June 6. SEE. Over the years Bruce had experienced a sense of calling to the permanent diaconate. He didn’t say too much when their children were still young but as they grew older he shared this sense with Pat his wife and their teens.  “It’s something from deep inside of me. I can’t help myself and just want to study and share my faith, teach others and build the Kingdom of God.”  He laughed and added, “Here I am preaching to you already!  How would you feel if I applied to become a deacon?” The others thought for a while. “I could see it coming,” May said. “I can understand and there is a sense of pride, even if it might feel a bit silly at times for me to have you up there on the altar. But then maybe it will also help to keep us all on the straight and narrow” she added. 

JUDGE. Reflect, share, Scripture:  I charge you to preach the word, be urgent in season and out of season, convince, rebuke and exhort, be unfailing in patience and in teaching. The time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own liking. They will turn away from listening to the truth and wander into myths. 2 Tim 4:1-8. Pope Francis: Contemplation of creation allows us to discover in each thing a teaching which God wishes to hand on to us, since for the believer to contemplate creation is to hear a message, to listen to a paradoxical and silent voice. Alongside revelation contained in sacred Scripture there is a divine manifestation in the blaze of the sun and the fall of night. LS 85.   Pope Leo: In light of what has been said, we can better understand why AI can be a valuable tool and, at the same time, why it calls for a measured and vigilant approach. When words are simulated, they do not build genuine relationships, but only their appearance. The artificial imitation of care or support can become particularly risky when it enters contexts where real relationships and emotional bonds are lacking. Here, the danger is not so much that a person may believe they are communicating with another person, but rather that they may gradually lose the very desire to form genuine human connections. MH100

ACT AND PRAY: Reflect on the importance of lay preachers and pray for those who sacrifice their time and means.