Gospel Proclamations and Two Deacons

Gospel Proclamations and Two Deacons

John 20: 11-18 

Years ago a deacon proclaimed the Word

On Resurrection Day.

He read of Mary weeping outside the tomb

Seeing two angels where Jesus once lay.

Mary turned away

Then the gardener she saw

Not knowing her risen Lord at bay.

“Why do you weep, woman?”

The deacon stopped to catch his breath,

He knew of the words yet to come.

He could not speak nor utter any sound,

Overcome by the Gospel’s verbal drum.

In silent prayer he carried on

And spoke of Mary’s quest.

“They carried away my Lord,” said she.

“Tell me where and I will take him away.”

One word said He.  “Mary!”

At that, the deacon wept

And paused the Gospel recitation

His composure not kept.

John 21:15-19 

Today, the Feast of Saint Peter [and Paul],

Another deacon Gospel proclamation

Reading “Peter, do you love me?”

Another difficult recitation.

What first began rhythmically,

Her cadence a brisk staccato,

The deacon slowed to largo

That impact of the question did bestow.

“Peter, do you love me?”

The second time seemed too much

For the deacon to continue reading.

A powerful Gospel possesses emotional reach.

She read on the third time,

“Peter, do you love me?”

Three times did Peter reply,

“Yes, Lord. You know I do.”

The deacon completed her reading

Of Gospel truth to those around

The Word she was feeding

To people now aground.

The Gospel Word is powerful,

Both to head and heart.

It blossoms and becomes flowerful.

Sometimes unexpectedly, a shock it imparts.

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The True Love Triangle

THE

True Love Triangle

Love is not love if directed solely toward oneself

Because love does not live alone.

Self-directed love is something else.

But see, it is an appeal, a cry, a groan.

Love is not romance,

A human invention

Bereft of life’s supernatural dance

With Love’s divine intention.

Love lives between persons

Both in giving and in sacrifice.

Love’s continuing exchanges rehearse in

Life’s deepest relational device.

True love participates in creation.

The coupling of God with mankind

Births many a new nation,

Beloveds He had in mind.

All persons born

Are loved by their Creator.

This love to celebrate not mourn

Because His embrace is greater.

Before the beginning of time

The eternal Father never alone,

With Holy Wisdom shared Love sublime,

Holy Spirit in completion made it known.

Without eternal Trinitarian Love,

Life and relationships never could blossom.

All on earth is from above,

Making true Love awesome.

Diaconus Intellectus

Diaconus Intellectus 
κατανόηση διάκονος

Monday, June 6, 2016

This past weekend my wife and I attended a gathering of deacons in the Atlanta, Georgia area. The assembly was at Holy Cross Cathedral where, in the morning, one woman and four men were ordained to the diaconate. In the afternoon the deacons present – the newly ordained, the previously ordained, and their spouses – convened for an afternoon discussion about the Sacred Order of Deacons.

What is it about deacons that necessitates discussion? Plenty! 

Few church people misunderstand the definitions and roles of bishops and presbyters (priests). But when asked about deacons most parishioners either do not know or make a calculated guess based solely on what is observed during the liturgy.

VATICAN II and Deacons

Prior to the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) deacons were mostly transitional – meaning that the newly ordained was in a “holding pattern” waiting six to twelve months before landing into the priesthood . Vatican II changed all of that for the Western or Latin churches – even if some of those churches were not Roman Catholic (the Anglican Communion being one). In the Eastern Orthodox Churches the role of the (permanent) deacon never drifted into a transitional mode only. The Eastern Church has no medieval history like that of the West and continued with the Order unchanged.

The third session of Vatican II in October, 1964, ratified the renewal or restoration of the permanent diaconate and in the following November it promulgated Lumen Gentium. This document described the duties of a permanent diaconate: “These duties, so very necessary to the life of the Church, can in many areas be fulfilled only with difficulty according to the prevailing discipline of the Latin Church. For this reason, the diaconate can in the future be restored as a proper and permanent rank of the hierarchy.” (Vatican Collection, Volume 1, Vatican Council II: The Conciliar and Post Conciliar Documents. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1975.)

