WITNESS TO JESUS
This is the prepared text of Bishop Larry Silva’s homily for the ordination to the diaconate of William “Pila” Tulua, Aug. 15, at the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa, Honolulu, on the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
This is a glorious day on which we celebrate the fact that heaven is no longer a place only for angels and the spirits of the faithful dead. Instead, God has made it a place of bodily dwelling as well by assuming the Blessed Virgin Mary, body and soul, into heaven, so that she could join her beloved son there. We all look forward to the resurrection of the dead on the last day, as St. Paul reminds us we should. But such a resurrection has already happened, not only for Jesus, the Son of God, but by a special grace of God, for the Blessed Virgin Mary as well.
When the Apostle and Evangelist John had his vision, related in the Book of Revelation, he could see that “God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant could be seen in the temple.” That ark is none other than Mary, who was specially entrusted to that beloved disciple as his mother, as she is entrusted to all of us. She is the ark of the new and eternal covenant because she carried Jesus the Savior within her, the living Word of God and the living manna.
Today is also glorious because in a few moments there will be a new deacon for our diocese and for the church. Of course, Pila, your prayers, especially in the Liturgy of the Hours, will offer an unsurpassable spiritual service to the church and to the world. Your preaching of the Word of God will open our hearts more widely to be consecrated by that Word. This spiritual service is not to be underestimated. Of course, one purpose of your prayer is to keep you close to the Lord, checking in with the One who calls you throughout the hours of the day to praise him. But now your diaconal prayer will be a service to your brothers and sisters.
But there is also something very physical about this ordination. Pila, you are called not only to pray for the people entrusted to your care, but to serve them very concretely by joining the rank of that Holy Order whose main role it is to model the concrete service each Christian is to give to his or her neighbor. Waiting on tables, as the first deacons did, is a very physical activity. So is washing feet, as Jesus the Deacon taught us.
Going out to heal wounds by listening with the compassionate heart of Jesus is no mere spiritual work, but involves engagement of the bodily senses. Feeding the hungry and sheltering the homeless are diaconal activities that engage not only the spirit but the whole body, one’s whole being as well. Bandaging all the wounds of the world is a very hands-on activity that can seldom be done only through the power of prayer. Casting out demons of racism and of pride engages the entire self.
Notice in today’s Gospel that Mary, upon hearing that she was to become the Ark of the Covenant, the Mother of the Savior, immediately made a long and exhausting physical journey from Nazareth to a suburb of Jerusalem, so that she could be with her relative Elizabeth in that old woman’s last three months of pregnancy. For any woman, but especially for this elderly woman, those last months of bearing a heavy load can make daily tasks much more difficult. So Mary did not simply send a note of spiritual support, but she went to give her hands-on service for those critical three months.
And so the deacon’s service is also a concrete, physical service to the people of God. In committing yourself to celibacy for the sake of the kingdom, Pila, you testify physically that nothing is more important than God and worshipping God both spiritually and bodily. In proclaiming the Gospel, you do so not just in words but in deeds, believing what you read, teaching what you believe, and practicing what you teach. And, of course, this diaconate is for you a step toward the priesthood, but you should never think of it as transitional, but rather as foundational, because no priest should dare to act in the person of Christ if he does not always imitate the one who came not to be served but to serve.
It must be noted, however, that there is one who wishes to devour the beautiful Savior who comes forth from the womb of the Ark of the Covenant. You can be sure that this ugly dragon will pursue you most diligently the more diligently you bring Christ to light. He will pursue you with little criticisms, with self-doubt, or with the notion that you are the savior rather than the Savior’s servant. At those times, realize that God will do all in his power to ultimately protect you, if you remain attentive to him as his faithful servant.
God has opened the heavens now to our full humanity, and he chooses you, Pila, as his deacon, to continue to open those heavens so that all will know that God’s love is not simply a matter of the heart, but is a physical embrace. As we storm heaven on your behalf, invoking the prayers of all the saints, be assured that God gives you a special advocate in the Blessed Virgin Mary, who in all her humanity is now one forever with God, a sure hope and comfort for all God’s pilgrim people.
