Sunday Reflection | I do, with the help of God

This Advent season, there is much to prepare, but also much to rejoice over. Along with preparing for Christmas, I, myself, am looking forward to being ordained as a transitional deacon on January 7th, 2024, for the Diocese of Portland, Maine. This Gaudete Sunday, I rejoice over the fact that God brought me to these few short weeks leading up to ordination. It is a grace-filled time, and I am most grateful to God for all the people who have helped me to get to where I am today.

In my preparations for ordination, the question of the priests and Levites to John the Baptist in the Gaudete Sunday Gospel, Year B of the liturgical cycle, is especially pertinent to me: “What do you have to say for yourself?” (Jn 1:22). This question reminds me of one that the bishop will ask me during my ordination Mass. On my ordination day, the bishop will ask me, “Do you resolve to conform your way of life always to the example of Christ, of whose Body and Blood you are a minister at the altar?” I will respond by saying, “I do, with the help of God.”

Like John the Baptist, I am not worthy to be a deacon, a servant of God. During the time of Jesus, not even servants would be given the menial task of untying the sandal of their master. John the Baptist recognizes that he is not worthy even to do this menial task, to be even less than servant of the Lord (Jn 1:27). Likewise, I am not worthy to be a servant of God, on my own. Only with the help of God can I serve Him and His People.

“What do you have to say for yourself?” The answer, for me, comes from the ordination ritual: “I do, with the help of God.” On my own, I am not the Christ; I cannot do much to serve others in a meaningful way. However, with the help of God, I can do what He is asking of me.

I can become like John the Baptist, totally devoted to preparing the way of the Lord. Conforming my way of life always to the example of Christ by ministering to His Body and Blood at the altar, He gives me everything that I need to serve Him.

We can all become servants like John the Baptist by doing everything with the help of God. Orienting our lives entirely to worshiping Him in Holy Mass, helping those who are most in need – our family members, friends, and others whom we encounter on the road of life – we serve the Lord. He helps us to do this most especially through the graces we receive in His Most Holy Eucharist. In the Most Holy Eucharist, we have every reason to give thanks to God in all circumstances, fulfilling His will, and living joyfully in the Lord (1 Thess. 5:18).

Thanksgiving provides the best antidote for resentment, anger, and all the other internal movements that make it difficult for us to serve. While serving others, we can sometimes lose sight of the good things that are happening around us. We can be so focused on trying to get things done that we can forget to give thanks for the opportunities God gives us to serve Him as well as the ones we love. Everything seems more burdensome without thanking Jesus for what He gives to us. Gaudete Sunday provides us with the opportunity to do this; to thank God for all the many ways in which he blesses us.

Recognizing the opportunities that God gives us to serve, and the challenges that go along with them, we have many reasons to be grateful. It is never too late to give thanks to God, and we can start by doing so right now. In response to our giving thanks, God gives us all the reason to rejoice as we see the ways in which He acts in our lives to draw us closer to Christmas and the many blessings that come from being with Him, all the days of our lives.

With thanksgiving in mind, I want to take the opportunity now to thank all of you who support St. John’s Seminary. I am most grateful for all the ways in which you provide for the

formation of seminarians, religious, and lay people in this most Holy House. We would not be able to receive the wonderful formation that we do without your support. Please keep all of us in your prayers during this Advent season. Know of our prayers for you. God bless!

By Matthew Valles, 4th Year Theology, Diocese of Portland, Maine