God's Grace at Work
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Two Saturdays ago, I was ordained a deacon at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross through the ministry of Seán Cardinal O'Malley. Prior to the ceremony I spent some time reading through and thinking about the various elements of the rite of ordination and their significance. One particular part stood out to me, especially considering that it is a part of the rite that very few people would notice. After the ordination has taken place and the Mass continues with the liturgy of the Eucharist there is a prayer that is inserted shortly before the consecration. This is the most holy part of the Mass, when bread and wine are transfigured into the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The prayer goes:Therefore, Lord, we pray:
graciously accept this oblation of our service,
that of your whole family,
which we make to you
also for your servants
whom you have been pleased to raise to the Order of the Diaconate;
and in your mercy, keep safe your gifts in them,
so that what they have received by divine commission
they may fulfill by divine assistance.This prayer reveals how God’s grace is at work in my ordination. It is God who has raised me to the Order of the Diaconate. I did not earn it by working hard or by any other form of human achievement. It is not a graduation or a recognition of some good work of my own, rather it is itself a good work of God. Also, the prayer asks the Lord to keep safe his good gifts in me. Throughout my ministry for the rest of my life, all successes cannot be credited to me. They must be credited to the Lord who has bestowed his gifts upon me and who continues to protect me. This brings great comfort, because the divine commission I have been given is weighty. However, I need not fear, because it is by divine assistance that I will carry it out. It is God’s grace which accomplishes all good things, not my own effort.
This is not just a lesson for the eleven of us who were ordained earlier this month. Each and every Christian should be mindful of how God’s grace is at work in their life by their baptism. We all have been baptized into Christ and he dwells within us. By this baptism we are all called to live the lives of Christians, which can be difficult at times. By human effort alone, the Christian life is actually impossible, so thanks be to God that we do not go alone. All the baptized have received a divine commission which can only be fulfilled by divine assistance, so let us all acknowledge God’s good work in us and let us continue to ask him to pour out endless graces upon us.