Over the past seven years serving as a Catholic deacon, I have presided at many funeral vigils for deceased loved ones from our parish. One of the readings that is an option for the funeral rite truly embodies what eternal life will be like for all of us. At the Last Supper, Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be. Where [I] am going you know the way” (John 14:1-4). Jesus’ words give us hope that what we believe in faith will be fulfilled in the presence of God for all eternity.
Similarly, today’s readings give us a glimpse of the beatific vision that awaits us at the heavenly banquet of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Let us allow these words from the Prophet Isaiah to permeate every fiber of our being: “. . .the Lord of hosts will provide for all people a feast of rich food and choice wines, juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines.” As well as these words from Jesus’ parable: “Behold, I have prepared my banquet, my calves and fattened cattle are killed, and everything is ready. . .” The King invites all of us to “come to the feast!” This is the wedding feast that the angel revealed to John, saying: “Alleluia! The Lord has established his reign, [our] God, the almighty. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory. For the wedding day of the Lamb has come. . . Blessed are those who have been called to the wedding feast of the Lamb. . . These words are true; they come from God” (Revelations 19:6-7, 9).
The Good News of Jesus Christ is that we experience the heavenly banquet in this life every time we participate in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Jesus promises to be with us “always, until the end of the age”; and he keeps this promise to us in the Eucharist. The Eucharist is Jesus’ Body given for us and his Blood shed for us (Luke 22:19-20). This is the heavenly feast that the Prophet Isaiah wrote about and that Jesus talked about in his parable. It is the heavenly feast that the King of kings and the Lord of lords has prepared for us at every Mass. So why then do many professed Catholics, many of whom are our family members or someone we know, choose not to come to the Eucharistic celebration, just like those invited guests in today’s Gospel parable, who ignore the invitation or even flat-out refuse to come to the king’s “wedding feast for his son”?
Whatever their reasons may be for choosing the temporal things of this world over the things of God that are eternal, perhaps we can share with them these effects on their souls when they come to Mass. For us who participate in Mass regularly, we know and have experienced the graces that flow from the Mass. When we come to Mass, the “Lord God [wipes] away the tears from every face; the reproach of his people he will remove from the whole earth. . .” At the Mass, we encounter our Lord and our God “to whom we looked to save us!” and we praise him above all because “[this] is the Lord for whom we looked; let us rejoice and be glad that he has saved us!” Moreover, the Eucharist is the “source and summit” of our Christian life and when we receive the Body and Blood of our Lord Christ at Holy Communion, God nourishes us and “fully [supplies] us whatever we need, in accord with his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” He then sends us forth into mission territory to “go in peace, glorifying the Lord by our lives.” We go forth from the Mass filled with purpose and courage because we know that we “can do all things in him who strengthens [us].”
Pope Leo XIV recently shared this beautiful message: "There exists a martyrdom of those who offer their lives in a single moment, and the more hidden martyrdom of those who give their lives day after day. This is exactly what all Christians are called to do: to give our lives with love, every day. Our age needs men and women who have the courage to do good even when it comes at a cost. Draw close to those who are alone, support those who are weary, and seek out those who have drifted away. Have the courage to forgive, to begin again, and to engage in dialogue. Doing good does not always receive recognition and often requires effort, but this is the daily courage of charity. Friendship with Jesus Christ gives us the strength to live this way."
The “hidden martyrdom” that Pope Leo XIV wrote about could describe the life of a priest, who dedicates his life to serving the people of God, or the life of a husband and his wife, who sacrifice every moment of every day for their marriage and family. As a deacon and with it being Deacon Sunday today, I want to share with you the “hidden martyrdom” of a permanent deacon. A deacon stands at the threshold of the secular world and the Church, the clergy and the laity, a professional career and the diaconate ministry. He gives his life with love every day for his spouse, family, and the people of God, whom he is called to serve, even when it comes at a cost. A deacon draws close to those who are alone, supports those who are weary, and seeks out those who have drifted away. Through his own friendship with Jesus Christ, the deacon finds the daily courage of charity to forgive, to begin again, and to engage in dialogue.
As a deacon, I get to be a part of so many blessed moments in the sacramental life of God's people. I prepare young couples for marriage and parents and godparents for the Baptism of their children and godchildren. I get to celebrate the Baptism of children and welcome them as beloved sons and daughters of the Father and members of the Catholic Church. I get to witness the marriages between a man and a woman, two lovers who exchange vows with each other before God and his Church. I have the tremendous privilege of being present with families in their pain and suffering, to be an instrument of God's love and mercy to them and their families when they look to the Church in faith for hope and to feel God's loving closeness.
The truth of the matter is, like with vocations to the priesthood and religious / consecrated life, “[many] are invited, but few are chosen.” However, and I want to say this to all the men sitting in the pews, whether you are living a chaste life as a single man or you are married to your beautiful bride and have children, do not let the fear of not being chosen stop you from accepting the invitation from the Lord to discern if he is calling you to serve the Catholic Church as a priest, deacon, or religious brother. If I had allowed fear to grip me, then I would not have said “yes” to God when He called me to come home to Rome almost twenty (20) years ago. If I had allowed fear to overcome me, then I would not have said “yes” to God’s call to me to discern the diaconate almost thirteen (13) years ago. If fear of not being ordained a deacon after years of diaconal formation consumed me, then I would have discerned myself out of formation many times. Rather than be afraid, I trust God and continue to entrust my diakonia to His providential love, and my trust in God frees me to say “yes” to his invitation to come to his wedding feast and serve Him and His people as a deacon of Jesus Christ.
I encourage you all to do the same, to trust God and have the courage to accept His invitation and come to the heavenly banquet. God calls us to various vocations in life, each unique to the gifts that we received from the Holy Spirit through the Sacraments of the Catholic Church. God invites all of us to his heavenly banquet, here on earth at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and at the wedding feast of the Lamb for all eternity in the loving presence of our Father in heaven. Let us pray for the courage to accept the Lord’s invitation every time. [And, last of all, to all wives, if you feel that God is calling your husband to become a deacon, then pray for him, pray with him, and encourage him to come talk with me or any of the deacons.]
My vocation story:
My Vocation Story (Part 4) - Call to the Diaconate (UPDATED: 11/11/2025)
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