Global Chinese Permanent Deacon Symposium (III)

Today, I escaped into my comfort zone --- becoming an IT technician to help those speakers who used PowerPoint to present their talks. In so doing, I have missed out the essence --- diaconate spirituality. The organizing committee invited three Chinese deacons from north America to share their spiritual experience. The only thing I could remember from the second speaker was that he was an introvert! He did not use PowerPoint and spoke from his script. I fared a bit better in the third speaker because I pressed the down arrow key during his PowerPoint presentation. Though he was ordained for about two years, he was able to articulate the virtue of humility very well. Moreover, he is a more lively and outgoing person,.

The first speaker is a physician. He sees God's plan and God's hand in everything that happened to him. He could discern God's voices. He was able to see his own arrogance and dislike against other physicians. Yet, in serving the altar, he could hear God telling him clearly to offer sacrifice for those people he dislike. God has His own way to polish us, giving us chances after chances to transform ourselves and to serve Him., 

I did not join the group discussion, making myself busy preparing the computers for the subsequent presentations. The group discussions focused on family spirituality. The feedback from the wives are most enlightening of all. One deacon wife conjured up the image of the poor widow who offered up all that she had. In a similar way, when she signed the consent letter to support her husband to become a deacon, she had given up "all that she had". Good point. Full support from wives involves a lot of sacrifice indeed.

The best feeling came today when Deacon Sung asked me to read during the Diocesan celebration in Hong Kong Stadium this coming Sunday. On one hand, my reading skill is being appreciated. On the other, it gives me another temptation not to be humble. 

Dear Lord, help me emerge from my comfort zone. Help me to be humble. Amen.