arewell F Bren - Cistercian Monks of Tarrawarra Abbey

Homily for the Diaconate Ordination
of Br Samuel and Br Joseph
In a few moments Brothers Samuel
and Joseph will be invited to step
forward, stand here in front of us all
and, through their ordination as deacons,
commit themselves as members
of that group of men whom we
call the ordained ministers of our
Church. They will declare before
all of us their willingness to do their
best to rise to the great challenges
which this way of life will put before
them, and through the laying
on of hands and the prayer of consecration,
the Holy Spirit will take
hold of them just as the same Holy
Spirit once took hold of Matthias, as
we read in the passage from the Acts
of the Apostles in the First Reading
from this morning’s Mass, enabling
them to rise to the challenges which
his unique vocation placed before
them.
As Brothers Samuel and Joseph
stand here before us, I would like
to invite all of you to look at
them carefully with the eyes
8 of faith. Through their ordi-
(L-R) Br Joseph, Bishop Les, Br Samuel, Dom David
nation to the diaconate, Samuel and
Joseph, as well as being our friends,
our relatives, our brothers in religious
life, become something more.
In the mystery of God’s love, they
become a living sign of the presence
of Jesus among us in a whole new
way. From now on as we look at
Samuel and Joseph with the eyes of
faith, we will see something more
of the mystery of the Lord’s love for
us unfolding in front of our eyes.
This is true of every Christian, of
course. Each one of us is filled with
the Spirit of God, each one of us
is made in the image and likeness
of God, each one of us is called to
be another Christ to and for others.
Husbands and wives are called to
be living signs to each other of the
love and fidelity which Christ has
for his Church. Parents are called
to be living signs of that unselfish
love which, in imitation of Christ,
puts the needs and the good of others
before their own needs and desires.
Religious men and women are
by Bishop Les Tomlinson
called to be living signs of the poverty,
the chastity and the obedience
of Christ - his total commitment to
his Father’s will. Cistercian monks,
in particular, are called to be living
signs of the love of Christ through
their contemplative life of silence,
prayer and work. And of course, all
of us are called to these different vocations
precisely so that everyone,
and not just married people, can see
and know that fidelity is asked of us
all; that everyone, and not just parents,
are called to put the needs of
others first; that everyone, and not
just religious are called to live lives
of simplicity, openness to God’s
will and profound respect for each
other’s dignity; that all of us, and
not just the Cistercians are called to
a life of reflection, prayer and hospitality.
What then of deacons? To what
are they called as witnesses
in a special way with their lives? To
what are Samuel and Joseph com-
(continued on page 7)