Saturday of the Second Week of Easter

“St. Stephen is Consecrated Deacon” (detail)
by Vittore Carpaccio, 1511

Readings for Saturday of the Second Week of Easter [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible[2]
 
Readings and Commentary:[3]
 
Reading 1: Acts 6:1-7
 
As the number of disciples continued to grow,
the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews
because their widows
were being neglected in the daily distribution.
So the Twelve called together the community of the disciples and said,
“It is not right for us to neglect the word of God to serve at table.
Brothers, select from among you seven reputable men,
filled with the Spirit and wisdom,
whom we shall appoint to this task,
whereas we shall devote ourselves to prayer
and to the ministry of the word.”
The proposal was acceptable to the whole community,
so they chose Stephen, a man filled with faith and the Holy Spirit,
also Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas,
and Nicholas of Antioch, a convert to Judaism.
They presented these men to the Apostles
who prayed and laid hands on them.
The word of God continued to spread,
and the number of the disciples in Jerusalem increased greatly;
even a large group of priests were becoming obedient to the faith.
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Commentary on Acts 6:1-7
 
This account from Acts is considered to be the institution of the diaconate or the Order of Deacons. There is a clear delineation of roles. The Apostles retain their pastoral role as shepherds of the faith (through “prayer and ministry of the word”), while assigning the service role (distribution of food and material to the needy) to Stephen and his six brother deacons. It is noteworthy to observe that Stephen and Philip especially began their own service of the word as well, but in an evangelical rather than liturgical way.
 
Understanding the roots of the imposition of hands is key to understanding the rationale for its use as an ordaining function. While this was a Hebrew tradition for designating a person for a task, it was later adopted by the Church as a mark of ordination and sacramental selection by God. ("From that time on the apostles, in fulfillment of Christ's will, imparted to the newly baptized by the laying on of hands the gift of the Spirit that completes the grace of Baptism.”) [4]
 
CCC: Acts 6:6 2632; Acts 6:7 595, 1569
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 33:1-2, 4-5, 18-19
 
R. (22) Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
or:
R. Alleluia.
 
Exult, you just, in the Lord;
praise from the upright is fitting.
Give thanks to the Lord on the harp;
with the ten-stringed lyre chant his praises.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
or:
R. Alleluia.
 
Upright is the word of the Lord,
and all his works are trustworthy.
He loves justice and right;
of the kindness of the Lord the earth is full.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
or:
R. Alleluia.
 
See, the eyes of the Lord are upon those who fear him,
upon those who hope for his kindness,
To deliver them from death
and preserve them in spite of famine.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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Commentary on Ps 33:1-2, 4-5, 18-19
 
Psalm 33 is a hymn of praise. In these strophes, we hear the note of thanksgiving for God’s salvation and complete faith in God’s mercy. The final strophe (v. 18-19) hearkens to a time of great tribulation where the Lord’s saving hand was clearly seen. (“The eyes of the Lord are upon those who fear him, upon those who hope for his kindness.”) This song also can also be applied to the virtue of the seven deacons  (See Acts 6:1-7 and 1 Timothy 3:12-13 "Upright is the word of the Lord, and all his works are trustworthy”).
 
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Gospel: John 6:16-21
 
When it was evening, the disciples of Jesus went down to the sea,
embarked in a boat, and went across the sea to Capernaum.
It had already grown dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.
The sea was stirred up because a strong wind was blowing.
When they had rowed about three or four miles,
they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat,
and they began to be afraid.
But he said to them, “It is I. Do not be afraid.”
They wanted to take him into the boat,
but the boat immediately arrived at the shore to which they were heading.
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Commentary on Jn 6:16-21
 
This is the fifth sign of Jesus’ identity as the Son of God from John’s Gospel. We see Jesus sharing God’s power (see also Job 9:8). The disciples are in a boat at night and the sea is up (“The sea was stirred up because a strong wind was blowing”). They were clearly frightened by their situation.  We recall that a good number of the disciples were professional sailors (fishermen), so the storm being described must have been very severe.  The Lord appeared to them, walking on the water and said: “It is I, Do not be afraid.” Immediately they were relieved and wanted to take him aboard but before they could do so they arrived at their destination.
 
CCC: Jn 6 1338
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Reflection:
 
We have choices again today as to which part of Scripture we reflect upon.  While the story from the Gospel is compelling because of all the neat metaphors built into the story (the disciples’ fear and how the Lord’s presence calmed them; their need to bring him into the boat; the Lord’s identity revealed as he assumed power reserved to the Father), the deacon must address the reading from Acts.
 
In the passage proclaimed today from the Acts of the Apostles an important event is defined in scripture.  Most biblical and Church scholars agree that the appointment of the seven Hellenists represents the establishment of the Order of Deacons (the diaconate) in the Christian community.
 
St. Timothy later fleshes out the selection criteria for deacons (1 Timothy 3:12-13), but here the Apostles select these men to provide service to the community.  They pray over them and impose hands upon them, calling them pointedly to service.
 
Since the modern permanent diaconate was reestablished at the Second Vatican Council, the diaconate has grown faster and in different ways than was anticipated in Sacrum Diaconatus Ordinem.  Permanent deacons are, for the most part, now widely accepted as the “servant clergy” they were intended to be.  There are some notable exceptions.  Unless I missed something, the Knights of Columbus still do not recognize deacons as clergy at the national level, and many of the older religious orders are still in denial, seeing the permanent diaconate as some sort of lay apostolate with delusions of grandeur. But the true servant finds these kinds of push-backs a grace from God.  They remind him that what he does in ministry, for God’s greater glory, sets him on the proper course, in the footsteps of his Savior who was also not always held in high esteem. And, as we will see later in the story of St. Stephen, deacons should not expect an easy road.
 
St. Paul says it best in his First Letter to the Corinthians: “There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone.”  Perhaps what we need to remember most is that Christ came to serve all mankind, and that service was not intended to generate honor for those who serve, but for the God in whose name that service was done.  If we can keep that squarely in focus, we will be with him who died as his final service to us.
 
Pax

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[1] The Picture is “St. Stephen is Consecrated Deacon” (detail) by Vittore Carpaccio, 1511.
[2] S.S. Commemoratio
[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4] CCC 1288.