Monday, May 15, 2017

Just to Follow My Friend


    (reflection by Deacon Lex at 25th Ordination Anniversary Mass)

There’s a song by Christopher Walker that Peter Coll, our Music Director, often plays during Mass. The song is entitled, “Because the Lord is My Shepherd” and its refrain sums up why I became a deacon:
Lord, you are my Shepherd,
You are my friend.
I want to follow you always,
Just to follow my friend.

I have felt the Lord’s presence throughout my life as my friend. He has been with me at the heights and in the pits; when I felt joy and surrounded by love, and when I was depressed and felt lost in the universe. I want to follow him always, just to follow my friend.

My life has been blessed in so many ways: I am a husband, a father, a grandfather, and a permanent deacon in our Catholic Church. Each day of my life I thank the Lord for his friendship, for my sweetheart Wanda, for our children and grandchildren, and for the love of so many souls I’ve met along my journey.

I was so very fortunate 25 years ago to be planted here at Mount Carmel: to serve you, my sisters and brothers in our parish community; to have the friendship of the many Carmelite Fathers who have served here over the years, and the five wonderful pastors who have been our shepherds: Fathers Bob, Kurt, Ashley, Leonard, and now Father Dan.

It’s a privilege and a joy to serve alongside Father Emmett, Sister Regina, and Sister Nora, and my brother deacons, David and Michael.

Thank you, Wanda, for your love and for being my best friend throughout these first fifty years of our marriage and thank you for your unwavering encouragement and support of my ministry as a deacon.

Thank you, Lord, for my life, for my family, for the gift of faith, and for all my blessings.
Lord, you are my Shepherd,
You are my friend.
I want to follow you always,
Just to follow my friend.



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Readers of this blog might enjoy these books by Deacon Lex. Both are available on Amazon.com:

Just to Follow My Friend: Experiencing God’s Presence in Everyday Life


The Gospel of You, The Gospel of Me: Making Christ Present in Everyday Life



Synchronicity as the Work of the Holy Spirit: Jungian Insights for Spiritual Direction and Pastoral Ministry