The Importance of the Spiritual Life

Deacon James Keating is one of my favorite authors and his book The Heart of the Diaconate has had a profound impact my formation and the way I have approached being a deacon. He was one of the first people I wanted to interview for the podcast… but I also didn’t want to interview him until I thought I had a good grasp on what the podcast was about. So he gets to be lucky 13th!

The spiritual life of the deacon is a common theme in his writings so I wasn’t surprised it became the focus of the interview. He has some strong opinions and isn’t afraid to share them! At one point he said he thought we should postpone all deacon ordinations until we have a synod to figure out just what a deacon is supposed to be. I think that is a great idea… after November 🙂 He also made a distinction between a man who wants to grow in his faith and a man who is called to the diaconate. The difference is the man who is called to be a deacon should have no concerns living a celibate life should his wife die before him. I thought that was a fascinating insight.

I’ll be honest, this conversation gave me a lot to think about! I hope it does the same for you.

You can get his newest book, Remain in Me, at Amazon.

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