Diaconal Ordination of the Custody
Jerusalem, St. Savior, June 21, 2026
Jer 20:10–13; Rom 5:12–15; Mt 10:26–33
Dear brothers,
you who are about to be ordained deacons, and all of you, the community gathered here.
The Gospel the Church offers us this Sunday begins with a word that sounds like a command but is actually a promise and a revelation: “Do not be afraid” (Mt 10:26, 28, 31). Jesus repeats it three times, as if to engrave it in the hearts of those He is sending.
Today, in this city where the Lord walked, died, and rose again, you are those ones being sent. You receive the diaconal ministry to be His servants. The Lord does not hide from you the hardship of the mission. You know well that the world, even the one you love and in which you live, does not always welcome. It may misunderstand, reject, or wound. In some parts of the world, it may even kill, as we have unfortunately seen many times, even recently.
Yet we must listen carefully to what the Lord says. He does not promise that your life will be preserved from every danger. He does not say, “Do not be afraid because you will not fall.” He uses a concrete image: that of the sparrows. Two sparrows are sold for a coin. Yet, Jesus says, “not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father’s will” (Mt 10:29). The Lord does not promise that you will not fall. He promises something much greater: that you will never be alone. The Father is present precisely where our frailty, weakness, or fall seem to have the last word. The truth that will be revealed is the faithfulness of God – His presence and care.
This proclamation of the Father’s faithfulness is at the heart of your new ministry. Today you are made deacons, and the very term “deacon” means “servant.” But not just any servant: you are called to conform your lives to Christ, who “came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Mk 10:45). Your service in the Church of Jerusalem unfolds in three inseparable dimensions: the service of the Word, the service of the Altar, and the service of Charity.
First, you will be proclaimers of the Gospel. The missionary discourse of Jesus that we have partly heard today is your mandate. Jesus says, “What I tell you in the dark, say in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops” (Mt 10:27). As deacons, you will be the first to proclaim the Word of God in the liturgy. But not only that: in a world that often lives in the darkness of falsehood, violence, and hatred, you are called to bring the light of truth – that the Father does not abandon His children. This is the Word you must proclaim. Not an abstract message, but a Word that became flesh in this Land, that wept over Jerusalem, that was crucified and rose again. Be heralds of this hope, especially where despair and conflict reign. Know that your authority will not come from your eloquence, but from your fidelity to the Gospel you live and proclaim. Do not be afraid to cry out this truth: it is stronger than every lie!
Second, you will be ministers of the Eucharist. This service at the altar binds you inseparably to the Paschal mystery of Christ, to His total self-giving. Here, the word of Jesus, “Do not be afraid,” takes on a profound meaning: you will approach the mystery of the Cross, the sacrifice of the One who was rejected and killed. But precisely in that apparent failure, the glory of the Father was revealed. You are called to make present this mystery of salvation. Do not be afraid to stand at the foot of the Cross, like Mary, John, and the holy women. In the Eucharistic celebration, you anticipate the banquet of the Kingdom, where God will wipe away every tear. Be ministers of the unity the Eucharist creates, especially in contexts marked by divisions that sometimes affect even the Christian community. Let your service at the altar make you builders of communion and peace.
Third, and perhaps most visibly, you will be servants of charity. The Gospel you have heard speaks of the Father who cares for the sparrows, who knows every hair on our heads. As deacons, you are called to make this care of the Father visible, especially toward the least. Your service does not stop at the altar, but extends into the daily life of the Church. You will be close to the poor, the sick, the foreigners, and all those who experience loneliness and abandonment. You will be the eyes and hands of the Church that bends over the wounds of humanity. In this service, the Lord asks you to be transparent: the charity you proclaim is not philanthropy, but the reflection of the love of Christ, who first made Himself a servant. Therefore, be deacons who know how to wash feet, as the Master did, without fear of getting your hands dirty.
Dear brothers,
These three dimensions form a single movement. The Word sustains you in service, the Eucharist nourishes you for charity, and charity brings you back to the Altar. To accomplish all this, however, you must learn to dwell in silence.
Today, in Jerusalem, the city where the first deacons were chosen to serve at table and proclaim the Word, you are ordained for this threefold service. Carry in your hearts the joy of this gift.
Today we pray that your service may always remain alive, humble, and trusting. May your lives become a reflection of God’s providence for His people. And may many, through your ministry, come to discover the faithfulness of God.
May the Lord, who has begun this good work in you, bring it to completion. May the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, intercede for each of you and sustain you in your ministry.
