I knew that my favorite deacon was in trouble.  As he began to read the prayers of the faithful, I noticed that he had a tight grip on the sides of the ambo, and his face was whiter than Dan Brown’s albino Opus Dei assassin monk.

But he did avoid fainting on the altar by making a quick and desperate exit.

He was quite embarrassed, and he gave me a real fright.  But according to Monsignor Pope, his misery has lots of company.  Monsignor gives five reasons for the fainting on the altar phenomenon.

My favorite deacon claims that his near fainting was due to number five. I hope so. He did get something to eat, and he was able to help me teach the RCIA. Oh and he did deacon at the last Mass without incident.

Monsignor Pope has some comforting words for the sometimes vertically challenged H/T New Advent:

We are wonderfully, fearfully made to be sure. And yet we are earthen vessels, fragile and in need of delicate balance. We are contingent beings, depending on God for every beat of our heart, and His sustaining of every function of every cell of our body. Maybe fainting in Church isn’t so bad since it helps keep us humble and that is always a good “posture” before God. Maybe before the immensity of God it is good to be reminded of our fragility and dependence upon Him for all things, even the most hidden processes of our body.

Monsignor found a very funny video. Here it is: