The Deacon's Ministry of Charity and Justice

by William T. Ditewig

The deacon's exercise of charity and justice extends the loving hand of God's constant love and mercy to all who are in need. The Vatican's Congregation for Catholic Education has called this work “the ministry most characteristic of the deacon."
 
In The Deacon’s Ministry of Charity and Justice , Deacon William Ditewig focuses on this ministry as a constitutive element of the nature of the Church itself—always flowing from the ministries of Word and Sacrament and leading back to them, never apart from them. Along with a rich exploration of the scriptural, historical, and theological foundation of the deacon's practice of charity and justice, Deacon Ditewig—one of today's foremost experts on the permanent diaconate—develops specific and concrete principles for exercising these ministries faithfully, authentically, and effectively.

The Deacon’s Ministry series explores the three fundamental diaconal ministries identified in the teaching of Vatican those of the liturgy, of the word, and of charity to the people of God ( Lumen Gentium 29). This series, written by three highly regarded permanent deacons, offers a rich combination of theology, spirituality, and practical and effective guidance. Deacons and those in diaconal formation, their families, the bishops and priests they work with, and the people they serve will welcome it.

113 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 15, 2015

Reviews

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good and important book for deacons and those aspiring to the permanent diaconate. Deacon William Ditewig's inclusion of Pope Francis's Evangelii Gaudium, Pope Benedict's encyclical Deus Caritas Est, Pope St. John XXIII's Pacem in Terris on human rights, Vatican II documents, and the Code of Canon Law are very helpful in opening up an understanding of the permanent deacon's role in "apostolic leadership" in the service of charity and justice.

This book is essential reading. But this is not what I had expected and hoped for. There is a great emphasis on the service of charity, which is important for the deacon, especially the direct contact with people in need.

But what I struggle with is how can we deacons accompany the poor in the face of structural injustice, in the face of "social sin." There are a few references to this in the book but I think this is an area that needs careful and prayerful reflection - and experimentation. Otherwise our diaconal service could become limited to promoting individualistic efforts to alleviate poverty and leave the structures that allow them to continue intact.

Deacon William Ditewig notes the importance of the reflections of the priests in Dachau for the development of moves toward the permanent diaconate. As I understand what happened there, the priests were seriously concerned about the failure of the Church to respond to the evils of Nazism. The presence of men in the world and as deacons in the church was seen as part of a way to have the Church respond to the social evil, the sinful social structures of Nazism.

That may be a larger concern than what this book is meant to offer but it is one that should be seen as critical for the future of the permanent diaconate.

This is particularly important for me as I serve as a recently ordained permanent deacon in Honduras. I am struggling to discern how I am to live the ministry of charity and justice in a broken society. How can I accompany the people in their hopes and struggles for life - both their salvation and their health and safety.

In this light, I find a sentence from the document of Latin American Bishops Conference 1979 meeting in Puebla very poignant and challenging:

"The charism of the diaconate, a sacramental sign of 'Christ the servant,' is very effective in bringing about a poor, servant Church, that exercises its missionary function for the integral liberation of the human person."