Deacons

Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, the Hellenists murmured against the Hebrews because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution. And the twelve summoned the body of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brethren, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”  (Acts 6:1–4, RSVCE)

It doesn't say anything there about deacons giving homilies. In fact, the deacons were ordained so that those whose work was preaching and ministry of the word could concentrate on their primary work without getting lost in more mundane tasks. 

Today I had to suffer through another of our parish deacon's twenty minute homilies. Nice guy. Does great work ("prison ministry" -- better him than me!). Terrible voice. Every clause inflected on the same two tones, up down, up down, up down. No variation in tempo. Twenty minutes.  

Given that Catholic deacons are cleared to preach nowadays, I might excuse him getting "tasked" with preaching if I figured he was just accepting in humility and trying to make the best of it. Like by trying to get it over with as quickly as possible. Like maybe seven minutes?  A brief and to-the-point  monotonous drone would not be as sleep- or headache-inducing. But twenty minutes? Twenty minutes speaks to a certain level of taking yourself too seriously combined with a certain lack of self-reflection. Rush Limbaugh used to call it the liberal combination of ignorance and arrogance. 

But really. From a scriptural point of view, why are we asking deacons go give homilies? Why do that to such a nice guy?