Ignore the parish schedule and serve the people, pope tells deacons

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Deacons are called to be servants who set aside their own self-serving plans and are generous with their lives, Pope Francis said.

A servant “is not a slave to his own agenda,” but rather always is prepared for the unexpected and responds, even if that means ignoring the parish schedule, the pope said May 29 at a Mass for the Jubilee of Deacons in St. Peter’s Square.

“It pains my heart when I see a schedule in the parishes — ‘from this time to that time’ — and then, the door is closed. There is no priest, no deacon, no layperson to welcome the people. This is wrong. Have the courage to ignore the schedule,” he said.

Thousands of deacons and their families, braving the increasingly hot and humid Rome weather, attended the final Mass of the three-day Jubilee of Mercy celebration dedicated to the diaconal ministry.

In his homily, the pope reminded them that in order to proclaim Christ, one must first imitate him and “strive to become a servant.”

“If evangelizing is the mission entrusted at baptism to each Christian, serving is the way that mission is carried out. It is the only way to be a disciple of Jesus,” the pope said.

The first step in becoming “good and faithful servants,” he continued, is to be available to others and detached from living life in one’s own way. A true servant doesn’t “hoard his free time,” but gives up “the idea of being the master of his day.”

“One who serves is not a slave to his own agenda but ever ready to deal with the unexpected, ever available to his brothers and sisters and ever open to God’s constant surprises,” he said.