Father Glenn J. Comandini

The first evidence for the existence of deacons would be in Philippians 1:1 where they appear as a permanent ministry in the community, as they work under the bishops. If then the apostles, prophets and teachers can be traced back to Jewish (Hebrew-speaking Masoretic) traditions, the bishops and deacons appear to be rather in the Hellenistic (Greek-speaking Gentile) communities

On June 9, 1985, I was ordained a transitional deacon. What does this “transitional” imply? Following four years of college and three more years at the major seminary, I was called to holy orders by the Bishop of Metuchen. A bishop only calls a man to become a transitional deacon if it is his intention that following one year as a deacon, he would then ordain this man to the priesthood.

Last weekend the Church celebrated the solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, also known as “Corpus Christi.” This feast makes me nostalgic for a summer I spent in Portugal as a young priest. There, the feast in honor of the Eucharist was held on a Thursday, not on Sunday as it is in the United States. Also noteworthy is that the solemnity is called “Corpo de Deus,” or “Body of God.”

Theology of the body: Part seven of a nine part series “Admittedly, Christians have not always appropriated and developed the spiritual treasures bestowed by God upon the Church, where the life of the spirit is not dissociated from the body or from nature or from worldly realities, but lived in and with them, in communion with all that surrounds us.” (Pope Francis, “Laudato Si’,” pa. 216)

Many Catholics are still ambivalent about confession. In conversing with some Catholic adults, I was astonished to hear how people were reluctant to go to confession because they do not remember the words used in the confessional. These adults are embarassed to ask the priest confessor for help in making a good confession.

In this column, I thought that I would address a dilemma, which many of us, who have loved ones with a terminal disease or irreversible condition, face: “When is it ethical to withhold or withdraw nutrition and hydration?” The problem actually becomes less complicated if we make a distinction between medical treatment and palliative care. Medical treatment would include artifi cial substitutes for irreversibly broken-down body functions, such as kidney dialysis, a respirator, the installation of a mechanical heart, a feeding tube when used as a substitute for a malfunctioning alimentary system.

In light of the laicization of Theodore Mc-Carrick, some Catholics whose children or grandchildren were baptized or confirmed are wondering if the sacraments administered by McCarrick are still valid. “Must these individuals be re-baptized or reconfirmed?” Many couples who asked Mc-Carrick to officiate at their weddings are also puzzled by the sacramental status of their marriage. “Do they need to exchange vows again in front of a priest and two witnesses?” Then there are those, like me, who were ordained to the transitional diaconate and later to the priestshood by McCarrick.

In praying the Litany of Loreto, one of the titles ascribed to Mary is “Ark of the Covenant.” We find this title used in I Chronicles: 15:3-4,15-16 and 16:1-2. In this Scripture, the human author, in concert with the divine author, the Holy Spirit, pens an image of the honor associated with this ark, which, much like a tabernacle, housed the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments Moses received on Mt. Sinai. Jews believe that these tablets came down from heaven and were placed into the hands of Moses. As such they interpret this gesture as a gift from God to his chosen people.