Deacon Greg – An Appreciation

Photo shamelessly cribbed from Deacon Greg

A while back I was so taken with a scroll down her blog, I had to sing the praises of Julie at Happy Catholic, whose site never fails to humble me, because she is so focused and consistent, while I am all over the place.

Today I took a scroll down The Deacon’s Bench; Where A Roman Catholic Deacon Ponders the World and I felt that same sense of gratitude and humility. Like Julie, the good deacon, Greg Kandra, manages to keep his focus on the world of faith, with a gentle tone, a puckish sense of humor and a sometimes palpable sense of wonder. And he never, never gets bogged down in politics.

In fact, Deacon Greg does not get “bogged down” at all – what permeates his blog is an over-riding sense of gratitude and gladness, and to my way of thinking, that comes from an abundance of grace.

Check out his site today. From the animal blessings to the noteworthy news, to the music and slightly whimsical notes, to the challenges we face, the the routes we take and the closer examinations we sometimes forget to stop and make, his site is – everyday – like a dive in a refreshing pond that welcomes you and requires absolutely nothing of you. That’s a very hospitable way to blog, and hospitality is a very big deal.

That ingrained sense of hospitality is probably why Greg so often finds interesting stories about the people on the periphery, of a big story. He’s curious about the world and everyone in it.

Okay, maybe he’s not like a refreshing, welcoming pond. Maybe he’s like a very friendly border collie who has a lot of interesting things to show you…

And the homilies, or sermons, if you like – did I mention the homilies? They’re all stellar – they all invite. Kandra teaches without mauling, and they are imbued, again, with gratitude, hope and real joy.

I’m grateful. If you have not been reading The Deacon’s Bench, I hope you will start. He’s a good ‘un!