Homily at Ordination to Diaconate of Reverend Kurt Zion Pala
By Bishop Honest F. Ongtioco, Diocese of Cubao
On 15 March this year the Reverend Kurt Zion Pala was ordained at the Columban Formation House in Quezon City. The Formation House is within walking distance of Immaculate Conception Cathedral, Diocese of Cubao. The homily has been slightly edited.
The readings for the Mass are here.
The new deacon with Bishop Ontioco and Columban priests and seminarians
We are now in the Fourth Sunday of Lent – Laetare Sunday. Today the Church invites us to reflect on God’s love for the world and to be joyful because of it. ‘Rejoice, Jerusalem! Be glad for her, you who love her; rejoice with her, you who mourn for her’ (Is 66:10-11). The Church invites us in the middle of the penitential season of Lent to rejoice. Why? What is the reason for this rejoicing? Because God loves each and every one of us so much that He gives us His only Son. The message of the Gospel is clear - it is the love of God that allowed Him to give His only Son. It is in this context, Kurt, that you are to be ordained today to the diaconate – a ministry of charity. Your ordination therefore is not only a sign of charity but also the very sacrament of God’s self-emptying love.