God's word. You will be able to baptize, bring the Eucharist to the sick, administer Viaticum, witness marriages, conduct funerals outside of Mass and bless religious objects.

But these ministries for which you will be given faculties upon ordination constitute only a small part — maybe 5 percent —of your role as a deacon. You don't need anyone's permission to do most of what a deacon does — which I presume you are in fact already doing — namely simply to serve the Lord and his people in any way you can: selflessly, sacrificially, with enthusiasm and joy.

Today's responsorial psalm says: "Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways." Fear of the Lord doesn't mean dread of him or apprehension that he's somehow out to get us and will punish every little flaw, every little misstep.

After all his nature is pure love, so how could he want anything other than what would be good for us. Indeed he embodies in his very nature all those virtues listed in our first reading: holiness, compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, love and so on.

Fear of the Lord does not mean that now as a deacon you have to worry even more about ever making a mistake. If that were the case, then I as a bishop would even have a lot more to worry about! No, "fear of the Lord" means basically that pleasing God must be the number one priority in our lives.

That we fear the disapproval of others less than we fear the disapproval of God, or to say the same thing more positively, that we seek to please God — do what he wants — more than we seek to please anyone else, including ourselves. And that's how we will know that we are walking in his ways.

Reginald and Cassian, this is the path that the Lord has marked out for you. Your response to the Lord's call is an inspiration for all of us. You have the support of our prayers and we look forward to the service you will offer us now as a deacon and eventually as a priest!