"... the priesthood unites all of the callings to which
man may respond and cannot be thought of as just one of them."
INTRODUCTION
Since it is the divine grace that elevates a man, through the laying-on-of hands, to be a priest, it is clear that the priesthood is unlike any other vocation open to men. Even to use the term "vocation" can be misleading, since there are other vocations and since the priesthood is not on the same level as those other vocations. In a very important sense, the priesthood unites all of the callings to which man may respond and cannot be thought of as just one of them.
According to the rite of ordination, the priest is specifically ordained to "stand blamelessly before God's holy altar, to proclaim the Gospel of His kingdom, to offer to Him spiritual gifts and sacrifices, and to renew His people through the font of rebirth." The ordaining hierarch prays that "he may be wholly God's servant, acceptable to Him in all things." In the Liturgy during which he is ordained, he is given the portion XC of the Holy Bread to hold until the elevation. On giving it, the bishop says to him: "Receive this trust, and preserve it whole and unharmed until your last breath, because you will be held to account for it at the second and awesome coming of our great Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ." This act and these words are an indication that it is when the priest presides at the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, the fullness of his priesthood and his responsibility are both realized and made evident.
A CALLING
The priesthood is a calling or a life, not simply one occupation among many that a man might choose. This means that the priest has been called by God and given the gift of God, that is, the grace to accomplish his work. "That is why I am reminding you now to fan into a flame the gift that God gave you when I laid my hands on you ... God who has saved us and called us to be holy - not because of anything we ourselves have done but for His own purpose and by His own grace." (II Timothy 1:6,9). The calling is holy, high (Philippians 3:14), heavenly (Hebrews 3:1), and therefore, the response to this calling and the acceptance of it and the ways of carrying it out are different from the choice and fulfillment of any other occupation. The priest must give account for all those committed to his charge. Of course, all Christians shall give account of themselves to God and they must be especially careful not to put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in their brother's way (Romans 14:12-13). If this is said of all of Christ's followers, how much more does it apply to the priest, whose responsibility is to lead men to their salvation? When the people are exhorted to obey them that have the rule and submit themselves, it is because those rulers "must give an account of the way they look after your souls" (Hebrews 13:17).
THE SACRAMENTAL PRIESTHOOD
The whole body of the faithful, the people of God, is a holy and royal priesthood, constituted "to offer spiritual sacrifices ... [and] to sing the praises of God who called you out of the darkness into His wonderful light." (I Peter 2:5,9). And within this priesthood of all believers, there is a special, sacramental priesthood, the bishops and priests, with their helpers, the deacons. That this has been so from the beginning, we have the testimony of Saint Paul: "There is a variety of gifts but always the same Spirit; there are all sorts of service to be done, but always to the same Lord; working in all sorts of different ways in different people, it is the same God working in all of them ... by the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body ... that there may not be disagreements inside the body, but that each part may be equally concerned for all the others ... Now you together are Christ's body; but each of you is a different part of it. In the Church, God has given the first place to apostles, the second to prophets, the third to teachers; after them, miracles, and after them the gift of healing; helpers, good leaders, those with many languages. Are all of them apostles, or all of them prophets, or all of them teachers?"(I Corinthians 12:4-29). And later he reminds Titus of the reason for having left him in Crete: "The reason I left you behind in Crete was for you to get everything organized there and appoint elders [presbyters] in every town, in the way that I told you" (Titus 1:5).
The priest is the member of the body that has the charge and
the responsibility to unite all together and sacramentally to
manifest the presence of Christ in the Church. He does not do
this through his own special talents, knowledge, or abilities,
although there are specific qualifications for the office he
holds (II Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:6-16). "His priestly
character testifies to the fact that all human being and life
must be offered to God" (Father Thomas Hopko, On the Male
Character of the Christian Priesthood, St. Vladimir's Seminary
Quarterly, Vol. 19, No. 3).
RESPONSIBILITIES
In practice the priest's own life is wholly dedicated to the service of God and God's people, all day, every day. Every part of his personal life reflects his calling and his responsibility. Even if, because of certain circumstances, he must have secular employment to sustain his life and his family's, his priesthood remains his only vocation and can never be a "part-time job."
In carrying out his duties, the priest must, first of all, preach the word, in accordance with one of the qualifications enumerated by Saint Paul, "apt to teach," and in obedience to the same Apostle's instruction to Saint Timothy, "Proclaim the message and, welcome or unwelcome, insist on it. Refute falsehood, correct error, call to obedience - but do all with patience and with the intention of teaching" (I Timothy 4:2). He must never miss the opportunity to teach the saving truths revealed by our Lord Jesus Christ, not only in sermons in the church and in classes, but also when he visits his people, and when he encounters people willing to listen no matter where he finds them.
He must live a life consistent with what he teaches. It is inconceivable for the priest to teach and exhort to holiness and himself to live a life dedicated to pleasures and entertainments, greed and personal ambition. "Great may be the teacher's boldness, when he can instruct his disciples from his own good deeds" (Saint John Chrysostom, Homily V, on II Thessalonians). As the Lord himself says: "Physician, heal yourself" (Luke 4:23). Saint Paul says: "Why not teach yourself as well as the others? You preach against stealing, yet you steal.; you forbid adultery, yet you commit adultery; you despise idols, yet you rob their temples. By boasting about the Law and then disobeying it, you bring God into contempt" (Romans 2:21-23).
MINISTERING THE SACRAMENTS
Priests are, in Saint Paul's words, "ministers of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God" (I Corinthians 4:1). The awesome responsibility for administering the mysteries (or sacraments) of God cannot be over emphasized. It is appropriate here to recall the words of the prayer at the beginning of the Rite of Holy Baptism: "And sanctify me wholly by your all-perfect, invisible might, and by your spiritual right hand; lest, while I proclaim liberty to others, and administer this rite with perfect faith in your unutterable love towards mankind, I myself may become the base slave of sin." He must understand and teach the meaning of the mysteries to those who are to receive them. He must not administer any sacrament to unbelievers or heretics. He must faithfully administer the mysteries, having first cleansed himself by repentance. He must not alter, because of laziness or haste, the form prescribed for the administration of the mysteries. He must not charge or name a price for any sacramental ministration. Finally, "a person who eats and drinks without recognizing the Body is eating and drinking his own condemnation" (I Corinthians 11:29), what could be said of those who administer the same unworthily?
Following the example of the Apostles, the priest must give himself "continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word" (Acts 6:4). Saint Paul exhorts his disciple, Timothy, "that first of all, there should be prayers offered for everyone - petitions, intercessions and thanksgiving" (I Timothy 2:1). And the Thessalonians: "Pray without ceasing" (I Thessalonians 5:17). Prayer must necessarily be the basis for the fulfilling of all the priest's duties. The priest, then, is a man of prayer: in the church's services, in the home with the family, with other members of his flock, and privately. It is useless for a priest who neglects prayer himself to urge his people to pray, because his neglect will be evident to them.
From "Studies for Today's Christian," a series of
papers prepared by the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox
Church in America concerning contemporary issues.
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