Servants of the Divine Will
New Covenant Levites Standing in Unshadowed Light
The venerable Homiletic and Pastoral Review (Ignatius Press) has published an article of mine exploring the connections between the modern diaconate and the ancient Levitical ministry of Israel.
Among the Levites, the sons of Aaron were called to serve in a particular way as priests (Ex 28:1). A priest is one set apart to offer sacrifice on behalf of the people. All Levites assisted in the worship of God and shared the duty of maintaining the tabernacle and its furnishings (Num 3:25–26), but only the priests could enter the tabernacle itself. In the Christian age, a new priesthood has arisen not of the order of Aaron but of the order of Melchizedek (Heb 7:11); a priesthood fulfilled in Jesus Christ, our eternal High Priest who exercises a “more excellent ministry” (Heb 8:3). A new priesthood in Christ requires a new order of Levites to assist in this priestly ministry. In a Holy Week sermon preached by Pope St. Leo the Great, he recounts the effects of Christ’s Passion, remarking that “what before was done in the one temple of the Jews in dark signs is now to be celebrated everywhere by the piety of all the nations in full and open rite. For now there is a nobler rank of Levites . . .” Just as every priest of the temple was a Levite, but not all Levites were priests, every priest of the new covenant is a deacon but not every deacon is called to the priesthood. Thus, in the language of the Second Vatican Council, deacons are ordained “not unto the priesthood, but unto the ministry” (Lumen Gentium 29).
The launch point for my reflection is the Exultet chanted by the deacon at the Easter Vigil. In this ancient hymn in praise of the Paschal candle, the deacon sings:
Therefore, dearest friends,
standing in the awesome glory of this holy light,
invoke with me, I ask you,
the mercy of God almighty,
that he, who has been pleased to number me,
though unworthy, among the Levites,
may pour into me his light unshadowed,
that I may sing this candle’s perfect praises.
In my reflection, I write:
Representing the light of Christ, it is brought into the darkened church for its light to be shared with others. Just as the light grows as people pass the flame one to another through the pews, we are called to share the light of Christ’s knowledge throughout the world, gradually filling it with the radiance of divinity. It is this Paschal candle before whose “awesome glory” the deacon stands and whose “perfect praises” the deacon sings. The candle is a type of Christ. The glory is his. The praises are his. The “light unshadowed” that we pray to be poured into us is his. It is the light of God’s wisdom, and the deacon is the servant of this light.
You can read the full article on the Homiletic and Pastoral Review website.