Beacon of Truth-Off The Street-11/29/24

About this sermon

As deacons, each of us is called to use our particular gifts and personal histories to serve those entrusted to our care—both inside and outside the bounds of our parish. Responding to this call might entail battling—and conquering—those “demons” that want to con¬vince us that we are not good enough to evangelize, as well as those that urge us not to venture out, but to remain “safe” in the confines of the parish. And yet, if we want to image Christ the Servant, we must be willing to stretch ourselves and go outside our comfort zones. Fifteen years before Deacon Michael Oles was ordained, he started volunteering one night a month at the Dorothy Day House, a home¬less shelter in Danbury, Connecticut. It was an unnerving experi¬ence—more difficult than anything he’d encountered in his 20-year Air Force career. More than anything, it was the smell that got him: wet and earthy body odor commingled with unwashed clothes and fear in an open room that housed seventeen twin beds separated by small partitions. The Deacon's chat more today on Beacon of Truth.

Topics

• Bible Study