Weariness in Service
Weariness in Service
Before the priest in his pastoral work there are two possibilities:
- Either the priest toils so that the people may rest.
- Or he rests, and the people toil.
The duty of the priest is to toil for the sake of his people whom God has entrusted to him, and from his hand their blood is required (Ezekiel 33:8).
To the extent that the priest toils, to that extent he receives his reward…
And Saint Paul the Apostle said this concerning service: “Each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor” (1 Corinthians 3:8).
The toil set before the priest includes:
Toil in visiting the people—family by family and individual by individual—a spiritual, pastoral visitation in which he becomes acquainted with their spiritual lives, guides them, learns through this visitation about their problems, and resolves them.
There is also toil in preaching and teaching.
Concerning this, the Apostle said: “Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine” (1 Timothy 5:17).
There is also toil in bearing with the people, especially those who are at a weak spiritual level. They may be harsh with the priest, and may criticize him, yet they await from him a good example of longsuffering, patience, and a gentle answer that turns away wrath.
The priest must also toil in the activities of the Church:
In all its projects, and in everything necessary for the comfort of her children of all spiritual and social levels, and for all age groups. He cares for youth, children, workers, women, the needy, expatriates, and the disabled, and provides for each one what brings him comfort, so that no individual is lost amid the crowds.
He must also toil in finding time for the confessions of the people:
Perhaps the penitents are in the hundreds or thousands, and he must listen to them all, feeling that if he falls short, perhaps one of them may perish, or the opportunity to solve his problem or draw him to repentance may be lost.
And the Apostle said: “Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account, that they may do so with joy and not with grief…” (Hebrews 13:17).
How great is the priest’s toil. Yet it is a toil that has delight, for the sake of the Kingdom, and its joyful fruit makes the priest forget all his weariness.
Reading and Discipleship
Some priestly fathers mistakenly think that their life of discipleship ends with their ordination as priests, since they become teachers of others.
The truth is that the priest must continually learn, so that he may be filled and thus be able to teach others.
New books fill the markets, and the people read, including servants and penitents. Inevitably, the priest will encounter, while hearing confessions, some questions concerning what those confessing to him have read. How then will he answer?
It is not fitting for the priest to appear in a position where he is less knowledgeable than his children; thus confidence in him as a teacher is lost.
Moreover, his reading is not only for the sake of his people, but also for himself, especially spiritual readings that build him spiritually in his personal life and grant him beneficial spiritual feelings for himself.
Reading is also beneficial for him for the service of the pulpit, so that his ideas are not recycled and repetitive, causing people to tire of hearing them. Rather, whether in sermons or talks, he should present to the people deep ideas that satisfy them, so that they feel they have received from him something new that benefits them.
In his reading, he needs to be acquainted with many things—not only spiritual knowledge, but also theological, doctrinal, and liturgical knowledge, along with information in Church history, the lives of the saints, antiquities, the Holy Bible and its interpretation, and Church canons, in addition to general knowledge as well.
Thus he is able to satisfy his people when he speaks.
The time suitable for the priest for reading may be the morning hours on days when there are liturgies but no baptisms. He must determine for himself a time, according to his circumstances, to read and benefit, and a time to prepare his sermons and words.
Discipleship for the priest is not limited to reading.
He may also be discipled at the hands of persons greater than he in spiritual stature, whether among priestly fathers or bishops. He also benefits from the monthly or periodic meetings held by the bishop for the priests of his diocese, or those held by His Holiness the Pope.
What matters is that he has the desire for discipleship and carries it out.
The Value and Depth of Your Sermon
A sermon is not merely a spiritual word you say to the people in a meeting or in the liturgy; rather, it is the distillation of all your thought and your heart as well. It is a word that gathers all your spiritual readings, all your knowledge, and all your experiences. It also contains your store from the lives of the saints and from Church history. If, during the sermon, there is an occasion for any theological, doctrinal, liturgical, or canonical reference, this too may be mentioned. Thus the sermon becomes comprehensive.
