Service in the Life of the Priest
His Holiness Pope Shenouda III mentions that the ordination of the priest is for the service of the people: the people are the goal and the church is a means to serve them, not for the priest to make the church a center of his authority or glory. Priesthood is responsibility and toil, not a crown or luxury power.
Essence of Service and Spirituality
Priestly service means offering the body, conscience, vigilance, and prayer for the salvation of souls and their entry into the kingdom of God. The priest is consecrated to labor so that the souls of people may rest, and he must bear spiritual and physical toil in his ministry.
The Inclusive Character of the Pastoral Message
The priest cares for all people: the quiet, the contentious, the open, the strict, the angry, and the meek — he does not choose a category and leave another; rather he works for the salvation of all according to the responsibility of the diaconate.
Leadership and Practical Service
Leadership is not subjugation or monopolizing authority. It is a mistake for some priests to eliminate those who oppose them to remain alone in authority. On the contrary, the successful priest is the one who offers a big heart, gathers talents and uses all the church’s capacities, making each person feel they are an important entity in the ministry.
Investing Talents and Bearing Fruit
Service is not merely continuous activity without fruit. The priest must discover talents, employ people and make the ministry bear fruit with practical thought — otherwise talents are wasted and may be used by other parties.
Solving Problems with Wisdom and Love
One of the priest’s duties is to solve problems with spirituality and practical wisdom: he must not side with one party, nor give solutions that comfort by crime or by priestly authority. He must not bind souls with despotic orders, nor take a passive stance that leaves people without practical counsel. He should combine faith and works; prayer and fasting are beneficial but do not substitute for practical guidance at times.
Consulting Specialists and Realism
The wise priest uses spiritual means and wisdom in execution, and consults specialists (doctor, lawyer, accountant…) when needed. He provides solutions that are acceptable, useful, and practically possible — if absolute truth cannot be given, he should present the possible or relative truth.
Conclusion
Priestly service is a calling to toil for another, to responsibility, to wise use of authority and love, and to produce a spiritual and practical fruit that establishes the salvation of souls and the comfort of the people.
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