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 43 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

The Last

Each day, I reflect upon a word or a 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.

“Thus the last will be first, and the first will be last.” (Matthew 20:1-16)

THE LAST: The readings from Matthew’s Gospel have had a recurring theme this entire week: Keep your eye on the prize. As a matter of fact, Jesus uses the exact same words the last two days, “…the last will be first, and the first will be last.” Perseverance and proper focus will be rewarded.

The “last” Jesus refers to are those who keep their eye on the prize. They stay focused on what’s important. They do not allow themselves to be distracted from God’s work, unlike the rich young man who followed all of the Commandments but was unable to let go of his possessions, or the workers in today’s Gospel who concerned themselves with how much each was paid.

We need to stay focused on the work of God rather than on the things of the world.


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