Fifth Sunday of Easter

The first church had a problem: some people were being left out of the food distribution. Not maliciously - just because the community had grown faster than anyone had a system for, and the people running the distribution did not have good visibility into who was being missed. So the apostles called everyone together, named the problem honestly, and said: we need seven trustworthy people to handle this. They chose seven and laid hands on them.

That is the origin of the diaconate. It started as a food-distribution problem. The first deacons were not created for the liturgy - they were created because widows were going hungry. The Church at its best is always asking: who is being missed in our daily distribution? Who is falling through the cracks?

Peter says you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own. Not you individually trying to prove yourself. You - plural, together, the community of people who have come to the living stone. You are that, together, so that you can announce the praises of the one who called you out of darkness. The identity is given so the mission can happen.

Jesus says whoever believes in him will do greater works than he did. Not more impressive works - greater in reach, in time, in the number of people who get served. The greater works are the ones done by communities over generations. You are part of that.