I lost my patience recently. Then, I lost
my temper. These are two things that I rarely experience, and, as
self-flattering as this pronouncement may appear, they are behaviors I would
like to believe would not be associated with me by those who know me. Yet,
under the escalating weight of a host of professional demands and other
pressures that had been building for several weeks, I reacted with anger and
indignation at two young men, both of whom are my juniors in age and station,
and both of who unfairly suffered my misdirected frustration. My immediate
embarrassment and my subsequent apology to these two young men were genuine and
sincere, but I remained very upset and disappointed with myself. I shared my
distress with a Greek Orthodox priest and friend who himself was privy to the
situation that had produced my pique. In so doing, I was reminded why
priests—good priests—matter.
I have been a steward,
and, in some cases, a parish council member, of Greek Orthodox communities in
places as diverse as a predominantly working-class, immigrant parish in an
industrial city in northern Indiana; an enormous suburban church in New Jersey;
an affluent, professional congregation in Manhattan; and a large, once-thriving
parish in a Boston area town. One thing that I found to be a constant in all of
these different congregations was the decisive, determinant role that the
priest played in shaping the life and character of the parish community.
Priests clearly at peace with themselves and happy with their pastoral ministry
tended to lead communities that were united, whole, and spiritually alive. To
what extent each—priest or parish—had either a positive or negative influence
on the other could be debated. Nonetheless, what was clear and recurrent in my
experience was the simple, and perhaps not surprising, fact that priests who
were in harmony with their calling not only deepened the unity and well-being
of their parishes, but, in those instances where churches had experienced
strife, they were able to restore health and love to their communities.
Conversely, priests in personal crisis, whose calling was imperiled, inexorably
exported their own crises into their parishes.
We are all “priests.”
Indeed, Orthodox Christianity proceeds from the understanding that inasmuch as
the whole body of the faithful—His Church—forms a holy and royal priesthood,
we, the people of God, are all priests. Nonetheless, it is recognized from the
time of the Apostles that within the universal priesthood of
believers there is a special, sacramental priesthood, hence
the distinction between clergy and laity. The sacramental priest—known
originally and formally as presbyteros (from “elder,” as
in the Jewish rabbinic tradition)—is established through the sacrament of
ordination. Ordination, which invests a new priest with the ecclesial authority
to administer sacraments, is performed by a bishop, with the consent of the
people of God—meaning, in practice, a congregation which completes the
ordination by shouting “Axios, Worthy!”
Dispensing the
sacraments—holy rites, mysteries, in which Orthodox Christians experience the
reality of God through the enacting of His Grace—are the exclusive
responsibility and prerogative of the priesthood. Nonetheless, the
effectiveness and fullness of the sacraments are not dependent on the personal
virtue or character of the administering priest. Precisely because the
sacraments are understood to constitute the presence of Christ acting through
the Holy Spirit, the priest, despite considerable popular misunderstanding
among Orthodox faithful (and even among some priests), is neither a vessel nor
an intermediary between God’s Grace and God’s people. Instead, Orthodox
teaching explains that the priest is an icon of Christ. His role is weighty, a
fact reflected in every aspect of a priest’s life, both public and private,
both pastoral and non-ministerial.
The priesthood is a
calling, meaning a dedication to a way of life, not merely a chosen profession.
In short, this means that a man has been called by God to commit his life to
serve God’s Grace. The priest assumes throughout his life the responsibility of
uniting all the people of God together in Christ and sacramentally manifesting
the presence of Christ in the Church.
In carrying out his
calling, the ordinary parish priest must do extraordinary things: he must
preach the message of Christ; promote love and peace; enrich the religious and
theological literacy of his communicants; deepen his community’s understanding
of the teachings of the Church; and foster awareness and respect for the
Orthodox Church’s history and traditions. Furthermore, he has to accomplish all
this in the midst of answering the day-to-day needs and demands and challenges
of a parish community. Above all, the priest must live a life that is always
unwaveringly centered on Christ’s love, and that is consistent with the
principles, morality, and ethics he—the priest—preaches. I recall from my
youth, a visiting priest at my parents’ Sunday table confiding to my
sympathetic father that the priesthood is simultaneously both the greatest
blessing and the greatest cross to bear. Truly, only a genuine calling can lead
to the making of a priest capable of facing and fulfilling such imposing, yet
stirring, responsibilities.
I have known many
extraordinary priests. Few among us have not had our lives blessed or have not
been inspired by a great priest. All the same, Orthodoxy correctly affirms that
priests do not manifest the presence of Christ through their talents, charisma,
knowledge, or other personal attributes, but through their sacramental
function, which is not affected or influenced by a priest’s qualities. But what
is also clear is that a priest’s imprint extends beyond his sacramental
functions. In that sense, and in that sphere of life in the Church, we most
often encounter the benefit and grace of a good priest.
The priest in whom I
confided my recent story of pressure, anger, and regret is an extraordinary
priest and a good man. He responded to me with this liberating Christian
perspective:
"Aleko, I understand. Just know that there is so much love in the
world, that no matter what others say to us it can never diminish God's love
for us. Try to focus and search for this love even in the most trying
circumstances. You will see that you will find joy in even the uncomfortable
times and with the most difficult people. God loves
you, as do I."
In my friend priest’s
earnest words to me I sensed the presence of Christ’s message of love, and so I
was reminded of why good priests matter. Their commitment to live according to
God’s love, along with their ability to fervently convey that love to the
world, is what makes priests not only important, but also, good.
By Dr. Alexandros K.
Kyrou, a Professor of History
at Salem State University in Salem,
Massachusetts,
where he teaches on the Balkans, Byzantium,
and the Ottoman
Empire
Source: https://blogs.goarch.org/blog/-/blogs/-why-good-priests-matter-
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