Encountering Christ the Servant: A Spirituality of the Diaconate

by Deacon Dominic Cerrato Ph D

Overview

In Encountering Christ the Servant: A spirituality of the Diaconate, Deacon Dominic Cerrato, Ph.D., offers deacons and deacon candidates an integrated approach to diaconal life and ministry, rooted in the cultivation of the interior life. This study outlines the primacy of the interior life, the necessity of abandonment, the sacrament of the present moment, and how to live the Servant Mysteries. Though primarily written for deacons, priests and laity will also benefit, as they, too, share in Christ's diaconate, each in their own way.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781681924366
Publisher:	Our Sunday Visitor, Publishing Division
Publication date:	10/23/2020
Pages:	136
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.30(d)

About the Author

Deacon Dominic Cerrato, Ph.D., is editor of OSV's The Deacon magazine, Executive Director of Diaconal Ministries, and Director of Diaconal Formation for the Diocese of Joliet, Illinois. Ordained 25 years, Deacon Dominic is an author, national speaker, and retreat master. In 2020, he was appointed by Pope Francis to the international papal commission on women and the diaconate. He and his wife, Judith, have been married for thirty-eight years, and they have ten children and many grandchildren.

Table of Contents

Foreword Dr. Scott Hahn 9

Introduction 13

The Search for Intimacy 13

Beginning the Journey 16

Extending Diaconal Spirituality to the Laity 21

Chapter 1 The Primacy of the Interior Life 25

The Interior Life as a Place of Encounter 27

The Distinctiveness of Diaconal Spirituality 30

The Importance of Empathy 33

Struggle in the Spiritual Life 36

The Unholy Trinity and Sloth 37

Grace Is the Remedy 41

Surrender Is Abandonment 43

Struggle as a Way of Perfection 45

Chapter 2 The Necessity of Abandonment 53

Awareness of the Ever-Present God 59

Gods Hidden Operations 62

The Sacrament of the Present Moment 69

Chapter 3 The Servant Mysteries 75

A Beauty That Wounds 76

Keeping Open the Wounds 83

Internalizing the Servant Mysteries 94

Applying the Sacrament of the Present Moment 97

Chapter 4 Living the Servant Mysteries 103

Revealing the Origins of the Diaconate 105

Reconciling Acts 6 with the Establishment 111

Relationship, Identity, and Mission 112

Putting It All Together 120

Prayer of Abandonment and Little Examen 124

Conclusion 129

Appendix 131