The Vatican II document went on to state that the examination of the Order of Deacons, in light of Vatican Council’s action, is necessary to express and to unfold the duties and functions of the deacon. In other words, standards and expectations of the Order are to be made known to the faithful.

Anglican Deacons

The gathering of deacons this weekend, not Roman Catholic but Anglican, met to discuss the role of the deacon in the Anglican Diocese of the South and then to begin "the examination."

The gathering was well-planned by the Canon to the Ordinary, a priest. I say “well-planned” because it was. The developer of the agenda (the plan) was informed and understood the diaconate and its functional conundrum. He also knew how to begin a new and productive dialogue not only for that moment but for the future.

The agenda was written in top-down fashion. I understand how that had to be that way. The meeting flowed with active participation. I began to discern a measure of openness and a sense of ecclesiastical blossoming – an understanding. As the afternoon hours passed my hope was building on nothing less that God’s holy movement within our midst.

Expertise

The Canon invited a deacon scholar from another diocese to talk with us about how her diocese was moving along in bringing clarity to the Order of Deacons. She provided historical information about deacons – saints of the church who were deacons. Hers was not a lecture but a presentation interrupted occasionally by questions. Her presentation place the Order of Deacon in historical and traditional context. We are grateful for her contribution to the gathering.

Deacon Ministries

Some deacons were asked to talk about their specific ministries. No two ministries were identical except for the basic fact that Jesus Christ is preached and that the Holy Spirit is present always. One deacon ministers in a food pantry; another serves as a prison chaplain; and one was a church administrator. Diaconal ministry is limitless as witnessed by the stories of the deacons present. 

Those kinds of ministries are problematic to some people, particularly parishioners who serve on parish or diocesan discernment committees. The question arises, “Why does one have to be ordained to conduct those kinds of ministries?” This and other on-going concerns were not meant to be resolved in this one, afternoon meeting. Instead, the Canon offered some of the thoughts of our bishop and the diocese in working on these deacon-related issues.

Transitional Council

The Canon then suggested the concept of a “transitional council,” yet to be defined except for the usage of the word “transitional,” that would be developed so that the bishop and the diocese could better define and move forward on the understanding and ministries of deacons. This council would not be a short term approach but a thoughtful and deliberate body addressing the myriad of misunderstandings about deacons. Whatever the outcome, the gathered deacons were asked for their input to the process.

Clergy Relationships

Relationships among clergy are important. Perhaps unknown to some, bishops and priests serve the Church in a collegial relationship. When a transitional deacon is ordained into the priesthood both the bishop and fellow priests touch the ordinand in the ordination liturgy. 

Deacons, however, are "attached" to their bishop in a superior-subordinate relationship. Priests, be it known, also serve under their bishops. But the bishop-deacon relationship is different. When a deacon is ordained, only the bishop's hands touch the ordinand. In traditional viewings of this relationship, deacons act on their bishop's biddings.

Summary

For me, I appreciate the attitude and effort behind calling this gathering of deacons. None of us will curtail our ministries while this transitional council works, of course not. We know the difficulties inherent in the undertaking of such a council, but we are prayerful that only good will emerge from their work. To say that we are grateful - for the efforts preceding this gathering - would be an understatement.

The gathering of deacons this past weekend, I believe, marks a new beginning. The long term results following this beginning will praise God and benefit His Holy Church.

A Blessing

As a deacon directly attached to his bishop, I believe I am authorized to bless the readers of this essay, and myself, with this modified, responsorial pontifical [episcopal] blessing.

Deacon           Our help is in the Name of the Lord;

Readers         The maker of heaven and earth.

Deacon           Blessed be the Name of the Lord;

Readers         From this time forth for evermore.

Deacon           May the blessing, mercy, and grace of God Almighty,

                         the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be upon

                         us, and remain with us for ever.  Amen.

Deacon           Let us go forth into the world, rejoicing in the

                        power of the Spirit.