This is the difference between a substantial sermon and a superficial sermon. The people who listen fully sense and know whether the preacher has prepared his sermon or is merely saying any words.
Hence the people’s eagerness for one of the priestly fathers: they come to him from everywhere, keen to hear his sermon, feeling that they benefit from his words as a treasure that fills their minds and fills their hearts with emotion and a desire for a better life.
When the priest preaches, he does not influence only by his words, but also by his spirit—by the warmth of his feelings and his conviction. The faith within him he transfers to the hearts of the listeners, and his conviction convinces them.
For this reason, the spoken sermon is often more influential than the printed sermon, because in addition to its meanings, it is enhanced by the impact of the voice, the spirit of the speaker, his tones, his feelings, and even his features.
It is a great opportunity God grants you to serve people through preaching; therefore, do not let this opportunity lose its spiritual benefit due to your lack of care, lack of preparation, or reliance on previous information.
Our apostolic fathers gave great attention to preaching, to the extent that they said: “But we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:4).
This is the ministry of the word—the work of the holy apostles.
Visitation and Pastoral Care
Pastoral care is one of the most important elements of service in the work of the priest. It is evidence of his concern for all the members of his people, his asking about them, and his reassurance regarding them. How many complain, saying: years have passed without any of the priests entering our homes to ask about our conditions.
Sometimes the priest enters the home without truly caring for it, because there is a fundamental difference between a visit and pastoral care.
A visit—mere visiting—without any spiritual work cannot be called pastoral care. We mean a priest’s visit to a family where he speaks about any topic without touching on spiritual matters and without asking about the spiritual life of the family in general and of each individual in particular. Such a visit is not pastoral care.
Pastoral care by the priestly father is that he visits the family and takes the Lord with him; the family senses His presence and He remains there.
Pastoral care must include an appropriate spiritual word, whether directly—by presenting a spiritual topic—or indirectly, as spiritual teaching permeates his conversation without appearing to be a sermon.
Pastoral care means reassurance concerning the spiritual life of the household and linking all family members to God, the Church, and the various means of grace. He reassures himself that they attend church, its liturgies and meetings, confess and partake, read the Bible at home, fast and pray, and have a good relationship with God and with one another. If they have problems, the priestly father contributes to solving them.
Love and Trust
For you to be a successful priest, there must be a bond of love and trust between you and your people—your children. They love you because you toil for their sake, offering all your time, all your health, and all your effort for their spiritual edification.
They love you because beautiful virtues are embodied in you, virtues they love, and they see in you the living example God has placed before them. They also love you for your answered prayers on their behalf; you are the door that brings them to God, and you are the golden censer from which holy prayers ascend like the fragrance of incense, which God breathes in as a pleasing aroma and answers all their requests.
They love you as a father who is compassionate toward them, and as a shepherd who tends them in green pastures by the waters of rest, gently and carefully seeking the lost.
They love in you your meekness and kindness, and your gentle manner that does not wound when rebuking a mistake. They love in you your humility that descends to the level of all, that smiles in encouragement and does not attack.
They love you with all their love because you are the object of their trust, and they trust you with complete trust because you are the object of their love. They trust every word you say as though it were coming from the mouth of God, and any word of teaching or counsel you utter, feeling that it contains all truth and all sincerity, and that your words will surely lead them to good.
They trust that their secrets are in a secure place with you; therefore, they tell you every secret with confidence, and they tell you everything—what they cannot tell anyone else.
They also trust that they are a deposit in your hands, for which you will give an account before God, and that you are faithful to this deposit. They trust your heart and your mind, your faith and your holiness, your priesthood and your closeness to God, your sincerity, your love for them, and your care for them.
Because of their trust in you and their love for you, they entrust you with their lives and feel, beside you, safety and reassurance.
It is required of you to preserve this love and this trust; for if you lose them, you lose all your influence as a priest. Preserve your relationship with the people, and let this relationship be in continual growth.
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