My beloved spiritual children in Christ Our Only True God and Our Only True Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.
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ON THE MYSTERION (SACRAMENT) OF PRIESTHOOD
By Saint John Chrysostomos
Saint Gregory Nazianzen illustrates the difficulty of a priest's work by comparing it with that of a doctor. The priest's is the harder task because he deals with souls that resist their own healing instead of bodies that co-operate; because spiritual disease is hidden, whereas physical ailments are apparent; and because he aims, not simply to preserve or restore health, but to "deify those who belong to the heavenly host". Nothing less than this was the purpose of the Incarnation. Where doctors work merely to extend a possibly sinful life, we (says St. Gregory) work for the salvation of the soul. And because we deal with many different types of men, we must continually vary our methods, not only according to their differences but also as times and circumstances change. It is as tricky a job as tight-rope walking!
Then there is the ministry (diakonia) of the Logos/Word. With the comprehension of a subtle theologian, Saint Gregory dilates upon the problem (all too real in his days) of communicating orthodox Trinitarian doctrine to a mixed and largely uneducated congregation, their minds full of preconceived ideas, or self-conceit, or plain ignorance...The problem is not simply to teach them the Truth, but to disabuse their minds of false doctrines.
...A priest is not made in a day. "Who can mold, as clay-figures are modeled in a single day, the defender of the truth, who is to take his stand with Angels, and give glory with Archangels, and cause the sacrifice to ascend to the altar on high, and share the Priesthood of Christ, and renew the creature, and set forth the image, and create inhabitants for the world above, aye, and, greatest of all, be God and make others God?"
Deeply moved by the sacred duties of the Priesthood, conscious that it has been given to him to understand something of the mystery and Majesty of God, and responsive to the vocation which his very home and upbringing seem to urge upon him, Saint Gregory is half won to the acceptance of his unsought ministry. But his attention turns from the ideal of the Priesthood to the harsh realities, not of the world but of the Church. How can he take on himself the guidance of others in such troubled times--the Church profaned, invective prized, personal rivalries flourishing, all in chaos in the strife. Pagans hate us for our dissensions. Our own best people are scandalized. The Christian is even lampooned on the stage. His own disciples make Christ's name to be blasphemed...
"...How could I dare", he asks, "to offer to God the external sacrifice, the antitype of the great mysteries, or clothe myself with the garb and name of priest, before my hands had been consecrated by holy works; before my eyes had been accustomed to gaze safely on created things, with wonder only for the Creator, and without injury to the creature; before my ear had been sufficiently opened to the instruction of the Lord, and he had opened my ear to hear without heaviness and had set a golden ear-ring with precious sardius, that is, a wise man's word in an obedient ear, and opened wide to be filled with the spirit of speaking mysteries and doctrines...before all my members had become instruments of righteousness, and all mortality had been put off, and swallowed up of life, and had yielded to the Spirit?"
The priest is a shepherd. "The shepherd needs great wisdom, according to Saint John Chrysostom, and a thousand eyes, to examine the soul's condition from every angle. As there are plenty of people who are puffed up into arrogance and then fall into heedlessness of their own salvation because they cannot stand bitter medicines; so there are others who, because they do not pay a proportionate penalty for their sins, are misled into negligence and become far worse, and are led on to commit greater sins. The priest, therefore, must not overlook any of these considerations, but examine them all with care and apply all his remedies appropriately, for fear his care should be in vain.
The shepherd of sheep has the flock following him wherever he leads; or if some turn aside from the direct path and leave the good pasture to graze in barren and precipitous places, it is enough for him to call more loudly, drive them back again, and restore to the flock those which were separated. But if a man wanders away from the right faith, the shepherd needs a lot of concentration, perseverance, and patience. He cannot drag by force or constrain by fear, but must by persuasion lead him back to the true beginning from which he has fallen away. He needs, therefore, a heroic spirit, not to grow despondent or neglect the salvation of the wanderers, but to keep on thinking and saying: "Peradventure God may give them the knowledge of the truth and they may freed from the snare of the devil."
"That is why the Lord, speaking to the disciples, said: "Who, then, is the faithful and wise servant?" The man who practices asceticism helps no one but himself. But the advantage of a shepherd's skill extends to the whole people. The man who distributes alms to the needy or in other ways defends the wronged, has done some good to his neighbors; but less than the priest, as the body is less than the soul. It is not surprising, then, that the Lord said concern for his sheep was a sign of love for himself."
The Glory of the Priesthood
The work of the Priesthood is done on earth, but it is ranked among heavenly ordinances. And this is only right, for no man, no Angel, no Archangel, no other created power, but the Paraclete (Holy Spirit) Himself ordained this succession, and persuaded men, while still remaining in the flesh to represent the ministry (diakonia) of Angels. The priest, therefore, must be pure as if he were standing in heaven itself, in the midst of those powers.
