Author: Deacon Joel Schmidt
Being Deacon: Lessons From the Fishbowl

As a deacon, I’m becoming more comfortable with the idea that people are watching me and my family. I may not like it, but I’m learning to embrace it. To a large degree, that’s what I signed up for, to be a symbol of something different, a sign of contrast, to represent Christ in a way I hadn’t done before. But as Christians, aren’t we all called to represent Christ in a way that’s visible, that makes Him known to the rest of the world, through the witness of our lives?
Being Deacon: The Knot

Ever since I was ordained a deacon last August, I’ve meant to start a “Being Deacon” series. In fact, someone even contacted us through our Facebook page, urging me to provide this very series, but up until now, I’ve managed to churn out exactly one installment. Then, along came the Knights of Columbus, who asked me to write a weekly series this month for Fathers For Good.
Homily: Hello Again, Ordinary Time

Well, it’s that time of year again. You know, that L-O-N-G stretch of Ordinary Time that lasts from June to November. 20 weeks of green … hello Ordinary Time. What could the Church possibly be thinking? How about this: Ordinary Time is the most important time of the whole year. Deacon Joel shares his homily for the Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Homily: Something to Shout

“Lord, let your face shine on us.†That’s the cry of David in today’s Responsorial Psalm. Interesting if you think about it. What is the precondition for a face? A body – flesh – which God did not have prior to the Incarnation. Before Jesus, the phrase “the face of God†was just a poetic metaphor for God’s favor or His grace. Then Jesus came along and changed that – and indeed, everything.