The Deacon

The Easter season begins with the Paschal Triduum and concludes with the solemnity of Pentecost. Every day throughout the Easter season is a reason for joy, as the Lord is risen. However, the Easter Vigil transcends all human understanding, revealing the power of God, fulfilling the mystery of the incarnation of Christ and presenting God’s plan for the salvation of mankind. St. Paul offers a profound reflection on the Easter Vigil and Christ’s resurrection: “And if Christ has not been raised, then empty (too) is our preaching; empty, too, your faith” (1 Cor 15:14).

St. Augustine described the Easter Vigil as “the mother of all holy vigils.” More recently, Blessed Carlos Manuel Rodríguez Santiago said of the Vigil, “Vivimos para esa noche” — “We live for that night.” Indeed, God’s promise of redemption is fulfilled in the light of the paschal candle, as the Church proclaims that Christ is the light of the world (Jn 8:12).

The figure of the deacon is important during the Easter Vigil. One profound aspect of the liturgy is the singing of the Praeconium Paschale (Easter Proclamation, or Exsultet). Many people don’t know that “intoning the Exsultet is primarily the responsibility of the deacon,” according to Father Michael J. Flynn, former executive director of the Secretariat for Divine Worship at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. It is the deacon who has the joyful but daunting task of recollecting and proclaiming humanity’s salvation history.

To understand the relevance of the deacon in the Easter Vigil, it is critical to understand the place of the Exsultet within the liturgy. Father Flynn provides a description of the Easter Proclamation and the role of the deacon during the Vigil that can be found on the USCCB’s website: “Rich with patristic allusions, the Exsultet also provides a preview of the scriptural and theological themes that will ground the rest of the Easter Vigil liturgy. Salvation history, especially God’s deliverance of his Chosen People from Egyptian slavery and exile, are prominent both in the Exsultet and the extended Liturgy of the Word that will follow it.”

In this regard, the deacon serves as a liturgical leader, reminding the Church of God’s promises. The intonation of the Exsultet reminds us of the physical and spiritual journey the Church continues to endure.

Dissipating the Darkness

The deacon, at this point in the liturgy, becomes a servant of the light, emphasizing the divine nature of Jesus and his role as the source of spiritual enlightenment and guidance for humanity.

Father Flynn continues: “Having recalled key moments of the Old Covenant, the New Covenant between God and humanity is proclaimed eloquently in terms of the brilliant light of Christ dispelling the darkness of sin and death for all time.”

The ethos of the holy night is exemplified when the deacon carries the Easter candle and intones the Lumen Christi. This act positions the deacon in a role of servitude rather than prominence. All attention is directed toward the candle’s light, illuminating the intriguing obscurity of the temple. Silence is shattered when the versicle is sung. In this moment, the minister bearing the candle embodies the essence of diakonos, embracing a role of service rather than claiming the foremost position in the most distinguished liturgical celebration.

With such reference to the Easter Vigil, the role of the deacon in the Church is further defined as a servant of the Light. The carrying of the paschal candle and the Christological depiction of light dissipating darkness is also an allegorical reference to servitude: “Whoever serves me must follow me” (Jn 12:26).

The Exsultet’s imagery of light dispelling darkness, the intoning of liturgical hymns and the carrying of the candle can be seen as symbolic representations of the deacon’s role as a servant of the Word, a minister of the Word and a servant of the altar, the table of the Eucharistic banquet. The Sacrament of Holy Orders bestows upon the deacon these attributes.

Disciple and Servant

Deacons bring the light of Christ to the faithful and guide them out of the darkness of sin, disbelief and ignorance. Yet, to understand how a deacon is a servant of the Light, it is essential to analyze the synoptic Gospels’ reference to servitude and Jesus’ expressions about who will be first in the kingdom of God.

Based on his Establishment Hypothesis about the roots of holy orders, Deacon Dominic Cerrato — editor of this magazine — concludes that servitude is unquestionably attached to the Last Supper and, therefore, to the Eucharist. Thus symmetry is associated with the mandatum, where the sacerdos and the diakonos go hand in hand. At the Last Supper, Cerrato argues in his book “In the Person of Christ the Servant,” “we have two sets of dominical commands: one unmistakably priestly in nature, and the other unmistakably diaconal.”

The binomial predominance of the priest and the deacon cannot be separated from the episkopos — where the Sacrament of Holy Orders is fulfilled. In fact, Cerrato asserts, “The intrinsic relationship between sacerdos and diakonos is expressed liturgically in the foot washing when the bishop exercises his option to wear the dalmatic.”

Yet, a more common image is the presentation of the body and blood of Christ during “the doxology at the end of the Eucharistic prayer.”

Standing next to each other, the priest and the deacon are present in persona Christi and in persona ecclesiae to manifest Christ as a sacrificial victim and as a servant. Finally, the binomial image can also be understood in light of how Jesus sent the Twelve two by two, giving them authority (Mk 6:7-13). These actions constitute a foretaste of holy orders.

Understanding Christ as a sacrificial victim and as a servant provides a rich referential context for an exegesis on servitude in the synoptic Gospels through the lens of diakonia and the evangelical and theological principles of the deacon as an ordained minister of the Church.

A reference to the paschal mystery situates the deacon as a servant of the Light, commissioned not to be the one seated at the table, but rather the one who serves the altar. In this way, the deacon mirrors the self-giving love of Christ, embodying the call to bring the hope and light of the Resurrection into a world yearning for redemption. This profound truth reminds us of the unparalleled gift of Christ’s resurrection, which brings salvation, renewal and the promise of eternal life to all who believe.

In conclusion, the deacon should embody his ministry by consistently emphasizing the core of the Christian faith: the resurrection of Christ. The deacon’s ministry emanates from Christ the Servant and draws its essence from him, which is fundamental to his identity as an ordained minister of the Church. The Easter Vigil revitalizes both the deacon and the faithful, offering a renewed life in Christ our Lord. Living in anticipation of that sacred night is at the heart of the diaconate ministry.

DR. JESÚS D. DÍAZ PEÑA is a devoted husband and father, as well as a middle school teacher who is currently pursuing studies in dogmatic theology at Holy Apostles College and Seminary. He is a parishioner at St. Matthew’s Parish in Glendale Heights, Illinois.