The ministries to which you have been called will not always be easy. We are not always called where we would like to be called. We are often called to places which we were not expecting and which we really would have preferred to miss entirely. But there is a surer sign than that, and that is the wonder. You will be surprised by the wonder when you are not looking for it, and then you will know that, no matter how strange or difficult the place, it is God who is calling you to be there.
Today is a day to celebrate and to look forward.
As you go forward, I hope you will remember two things. The first is that God does not call you for your own benefit. You are called to serve him and to build up his Body, his Church. Give thanks for the fact that you will begin your new ministry as deacons, and let that always be a reminder that you are, first of all, servants. So, remember Jesus wherever you may go.