Take Heart! Christ Is With Us: The Orthodox Priesthood (Final)

NOTE: This blog post isn't written to malign anybody. My purpose is to share my budding knowledge about Orthodoxy and how the Priest is an Icon of Christ. I am not a theologian nor am I a "faith defender"-- I just want to share the beauty of The Apostolic Succession established by the Apostles themselves in accordance with what Christ taught. 

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Recently, while updating my Facebook account, I came across a page that I liked. The page posted on its news-feed a YouTube video of a certain Baptist preacher who insulted some of his congregation in his mid-sermon. He said some things like "You're one of the sorriest church members I have! You're not worth 15 cents!"  and "You won't get this in any other church! (meaning his "hissy fit" as one YouTuber put it)". The preacher even said that he "felt better" after doing such.

Click the link to watch the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8iSAPKI2w8

Personally I think what the preacher did was something I could not consider a "pastoral care" (again I'm drawing this from the fact that I have encountered and was baptized by an Orthodox Priest, I'm drawing from my experience and what I've witnessed). Much as I want to be really annoyed at the person I can't help but think "I can't blame him; that's probably what he learned in his seminary"-- therefore I can't hold him accountable, but surely, he IS to be held accountable for leading the people to Christ; obviously he didn't receive the Grace of Ordination-- which makes it dangerous since one has no right to "claim" souls for God unless he is a successor of the Apostles.

I can't imagine an Orthodox Priest doing SUCH. Not even in a million years.

A priest is an agent of grace; a funnel through which God's mercy can flow (paraphrasing Abbot Tryphon of Ancientfaithradio.org). Why is that? What MAKES a priest? The Abbot tells us that the Priest is to become a living sacrifice for the people.

Click the link to hear Abbot Tryphon: http://www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts/morningoffering/the_priest 

A priest, especially an Orthodox Priest, must not treat the Holy Office begrudgingly.

(Coptic Orthodox Priest)

HOLY ALTAR VERSUS THE PULPIT:

The Altar of God is Holy. A man in vestments IS NOT SUPPOSED to make it into a PULPIT. And I believe this is one of the starkest contrasts of Orthodox Priesthood and "other ministries". An Orthodox Priest cannot bring "personal" issues in his sermons and then feel good about it. The Divine Liturgy he celebrates is where God's presence IS present. He must not desecrate the Celebration by turning the whole thing into a personal crusade to wipe off "persons building their own kingdoms." (Only God can wipe them off from existence, not the Priest.) And the sharing of the Gospels is not to be bridled with angst and self-righteousness seasoned with acid attacks against individuals who are obviously "hurting" on the inside.

The Altar is not to be made a CHEAP pulpit where one can stand behind or around it and say: "Hey, listen to me! Don't you dare doze off; I'm important!" 

THE PRIEST AS AN ICON OF CHRIST:

(A Priest kneeling before the Altar)

What does the image of Christ look like? This is best answered by engaging with someone who received the Grace of ordination; someone who can trace his discipleship back to the apostles who had seen Christ up-close and personal... Namely an Orthodox Priest. But being an icon of Christ does not a guarantee him "feeling better". He must remember his black cassock-- a sign of humility. Being dead to the world, he must lead the congregation to repentance and communion with God through the Divine Liturgy. He has no right saddling up on a high horse. He must not read the Gospels through his own eyes but he must do this with constant prayer and constant reading of the works of the Holy Fathers. His "job"-- as one Orthodox Christian lady in our church put it once-- is to pray...
This is not to say that he mustn't admonish his congregation to repentance-- but to call out names on persons, rub to their faces their weaknesses as if he do not have his own, and to say in the end that he "feels better" after doing so, is definitely NOT the work of an Icon of Christ.
The Priest, to set him apart from the rest, is to be cloaked with humility at all times. This has been passed down from the apostles to the present day Orthodox Priests and I feel GREAT about that.

:D FIN         

Note: Photos are not mine.