The First Seven Deacons

 

Ordaining Administrators for the Church

The reading from the Acts of the Holy Apostles tells us about the circumstances that led to the appointment of the first seven deacons in the Church. The deacons according to this holy book, were to fulfill the administrative functions of the Church, so that the Apostles could devote themselves to preaching and teaching the people. Ultimately, this early division of labor led to the threefold structure of the Mystery of Holy Orders, which the Church has had throughout the centuries, the fundamental structure of bishops, priests and deacons.

The Holy Spirit Had Other Plans

It is interesting that we see these seven men being ordained to fulfill the humdrum, ordinary functions of the Church, with special emphasis being placed on food distribution, but in the very next chapter, we see that the Holy Spirit intended greater things for the Order of Deacons than the Apostles had originally intended. In that subsequent chapter, we see the actions of Stephen (one of the first seven deacons), as he begins to preach and teach, debating with enemies of the faith, and winning people over to believe in the Lord Jesus. We might justifiably object, "Wait! I thought that the deacons were supposed to be engaged in administration, so that the Apostles could be doing those things that we see Stephen doing." Neither is Stephen an outlier. Later on in the Acts of the Holy Apostles, we see another deacon, Philip, become the major apostle and evangelist to Samaria, and also, through his preaching to the eunuch of queen Candace, to the people of Ethiopia. Yes, the Apostles intended for the deacons to be solely administrative officers in the Church, but the Holy Spirit had a different plan.

Administration, yes; but also Evangelization and Liturgy

Throughout the ages, even up to this day, the ministry of the deacon is threefold: administration, evangelization and liturgy. Administration hardly needs any comment, since it was the Apostles original intention for the diaconal order. Yet, evangelization and liturgy are the functions, which the Holy Spirit superadded to the Apostolic intention.

Evangelization throughout the history of the Church has been the more important of the two remaining diaconal functions. It is also the one that is the most apparent in the story of the Acts of the Holy Apostles, since we see Stephen and Philip engaged in evangelistic efforts, which lead to the conversions of certain groups and peoples. The importance of evangelization in the life of the deacon is the compelling reason why the deacon must have the wealth of education in the Tradition of the Church, which the Church now requires. The deacon's primary function in the Divine Liturgy directly springs from his role in evangelization. In the Divine Liturgy, the deacon proclaims the Gospel. Proclaiming the Gospel is evangelization. In the text of the Liturgy itself, the deacon is referred to as "the proclaimer of the Good News."

Diakonia: A Life of Loving Service

The rest of the deacon's role in the Liturgy is what is broadly referred to as "diakonia." This Greek word means service, but it is a special kind of service. It is the kind of service, which we see the Lord Jesus modelling, when He rises from the table at the Mystical Supper, lays aside His outer cloak and wraps a towel around His waist, proceeding to wash the feet of the disciples, in a demonstration of love, meekness and humility. In parishes that do not have deacons, we see the priest fulfilling all of the functions that are normally assigned to the deacon, because every priest is also a deacon. Yes, according to the discipline of the Church, every man who is to be ordained to the presbyterate must first be ordained to the diaconate. When the deacon is later ordained to the presbyterate, being a priest does not obliterate his diaconate, but the grace of both remain forever, for the Mystery of Holy Orders is not at war with itself.

The Same Spirit of Loving Service is For All of Us

In a similar way, the graces and gifts of certain members of the Body belong to the whole Body. Administration, evangelization and liturgy, which are very visibly present in the Church's deacons, belong to the whole Body of Christ and are participated in by all the members of Christ in due proportion. Thus, the presence of the deacons reminds us that we too need to be responsible stewards of what God has given to us for the good of the Church. We too need to preach the gospel of Christ to those around us, teaching the truth and admonishing sinners regardless of any personal cost. We also need to take active part in the Holy Liturgy, because without our part, our sacrifice on the Church's behalf will be incomplete. This culture and society has spent more than a year trying to tell us that there is nothing worse than physical death. The Church has taught us differently all along, because the Church is the Body of the One Who "by death trampled death." Unfaithfulness to the God Who created us is far worse than physical death. The Holy Liturgy is the primary and preeminent expression of our faithfulness.