Readers          Thanks be to God.

Lead Kindly Light

Lead Kindly Light

Henry Hardin “Zipp” Newman

By Worth Earlwood Norman, Jr.

Update on December 6, 2017

Tuesday, May 24, 2016, was Henry Hardin “Zipp” Newman’s 123^rd birthday. He died March 3, 1977 and in a memoriam soon after his passing, a tribute affirmed that “Zipp Newman was a ‘leading light’ in establishing the Monday Morning Quarterback Club for the express purpose of fellowship among football fans.”

It was not only the fellowship. There was more about this “leading light.”

Newman was a sports writer for The Birmingham News while still in high school. He earned the nickname “Zipp” due to his ability to outrun his track competitors. Indeed, he may have been the first person to run 100 yards in ten seconds. His 120-pound frame was his advantage. In middle age he weighed no more than one hundred sixty. Thus, his friends dubbed him “Zipp.”

Henry Hardin Newman was born in the town of Smith Mills in Henderson County, Kentucky in 1894. The town was twenty-five miles from Evansville, Indiana and about one hundred and fifty miles southwest of Louisville, Kentucky. He attended schools in Kentucky, and later in Birmingham, after his family relocated in 1906.

Hardin always wanted to be a sportswriter. He told a colleague that sportswriters had an advantage over other writers. Sportswriters, he believed, had a free hand at their craft. Zipp, while in high school, worked as a backup writer or intern with Age-Herald sports editor Henry C. Vance. He was paid $2.00 per week to cover high school athletics. Vance recognized Zipp’s writing skill and at times allowed him to assist with his column.

Newman was a newspaper carrier-boy in the morning for The Birmingham Age-Herald, The Birmingham News in the afternoon, and The Birmingham Ledger in the evening.  

During World War I Newman served as an ambulance driver in the Army Medical Corps. This experience was significant for him and was perhaps a turning point in his life. According to his family records, Newman “did much good work among the sick and wounded.”

In 1919 Newman became the youngest sports editor of The Birmingham News. He was the youngest among southern sports writers and a leader who would eventually be recognized as the dean of southern sports writers. He covered all sports, including semi-professional or minor league baseball. But he believed that sports and its popularity could be leveraged for assisting financially in needy causes.

Newman’s colleague at The Birmingham Age-Herald, James Saxon Childers, wrote an article about his friend in April 1937. Childers wrote that although Newman has been sports editor for a quarter century, he was not an old man. He was 43. Childers wrote extensively, in that one article, about the achievements Zipp Newman had accumulated up to that time.

According to Childers, Newman became overly excited and inarticulate when he talked about the Alabama-Washington Rose Bowl Game of 1926. That game was the University of Alabama’s first bowl appearance and, according to sports aficionados of that era, it was “the game that changed the South.” Alabama won 20-19.

Newman told Childers that the greatest baseball game he had ever witnessed was between the Houston Buffalos and the Birmingham Barons at Rickwood Field in 1931. It was the first game of the Dixie Series championship, headlined by Houston pitcher Dizzy Dean. The 22-year old Dean had “guaranteed” a win facing the 43-year old Baron pitcher, Ray Caldwell. It was a classic pitchers’ duel until a Baron player singled to first base, sacrificed to second, and then was batted in for the only run of the game.

Newman was highly articulate in his column “Dusting ‘Em Off.” He was humorous. In a 1931 column he wrote to Santa claiming to be a “sports scribbler.” He asked Santa not to hold that against him. He continued with listing several self-effacing characteristics but with limited humility he wrote that his boss was a Vanderbilt man, his wife a Howard (now Samford) girl, and that he “got the air at Birmingham-Southern. He said that they considered him a partisan, but he had always favored the underdog.

When closing this particular letter to Santa, Zipp asked him to bring home a pennant to all 8 cities in the Southern League, to give all twenty-three teams in the Southern Conference a trip to the Rose Bowl, and to bring his dog Gilda a fine bone. Signed “The Ole Duster. P.S. – All I really want is peace.”

