Installation of Acolytes in Diaconate Formation

Published: September 12, 2020

Bishop Anthony B. Taylor preached the following homily at Christ the King Church in Little Rock on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2020. It is based on the readings for Saturday of the 23rd Week of Ordinary Time, Cycle II.

Bishop Taylor

I am always amazed when we have a special ceremony, like today’s institution of acolytes, to discover how appropriate the readings are, which just happen to be the Scripture readings already assigned to that day.

Acolytes have a special role in the celebration of the Eucharist, giving Communion to the faithful in the liturgy and purifying the sacred vessels, so it is doubly important that you have a profound devotion and deep love for the Eucharist.

So look at what we have in the first reading from St. Paul today: “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the Blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the Body of Christ?”

Then in the responsorial psalm we have: "How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good he has done for me? The cup of salvation I will take up, and I will call on the name of the Lord. To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving …" And what is the Greek word for thanksgiving? Eucharist, of course!

And finally in our Gospel we have Jesus’ famous parable about the house built on rock. The person who comes to Jesus, listens to his words and acts on them is like a man who dug deeply and laid the foundation of his house on solid rock. When the floods came and the river burst against the house, it was not shaken because it was well built.

And of course that rock is our faith in Jesus Christ who gave us the Eucharist as “the source and summit of the Christian life,” which builds up the Christian community and makes it grow.

As acolytes, it will be your responsibility to assist priests and deacons in carrying out their ministry, and so you — like them — should strive to live a life of sacrificial love modeled on that of Jesus, who gave his life for our salvation and is the victim we offer to the Father every time we celebrate the Eucharist.

And in so doing, seek to deepen your own understanding of the spiritual meaning of the service you are privileged to offer. For instance, how your service of the Eucharist reinforces the unity of the Church.

As St. Paul says in our first reading: “Because the loaf of bread is one, we, though many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.” So, as you perform your ministry, bear in mind that, as you share the one bread with your brothers and sisters, so you form one body with them.

Therefore, show a sincere love for Christ’s mystical body, God’s holy people, and especially for the weak and the sick. In other words, be obedient to the commandment that the Lord gave to his Apostles at the Last Supper: “Love one another as I have loved you.”