Further Along the Road Less Travelled

Sharing our own experiences of coming to faith and inner

awakenings are great ways to evangelize. After all, the Acts of the Apostles are full of stories of how God worked in the lives of the people of the early church. St. Stephen had a vision of Jesus sitting at the right hand of the Father, a vision that turned the Pharisees against him resulting in his death by stoning.

Saul, who was instrumental in Stephen’s death, would later have his own awakening on the road to Damascus on

his campaign of persecuting Christians. Hearing a voice from heaven, “Saul, why are you persecuting me”, he is knocked to the ground by a light so intense that it leaves him blind. From this experience, he would rise as one of the greatest Christian evangelizers in history. The unpredictable Peter shines in the Acts of the Apostles, healing as Jesus healed, preaching as Jesus preached, and dying as Jesus died. And the other rag tag disciples of Jesus would all grow to give witness, often with their lives, to their experience of Jesus bringing them to new awareness. When anyone places their life on the line to declare the truth of their experience, then it truly is a testament that the story is real.  

Are not our stories as important to this generation as the disciples stories were to theirs?  These stories are not so much a record of personal goals or achievements, but a witnessing to that mysterious power we each experience in our lives which, in the Christian tradition, we call the Holy Spirit. Do we not have to share this treasure we have discovered in clay pots so that it may be not lost?

So in my late twenties, as I expanded my reading and my prayer life, I often felt in my heart a longing for a deeper spiritual life, a longing to share or serve in some way. I would be driving along and listening to the car radio when suddenly it was there: This longing to be with God, to become immersed in His love and to give witness to His love, to somehow act this out in the stage of my own life. I developed a desire to express what I was experiencing in respect to my faith, but the expression of the experience was very difficult if not impossible to put into words. Yet, it had to find expression somewhere and somehow.

Two events would follow at this point in my life. First was the desire to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation.  Second, was the desire to serve Christ and His Church in some capacity.

The first desire was easily accomplished.  After speaking to my parish priest, he arranged, with others, a short time of preparation, and then we all received the Sacrament of Confirmation at St. Mary's Basilica a few weeks later.

As for the second desire, a seminarian, who attended our prayer group, suggested that the Diaconate formation program might be an area of service to consider. I didn't know too much about deacons or what they did in their ministry, but the prayer group to which I belonged brought me in touch with two people who would influence my life deeply. One was an ordained deacon. The other was in formation. I was deeply influenced by Deacon Doug and his wife Marian who were also very active in the Charismatic renewal at the time, and illustrated for me faith in action. Also, I was influenced deeply by Herb and his wife Gert, two very humble and spirit-filled people.  Herb was in the preparation program to become a deacon.  In fact, even before I made the decision to apply to the formation 

program, I had the opportunity to attend Deacon Herb’s ordination and witness his acceptance into diaconate service. It was impressive, to say the least, to see this married family man, with his wife Gert, enthusiastically pledging their lives in service to Christ and the Church. This instilled within me a deep desire to begin the journey that these men had already taken.

A question that came to mind as I pondered this goal was my wife’s reaction to it. Mary Anne was a very faith filled person, however, how would she respond to my desire to enter this public role that would certainly flow over into her life, whether she liked it or not.  Mary Anne, up to this time, had been a quiet witness to all of the changes that were happening to me in respect to my faith. For the most part, she was very pleased that I was taking my faith seriously. She certainly wanted the faith that she loved to be passed to our three sons, and this required the support of both parents. When I mentioned to her my interest in applying for the diaconate formation program, she took it to prayer, and immediately responded by agreeing to support me in this new direction.
 

This response was a confirmation that this area of ministry was a true call, not only for me, but for our whole family. It was something that we would share, and the formation that began shortly after my application certainly did begin the process of solidifying our family relationships. Much healing would result from our participation in the ministries program.

I have often said that Mary Anne and I were the least likely candidates for diaconate formation and ministry, but the gifts that we received as a result of this surrender changed the whole direction of our lives. As with most who have participated in such a program of preparation, what we have received far outweighed anything that we could have given.