Articles
The Deacon Experience at the National Eucharistic Congress
Chris Meadows Comments Off on The Deacon Experience at the National Eucharistic Congress
The National Eucharistic Congress stands as a pivotal event in the Catholic Church’s journey through a three-year Eucharistic revival. This initiative, which began in 2022, endeavors to rejuvenate the Church by reigniting a vibrant relationship with Jesus Christ in the holy Eucharist. This revival unfolds in three distinct phases: diocesan revival, parish revival and missionary Read More
How To Be a Bridge to Recovery and Sobriety
Chris Meadows Comments Off on How To Be a Bridge to Recovery and Sobriety
“I am new to the faith. I was afflicted with drug addiction for 10 years, but I’ve been sober now for seven. I was also afflicted with sex addiction. I’m sober now from pornography for 147 days,” was the story told by one young man. God is transforming this man from the darkness of addiction Read More
Remain at the Cross
Chris Meadows Comments Off on Remain at the Cross
“Ever since the bloody and fruitful nuptials of Calvary, one who seeks love must be nailed upon the cross” (Archbishop Luis María Martínez, d. 1956). The older I get, the less romantic the cross appears; I do not like the cross. And yet, more and more, he draws me to himself through the cross. I Read More
How to Evangelize in the Workplace
Chris Meadows Comments Off on How to Evangelize in the Workplace
Society’s emphasis on the separation of church from state has been grossly extrapolated to everything. The basic principle is that the church shall not impinge on things other than religious matters. The actual historical reason for the idea of separating church and state, put simply, has everything to do with the entanglement of England’s government Read More
Deacon Cerrato’s Establishment Hypothesis
Chris Meadows Comments Off on Deacon Cerrato’s Establishment Hypothesis
When and by whom was the diaconate instituted? By Jesus Christ at the Last Supper, or by the apostles as a response to new ministerial needs in the Church? How are the three degrees of holy orders — diaconate, priesthood and episcopate — related to each other, and what is the basis for their unity? Read More
A Eucharistic Congress Experience Just for Deacons
Chris Meadows Comments Off on A Eucharistic Congress Experience Just for Deacons
I recently read Holly Ordway’s 2014 book “Not God’s Type” (Ignatius, $16.95) about her conversion to the Catholic faith from virulent atheism. She wrote that, while an atheist, she believed herself to be a certain kind of person: smart, rational and informed. She was and is all of those things, but she presumed that these Read More
I Thirst!
Chris Meadows Comments Off on I Thirst!
As a spiritual director, I often ask my deacon directees, “What is your deepest desire in prayer?” Invariably, what I hear in response is a longing for greater intimacy with God and not knowing what impedes their spiritual growth. Deacons in spiritual direction long to be with God in prayer and to find him in Read More
Pope St. John Paul II and Servanthood
Chris Meadows Comments Off on Pope St. John Paul II and Servanthood
Pope St. John Paul II, though writing little on the diaconate, nonetheless consistently emphasized the concept of Christ the Servant throughout his pontificate. Drawing upon his extensive writings, we can gain deeper insight into Christ’s redemptive love expressed in sacrifice. Some of John Paul’s thoughts can help us understand the revealing of Christ’s selfless service Read More