The symbols which existed before the ministry (diakonia) of grace were fearful and awe-inspiring: for example, the bells, the pomegranates, the stones on the breastplate, the stones on the ephod, the miter, the diadem, the long robe, the golden crown, the Holy of Holies, the deep silence within. But if you consider the ministry (diakonia) of grace, you will find that those fearful and awe-inspiring symbols are only trivial...When you see the Lord sacrificed and lying before you, and the High Priest standing over the sacrifice and praying, and all who partake being tinctured with that Precious Blood, can you think that you are still among men and still standing on earth? Are you not at once transported to heaven, and, having driven out of your soul every carnal thought, do you not with soul naked and mind pure look upon heavenly things? Oh, the wonder of it! Oh, the loving-kindness of God to men! He who sits above with the Father is at that moment held in our hands and gives himself to those who wish to clasp and embrace him--which they do, all of them, with their eyes. Do you think this could be despised? Or that it is the kind of thing anyone can be superior about?
...Anyone who considers how much it means to be able, in his humanity, still entangled in flesh and blood, to approach that blessed and immaculate Being, will see clearly how great is the honor which the grace of the Spirit has bestowed on priests. It is through them that this work is performed and other work no less than this in its bearing upon our dignity and our salvation.
For earth's inhabitants, having their life in this world, have been entrusted with the stewardship of heavenly things, and have received an authority which God has not given to Angels or Archangels. Not to them was it said, "What things soever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound also in heaven; and what things soever ye shall loose, shall be loosed" (cf. Matthew 18:18). Those who are lords on earth have indeed the power to bind, but only men's bodies. But this binding touches the very soul and reaches through heaven. What priests do on earth, God ratifies above. The Master confirms the decisions of His slaves. Indeed he has given them nothing less than the whole authority of heaven. For He says, "Whose soever sin ye forgive, they are forgiven, and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained" (John 20:23). What authority could be greater than that? "The Father hath given all judgment unto the Son." But I see that the Son has placed it all in their hands. For they have been raised to this prerogative, as though they were already translated to heaven and had transcended human nature and were freed from our passions. (Source: Saint John Chrysostom. Six Books on the Priesthood)
(To be continued)
Please note: It is most important that the Priesthood is held always in high esteem and respect by all. Saint John Chrysostom makes it very clear and direct what it means and how it should be perceived by the priest as well as the people within the Church.
As a priest of 51 years in the service of Our Lord, I have to know of my unworthiness and deficiencies. No one, but no one, is worthy of this most sacred office. As a priest, I have faced many challenges, difficulties, problems, confrontations, temptations, attacks by humans as well as our common enemy, the devil. I have, however, experienced the grace of God, His love, His guidance, His support, His protection, His enlightenment, His forgiveness, His presence, His kindness, His compassion, His mercy, His abundant miracles. If I am living today it is only because of Him.
No one should ever disrespect the divine Priesthood that Our Lord founded and established. He is after all the High Priest of our Church. The priest is far from being a perfect human being and his responsibility to the Almighty God is enormous. He is responsible not only for his own sins and transgressions but he is responsible for the salvation of all the souls which God has entrusted to him.
The priest is the shepherd of the flock. His not only one entrusted to guide his spiritual flock but to lead them to green pastures, to protect them from the wild beasts, to nourish them, to lead them to the Living Water, Christ God. He is the servant of servants who makes every effort to fulfill all the needs of his people.
Somehow though, I have witnessed unfortunately the distortion of who the priest is in our parishes. For years the contemporary Greek Orthodox priest has been treated as a hired employee of the local community. As someone who is hired and fired at will. His Priesthood and ministry have been misunderstood. At times the priest is seen as a rival, as an intruder, as a suspect, and as someone who should not be trusted, someone who could be threatened and easily be replaced or removed.
Some years ago in one of the parishes which I was serving at the time, older members of the parish council were advising the young men who were to be elected to serve on the board, "not to listen to anything that the priest said or advised." The Christian parish was to be treated as a business or something like a MacDonald's franchise. Everything was about money and fun.
The Priesthood, the Epourgema (Ministry), must be protected and defended by all. Without the priest, the Church cannot function and so the local parish. What good is it to have a ten million dollar facility and not have a priest to serve the people? It becomes a museum or a lifeless complex of buildings. The priest is indeed most essential!
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"Glory Be To GOD For All Things!" - Saint John Chrysostomos
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With sincere agape in His Holy Diakonia (Ministry)
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+Father George