For several years Zipp was the official scorer for the Southern League, The scorer decides if a hit to the outfield botched by the fielder is a hit or an error.

Newman was the leader who directed the benefits of popular sports into community service. The first Crippled Children’s Football game in 1935 was begun at the initiative of Newman. The Crippled Children’s Clinic for victims of polio was opened in 1929 and the proceeds from those high school football games began funding part of the clinic’s expenses.

Leading a group of like-minded persons, Zipp Newman organized a college football review club. Its purpose would be the financial support of the Crippled Children’s Clinic. In 1939 the Monday Morning Quarterback Club of Birmingham (MMQBC) was formed from that organizing effort.

In 1943 Newman organized the Negro Tuberculosis Football benefit game. In that same year the MMQBC sponsored its first annual high school All-Star football game.

Another Newman idea came to fruition in 1944 with the high school East-West Baseball game for the benefit of the Alabama Sight Conservation Association. One year later the Kiwanis Club of Birmingham awarded Newman its silver service medal of honor for his outstanding contribution to Alabama’s health.

Since baseball and football were covered, Zipp Newman developed the idea of the Better Hearing Center Basketball Game in 1947. The Downtown Lion’s Club of Birmingham dedicated one its service programs in honor of Newman for his public service in 1948. But Newman’s notoriety was not all local or regional.

In Atlantic City, New Jersey the American Hospital Association at its fiftieth anniversary convention in 1948, honored Henry Hardin Newman for his dedicated service in fund-raising for multiple health organizations in Alabama.

In 1951 the Crippled Children’s Hospital was built due in no small part to the fund-raising efforts of Newman and the MMQBC. The chapel of that new hospital was dedicated as the “Zipp Newman Chapel.”

The year 1954 saw the miracle of the polio vaccine which over the course of just a few years virtually eliminated polio. Thankfully there would be no more need for the Crippled Children’s Hospital so the MMQBC sold the hospital building to the University of Alabama Medical Center and the sales’ proceeds were added to the club’s charity-funding account.

In 1969 Zipp Newman published a book entitled The Impact of Southern Football. Between 1919 and 1969 Zipp had “seen it all.” But it was not all about sports. The book chronicled exciting sporting events that he witnessed but it was chiefly about people.

Newman guided readers of his newspaper column, and of his book as well, through the life struggles, experiences, and contributions of many people. In the third paragraph of his opening chapter Newman wrote that “The impact of southern football has come through sweat and toil, sacrifices, great leadership and persuasive leadership in eliminating hypocrisy in player recruiting.” Newman knew the effects of good and great leadership.

In another chapter, “Mother Gammon Saves Southern Football,” Newman writes about a mother whose 17-year old son, Von Gammon, died in the Georgia-Virginia football game of 1897. Within days of her son’s death on the football field, the Georgia Legislature – which happened to be in session – passed bills in its House and Senate abolishing football in Georgia. All that was needed was the governor’s signature to make it law.

The young Gammon’s mother wrote the governor “It would be the greatest favor to the family of Von Gammon if your influence could prevent his death being used as an argument detrimental to the athletic cause and its achievement at the University [of Georgia]. … Grant me the right to request that my boy’s death should not be used to defeat the most cherished object of his life.” The Georgia governor vetoed the bill.

Henry Hardin “Zipp” Newman was a sports writer, organizer, humanitarian, and a Southern historian. He understood people and could write about “the whole picture” of human activity. He was indeed a leader of long-standing and we should remember his birthday this coming week.

When the MMQBC memoriam opened its document of remembrance with the phrase identifying Zipp as a “leading light,” I cannot help but think of John Henry Cardinal Newman. I have had many conversations this past year with Zipp’s daughter, Frances Newman “Bee” Morris of Mountain Brook. She said that her father many times suggested that they were related to the nineteenth century English churchman, poet, and scholar. Not knowing the extent of her genealogy, “Bee” thinks that maybe there is a relationship. It seems appropriate.

