Deacon Sean’s New Book – The Deacon Icon of Christ the Servant
‘Servants of the Word – The Gospel of Christ and the Call to Discipleship’
Deacon Sean Loone
Our Lady of the Wayside
Have you ever wondered what the difference is between a deacon and a priest? Or have you ever thought about what a deacon is called to be and do by the Church and therefore by Christ himself? Perhaps the best place to start is with understanding that some men are invited to be become what is known as Permanent Deacons, which means that they will never be priests because that is not their calling. This is because the diaconate is a ministry in its own right, one, which goes right back to the very earliest days of the church. In essence the deacon is called to be a servant of Christ and his people. Indeed the word deacon is derived from the Greek word ‘diakonos’ (original language of the New Testament) meaning servant. The title, therefore, makes the point that the deacon’s ministry is one of loving service or putting it another way simply to be an icon of Christ the servant.
Now traditionally the deacon’s ministry is divided into three distinct areas as follows:
Servant of the altar
Servant of the Word
Servant of Charity
In this book I have focused my attention, primarily, on the deacon as a servant of the word. To give you a flavour of what the book is about here is my summary from the back cover,
‘What does it mean to be invited by Christ to be a Servant of the Word? How is it possible today to live life in such a way that it is contrary to popular culture? Is it possible to know anything about God and if so how? Who can people turn to if they want t know more about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and what it means for life in the modern world? What does it mean to conform your life, as far as that is possible, to that of Christ who came, ‘not to be served but to serve?’
These are just some of the questions explored in this book as the author, a deacon himself, invites the reader to understand what it means to be a ‘Servant of the Word.’ Whether you are a minister of the church or not this book invites you to immerse yourself in the scriptures in order to be able to find Christ who is as present in his Word as he is in the sacraments. The aim is to feed the mind, sustain the soul and touch the heart as we discover that it is, in fact, God who comes in search of us. The emphasis is vey much on seeing the scriptures as a dialogue between God and the human race. Ultimately and in the light of this the reader is invited to ask the question, ‘what might God be inviting me to do?’
Fr. Harry Curtis, the Birmingham Diocesan Director of the Permanent Deaconate, summarised the book as follows,’
‘From the opening invitation to enter into a personal relationship with Jesus through the words of Sacred Scripture – heart – through an introduction to the intellectual content – head – to the purpose of Divine Revelation – heart and head together – we are enabled to make the Sunday homily an event of gracious encounter for us and for those who choose to listen.’
If you would like to find out more about what it means to be a Permanent Deacon in the Church today then this might just be the book for you. However, it is also written for anyone who simply wants to find out more about the Gospels and in so doing deepen their own faith. The book takes you on a journey designed to bring the reader closer to Christ in their everyday lives. Yet it never loses sight of the key word, ‘service,’ so central to the ministry of Our Lord who himself said, ‘But I am among you as one who serves.’ (Luke 22:27)
The book, in fact, brings to an end a series I have been working on for some time. In ‘Born For Us – A Journey Into the Real Meaning of Christmas,’ I focused on the birth of Our Lord. Its follow up, ‘Only In the Crucified Christ – Questions and Answers on Faith, Hope and Love,’ explored the impact of Jesus’s death on our lives of faith. Whilst ‘Sharing in the Life of God – A Journey Into the Real Meaning of Easter,’ brought the trilogy to an end with its emphasis on the resurrection. This final book, therefore, gives practical expression to everything, which has preceded it.
Finally, all the profits from the sale of the book are being donated to charity, ‘Father Hudson’s Care’ – the Social Care Agency of the Archdiocese of Birmingham. Their aim is to offer help and support to people in need and so improve their quality of life. This also fulfils the requirement of the deacon to be a servant of charity by always seeking to help those in need. You can find out more about their work by going to www.fatherhudsons.org.uk
The book itself is available to buy in dual format from Amazon.co.uk.
If you do decide to purchase a copy of the book can I take this opportunity to thank you for your help and support especially on behalf of Father Hudson’s Care who do such great work for some of the most vulnerable people in our society today.
God Bless
Deacon Sean
Our Lady of the Wayside