From the Deacon's Desk

by Deacon Rick Wagner

Deacon Rick Wagner was ordained on June 23, 2012 and currently serves his home parish of St. Pius X in Indianapolis, IN. He has been married to his wife, Carol, for 42 years and they have 4 children and 10 grandchildren.

Deacon Rick has been involved in Catholic education for 40+ years and currently serves as President of St. Theodore Guerin High School, a workshop instructor for Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology, and a retreat leader.

He has also authored three books: Remember What’s Important (2011), Fifty Homilies from the Deacon’s Desk (2016), and Fifty MORE Homilies from the Deacon’s Desk (2024).

Have a question or comment for Deacon Rick? Feel free to contact him at rwagner@spxparish.org

What is Unusual About That

Each day, I reflect upon a word or phrase inspired by the readings of the day. I encourage you to do the same and perhaps incorporate that word or phrase into your daily prayer.

For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? (Matthew 5:43-48)

WHAT IS UNUSUAL ABOUT THAT?: One of the guys on my college dorm floor would do the same thing each time he  started a new class. He would study the syllabus in order to determine the minimum he would need to do in order to pass the course.

If attendance requirements said he could miss up to six classes and still pass the course, he would definitely miss six classes. If a paper needed to be three to five pages in length, it would be three pages (barely). If he needed to log a minimum of two hours of lab time per week, his time in the lab would not be a minute over two hours.

You get the idea – he had doing the minimum down to a science. Actually, he took great pride in doing the minimum.

When God watches how we approach our faith life, what does He see?

Attend Mass on Sunday. Check.

Put your envelope in the collection basket. Check.

Pray before meals. Check.

You might want to look at God’s syllabus again…


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