Scottish Catholic Observer

The mark of a priest is ‘preferring nothing to Christ,’ Archbishop Leo Cushley said as he ordained Deacon Tony Lappin of St Andrews and Edinburgh Archdiocese along with six of his fellow students from the Pontifical Beda College in Rome.

“The service of God’s people, in the diaconate or the priesthood, is not about moving up a grade, it’s not about power. It’s about service,” the archbishop said during his homily at the Papal Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls.

“It’s about humility in conduct, steadfastness in faith, modesty in speech, justice in actions, mercy in deeds, and discipline in morals. It’s about preferring nothing to Christ.”

Tony Lappin , 49, hails from Loanhead in Midlothian and Archbishop Cushley reminded him and his fellow candidates that ‘preferring nothing to Christ’—as recommended by the 3rd century Bishop of Carthage, St Cyprian—means a life rooted in prayer, fasting and almsgiving.

“After all, proclaiming the Gospel isn’t about proclaiming yourselves, it’s about proclaiming Christ,” he said.

“In order to do that well, to become transparent ambassadors of Christ, not of yourselves, you must be disciplined, and to be disciplined you need a plan. And that means ‘prayer’ and ‘fasting,’ or put more plainly, having a deep relationship with God, and having a taste for personal humility, obedience and discipline. Without a life of prayer and fasting, a deacon’s service to the poor would become mere human philanthropy.”

The archbishop went on to say that ‘philanthropy is fine, it’s a good thing: but a deacon is to be moved to action by the love of Christ and by the single-mindedness of his life; flowing from that, he will serve Christ in the sick and the poor around him with a Christian motivation.’

Archbishop Cushley concluded by assuring the new deacons of the affection, prayers and blessing of all those present.

“Embrace the Lord’s call, give your lives to the single-minded and obedient service of him and his people. And above all, wherever that service takes you, prefer nothing to Christ,” he said.

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