One of the characteristics of a priest is a kind heart

His Holiness Pope Shenouda III speaks about the trait of “tender-heartedness” and how it is a fundamental quality in God’s dealings with people, and therefore a quality that priests and spiritual shepherds must possess in their dealings with the people of God.

Manifestations of God’s tenderness that teach us

• He highlights that God was tender in many situations: with Jonah and the sailors and the people of Nineveh, and with the sinful people, and with Judas, and with repentant ones.

• Christ’s tenderness appeared in His miracles and compassion: healing the sick, feeding the crowds, raising the dead, and Christ’s weeping for Lazarus.

Tenderness toward sinners and the poor

• The priest must be tender toward sinners, not cutting them off or humiliating them, and should lead them with gentleness and guidance to repentance instead of harshness or disdain.

• Tenderness is also required for the poor and needy even if they sin — the pressure of need may drive them to deceit or lying, and the priest must deal with them kindly and sympathetically.

Patience and gentleness in guidance

• A call for “long-suffering love” with people, and avoidance of continual violence and harshness which produces stubbornness and rebellion.

• Teaching, kindness, and persuasion are more able to erase the sin than rebuke and severe punishment.

Tenderness as a means of care and evangelism

• Through stories and practical experiences with youth and street children it appears that gentleness and tenderness win souls and cause people to commit rather than drive them away by harshness.

• Tenderness is not weakness but a spiritual strength that helps rebuild and revive people.

Spiritual conclusion from a Coptic Orthodox perspective

• Tenderness is a divine attribute that should make the priest aware that he is God’s agent, not the giver in himself; thus convey God’s grace to people with meekness and love.

• The priesthood requires a merciful heart that imitates the Lord’s tenderness in His ministry, trusting in God’s long patience and His opportunity for repentance and return.

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