The Priest as a Teacher and Preacher
The Priest as a Teacher and Preacher
The Lord God said: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6).
Indeed, many people are lost doctrinally, theologically, or spiritually as a result of ignorance and lack of sufficient knowledge. Doubts from heresies and false teachings overwhelm them because they are unable to respond to or discuss the strange doctrines to which they are exposed, and they eventually end up joining other denominations, thus the Church loses them and God loses them.
The priest is responsible for teaching.
“For the lips of a priest should keep knowledge, and people should seek the law from his mouth” (Malachi 2:7). The Didascalia says that the bishop is a shepherd, the priest is a teacher, and the deacon is a servant. Therefore, he must be apt to teach, and must protect his children by answering every spiritual question, every social problem, and every doctrinal doubt, as Saint Peter the Apostle said: “Always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15).
This is not only when the priest stands on the pulpit preaching,
but “at all times.” What does this mean? It means that the priest may be sitting among people at any time, and one of them may present a question or inquiry about some matter—doctrine or rite, a spiritual issue, advice regarding the Church canons on a certain topic, or about the interpretation of a verse whose meaning is unclear to him. He considers the priest a reference in all these matters. Should the priest remain silent and not answer, or say that he does not know, or give any answer—right or wrong—that causes the listener to stumble or at least does not convince him?!
The same situation may face the priest during a visit or pastoral care in a meeting.
So what should he say?
Therefore, the priest must continually engage in study and research in all areas of religious sciences.
For he is no longer responsible only for educating himself, but he is responsible for the entire people of his church—positively, to fill them with all knowledge, and negatively, to keep all doubts away from them.
Likewise, a priest who is apt to teach is suitable to be a confessor.
For during the hearing of confessions, he is often faced with questions from his confessing children—not only in spiritual matters, but also regarding their readings and the questions and doubts they encounter. Either he answers them directly, or he refers them to a source that contains the answer to their inquiries. Knowing books and references and their contents is among the necessary matters for a priest in guidance.
Do not think that theological study is required only as a qualification for the priesthood; rather, it is required even more after priestly ordination.
What is required of the priest is far broader than the limits of academic curricula in theological colleges. Study in religious sciences has no end. What the priest encounters in questions may be something he never studied in his theological education, or something he once heard and forgot.
Therefore, the priest must continue in a life of discipleship and never stop, but rather increase in knowledge day after day, especially since many servants in the Church are constant readers, and books have become very numerous. Some of what is written may raise many questions that require answers.
Also, abundant reading makes his sermons rich and satisfying.
For the sermon is the sum of all the priest’s knowledge. It is not limited to some spiritual information, but he enriches it with everything related to it: sayings of the Fathers, stories of the saints, and whatever doctrinal, theological, or liturgical matters the sermon passage raises, supported by verses from the Holy Scripture. Thus the sermon becomes comprehensive of multiple kinds of knowledge, bringing forth from his treasure things new and old (Matthew 13:52).
Regarding the importance of teaching, note what the apostolic Fathers advise.
Saint Paul says to his disciple Timothy the bishop: “Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you” (1 Timothy 4:16). He also says to Saint Titus, bishop of Crete: “But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1).
Know that when teaching weakened in the Church, the denominations became strong in penetrating it.
The opposite is also true: the stronger the Church is in teaching, the more able it is to repel this strange tide. Thus you see how the Church was able to resist heresies through its activity in teaching—whether from the pulpit in church, or in public meetings, youth meetings, Sunday Schools, or through books.
The priest should supervise all this, not with a domineering style, but with beloved, fatherly care.
He cannot fulfill this duty unless he is trusted regarding religious knowledge, is a servant of the word, and is able to satisfy his children with every kind of knowledge, answering every question convincingly. He also knows how to speak to each group of his people in the language that suits them, and becomes a sweet spring that overflows upon all.
The verses of Scripture should be present in his mind
and also present on his tongue, mentioned in their proper place so that they fit the topic exactly. It is known that “the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword” (Hebrews 4:12). By it, he convinces others easily. The word does not return void (Isaiah 55:11), but works, succeeds, and brings forth its fruit in hearts. Thus the Lord Christ taught, speaking with authority and not as the scribes (Matthew 7:29); His word had authority over hearts.
Such a priest, by his teaching, calls people to trust him
and to respect his opinion and thought. They see that his teaching is not empty, but is based on the teaching of Scripture and the teaching of the great Fathers recognized in the Church as teachers.
The teaching of the priest is of two kinds: direct and indirect.
The direct teaching is through preaching and the word that comes from his mouth. The more satisfying his sermons are, the more people come to church to hear him, because they feel the benefit they gain from his words. They see that each time they receive something new that they did not know before, and that through his sermons he builds them spiritually and intellectually. Their knowledge continually increases, and their spiritual life is strengthened through him.
The priest must be faithful in preparing his sermon.
The congregation is perceptive and can discern whether the sermon is prepared, organized, and full of information, or whether it is merely talk with nothing new in it and no connection between its ideas.
The priest who cares about preparing his sermon respects the minds of his listeners and respects the time and effort they expend in coming to church in order to benefit and be nourished by the word of God. It is not fitting to send them away empty. By preparing the sermon, he is also faithful to the responsibility with which the Lord entrusted him—to teach his children and care for them.
The priest who cares for his people prepares his sermons according to their needs.
He knows the condition of the people and what knowledge they need, and fulfills all this through an organized program. He also knows the general spiritual weaknesses and presents treatment for them in his sermons in a practical manner that people can apply. There is no harm in studying, for this purpose, all that others who are specialists in this field have written. He also knows his people’s needs regarding doctrine, rites, Church history, and the lives of the saints.
Let no one think that preparation is against his personal dignity,
as though he has become above the level of preparation because all information is present in his mind and needs no preparation. Even if all the information is present, it still needs arrangement and recollection so as not to be forgotten, and it needs coordination in an acceptable manner. Practically, we cannot say that all information is present in the priest’s mind at all times, complete and lacking nothing more. At the very least, preparation helps him resist forgetting some important ideas.
The matter is not a matter of dignity, but of benefit offered to the people.
Preaching is not a matter of honor, but a duty intended to present the best possible benefit to the listeners, to enlighten them spiritually and to establish them in the faith. The priest should not think about what people say regarding their estimation of his knowledge, but should forget himself completely and focus on the benefit the people receive from the sermon, being faithful in this as a servant of the word, not for his own dignity.
The priest must also consider the time of the listeners in his sermon.
He should not prolong it in a way that makes them bored or hinders them from their responsibilities at work or in the family, nor should he shorten it in a way that does not give the topic its due. He should focus his eyes on the listeners to discern the extent of their response: whether they are receptive and eager for more, or whether restlessness has begun to appear on their faces and some have begun to look at their watches, with their feelings crying out: when will the sermon end?
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