From the Priest’s Spirituality: Not Loving Money
His Holiness Pope Shenouda III explains that a fundamental aspect of the priest’s spirituality is not loving money and being ascetic toward luxury, because the priest must be an instrument of blessings and not desiring material gains. Priesthood is a function of responsibility and a divine stewardship that requires financial chastity and discipline in managing the church’s funds.
Spiritual and educational dimensions
- Asceticism and imitation of Christ and the apostles: He refers to the example of Christ and the apostles who lived in poverty and advised not to carry money for travelers, and that the priest should not appear as an aristocratic class but should be close to the poor people.
- Service freely and gift: He emphasizes that healings, teachings and rites should be offered with love and freely: “You cast out demons freely; you have received freely, give freely.” Charging fees for visiting the sick or for baptism or prayer at the same occasion is improper.
- Distinction between church funds and priest’s funds: Money given to the church is not the priest’s property but for common service; there must be a clear separation between the priest’s private money and church money and its disbursement should be organized through committees and councils.
- Justice within the church: He criticizes the disparity of wealth among priests and among churches and the ostentatious displays of money in funerals and rites that show a difference between rich and poor, and notes that the early church practiced voluntary sharing so that no one was needy.
- Stewardship honesty: The priest is a steward of donors’ money and should spend a large portion of it on the poor and on the church’s essential needs, because the donor expects his gifts to be used to help the poor not for mere displays.
Practical directions
- Organize church finances through committees and clarify that funds are for the church and not for personal prestige.
- Providing pensions for priests solves the matter of family support and does not justify hoarding money.
- Refuse to accept money at the same occasion of the service (such as baptism or a visit to the sick); donations may be offered afterward if the donor wills.
- The priest should be ascetic and avoid loving money so people trust that their donations will be spent for good.
Conclusion
The essential message is that the priest’s asceticism toward money and his financial purity are inseparable from his spirituality and priesthood: the priest is a stewardship, money is a means of service not an end to desire, and he must be honest and chaste to preserve the church’s testimony and the donors’ trust.
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