Ordination of Permanent Deacons 2022

Most Reverend José H. Gomez
Archbishop of Los Angeles

Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels
June 11, 2022

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,¹

What a beautiful day this is for the whole Archdiocese of Los Angeles! I was thinking that we need a bigger Cathedral, don’t you think? So maybe for the next Archbishop. And what a beautiful day for you, my dear brothers, and all of your families and parishes. 

As we all know the Lord Jesus came to be the servant of all.² And today, these brothers of ours will be set apart to follow the Lord more closely, more intimately.

Today, by the power of God, my dear brothers, you will be consecrated to live and serve — in persona Christi Servi — “in the person of Christ the Servant.”³

This is a noble and sacred calling that dates back to the earliest days of the Church. The first deacons, as we are aware, were ordained by the apostles themselves.

The deacon is the man of service. In him, we clearly see the calling of every Christian — to love the Lord, and to serve the Lord. The saints speak of a single word, “Serviam.” It means, I will serve you, Lord!

So in this Holy Mass, let us especially ask Our Lord to strengthen our desire to serve him, to give ourselves, to renew our dedication to our calling.

How amazing it is to know God’s love, to hear those words of the prophet: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you.”

I think we need to let those words sink in, make them personal. They are spoken to all of us, but especially to each one of you, my dear brothers.

The many different paths that you have followed to reach this day, but our heavenly Father knew every one of these paths from long before you were born. “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you…”

That is how much you are loved, my brothers! That is how necessary you are to the mission of his Church, to the salvation of this world that God loves so much.

So how can we thank God for such a beautiful gift? What he asks of us today is that we make a gift of our own lives, that we say, Serviam! I serve you. I will serve you, with the help of your grace, with all my strength, with all my heart.  Every day, every moment.

And my dear brothers and sisters, as we know, we are living in a time of change in our society and in the world. It is a time of insecurity and division, many of our neighbors are troubled and afraid. It is hard to hear the voice of God in the midst of all the noise and confusion that we have in our society.

But the Lord Jesus is sending all of us to proclaim his peace, his good news, and his life. He commands us today: “Into whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this household.’”

Peace comes when we know the truth — the truth about God’s plan for our lives, the truth about his plan for the world.

And the truth is that we have a Maker, a Father who loves us, and he has sent his only Son among us to live for us and to die for us, and to show us the path to true happiness.

Jesus Christ is our peace. He is our healing. And the real healing — in our lives and in our society — comes when we live according to his truth, when we follow the path that he sets before us.

And my dear brothers, our Lord is sending you out with a special mission — to be peacemakers and healers. Again, he commands you today: “Cure the sick and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God is at hand for you.’”

Brothers, you are called to proclaim this beautiful truth. You are called to bring a new awareness that God is with us, that he is the true foundation of our lives, that he is speaking with us, and living with us, and walking with us.  This is the beautiful service that you are called to today.

But we serve and we lead — not only by what we say, but by our example

So I pray that you will take to heart St. Paul’s words in the second reading of today’s Mass: “Live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace.”  

Let everyone who sees you, see the image of Christ the humble servant.

So, my dear brothers and sisters, let us pray for our new deacons today.

Let us offer together, this beautiful prayer to our Lord, one word: Serviam! I will follow you, I will serve you. With your help and with your love, as you show me how to love; I will live for others, as you lived for others!

So let’s ask Our Blessed Mother Mary for her intercession, especially to walk with our new deacons and with all of us. May she help us to open our hearts to follow and to love and to serve her Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.