In 1833, John Henry Newman wrote the hymn “Lead Kindly Light.” One cannot help but think that the writer of the MMQBC memoriam to “Zipp” had the two Newmans in mind.

WORTH EARLWOOD NORMAN JR is a writer of Alabama and Virginia history and is a biographer. His most recent biography is of United States Ambassador to the Czech Republic (2004-2006) William Jelks Cabaniss, Jr., Archdeacon Books (Hoover, Alabama), 2014. His biography of James Solomon Russell, was published in 2012 by McFarland Publishers (W. Jefferson, North Carolina). Norman published two Alabama timeline histories: Those Republicans and African American Entrepreneurs. Worth (Woody) Norman lives with his wife Patricia in Hoover.

Sources:

Frances Newman Morris Collection of “Zipp” Newman memorabilia

The Impact of Southern Football, MB Publishing, Montgomery, Alabama, 1969

HH Zipp Newman photo image courtesy of Frances Newman Morris Collection (attachment)

The Birmingham Age-Herald, James Saxon Childers

Elevating My Anxiety

Elevating My Anxiety

It was a cold day in early March

The end of my business drawing near

And city people still talked the topic arch -

Previous September’s terrible shear.

 The east side of that city

Faced the vastness of the shallow lake

Over which the great pity

Of a winter cloud from the west much snow does make.

But this was March and not that blue autumn day,

With business to close in a different venue.

From its suburb to a downtown hotel I must stay

For contract negotiations were on the menu.

Downtown’s public square impressive to naïve eyes

With restaurants, boutiques, and an old railroad line.

One vertical tower, a center to all, cries

To many a visitor to stay, wine and dine.

A stately hotel for me was made a reservation,

Its age not perfectly hidden

By architects and engineers of restoration.

A different choice for me was corporately forbidden.

Marble fountain, vaulted ceilings,

Windows high arched, breathtakingly lovely,

Provided a sense of secure feelings,

My colleagues and I into our rooms shoved we.

Instead one day the hotel main entrance to take,

I navigated the underground parking deck.

The elevators in this antique re-make,

Restoration engineers ignored or forgot to check.

Capacity for 1,000 pounds

Its upper weight limit,

Though confidently it might sound

The people space, they slimmed it.

At the lowest level I the only rider.

But when lifted to the main floor

The elevator doors now wider,

A dozen round ball cardinals it bore.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going to six.”

He yelled to his teammates without reference knowing,

“Get on!” Too many here to mix.

Now I at the back

With space for perhaps four,

Pleaded forcefully for slack.

“And don’t come through the door.”

Of course, they all boarded

This tiny lift meant for a few.

With most of our space hoarded,

I sensed some tragic due.

Not one of the dozen was less than six-eight,

All uniformed from practice I presumed.

Several floors were pressed for this massive freight,

Our ascension though, I thought doomed.

Between the fifth and sixth floors

The lift lost its strength.

Now motionless, idle and no open door,

We elevator men were stuck with each other at length.

Strike up a conversation

To keep us all calm.

But talking descended into citation

Of fault. Now began a qualm.

Twenty minutes passed,

Elevator doors slowly opened.

From a narrow gap a man asked

“How’re you guys cope ‘n?”

“Get us out of here,”

The Center crooned.

“We have some fear,

This lift will drop soon.”

It took 60 more minutes

Stabilizing the ancient elevator.

That the narrow extraction gap might skin its

Passengers, was no motivator.

I, the shortest and oldest,

Was next to last removed.

The tall Center last and boldest,

My foot in his hands, his noble character proved.

When freed, we our experience discussed.

Our cramped quarters were like a fettered man.

It was a March Madness with too much fuss.

Each of these athletes must have been a letter man.

Diversity or University

Diversity or University

In the past it was a pleasant word

If not innocuous.

It pointed first to variety then spurred

Toward the vacuous.

With the spoken word progressively distorted

And correct speech politically enforced,

Violators of tongue now escorted

To prisons of languages divorced.

Diversity in truth no longer abides.

Its original undergirding destroyed,

Diversity now divides

A univers-ity once employed.