The Priest as Preacher and Teacher
The Priest as a Preacher and Teacher
The Lord God said, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hos 4:6).
Indeed, many people are lost doctrinally, theologically, or spiritually as a result of ignorance and lack of sufficient knowledge, where doubts from heresies and false teachings sweep them away because of their inability to respond to or discuss the strange doctrines they are exposed to. Thus they end up joining other denominations. The Church loses them, and God loses them.
The priest is responsible for teaching,
“for the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek the law from his mouth” (Mal 2:7). The Didascalia says that the bishop is a shepherd, the priest a teacher, and the deacon a servant. Therefore, he should be apt to teach, and to protect his children by responding to 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 Pet 3:15).
Not only when the priest stands on the pulpit as a preacher,
but “at all times.” What does this mean? It means that the priest may be sitting among the people at any time, and one of them may present a question or inquiry about some matter—doctrine or rite, or a spiritual issue, or counsel regarding the opinion of Church canons on a certain subject, or concerning the interpretation of a verse whose meaning is unclear to him. He considers the priest-father his reference in all these matters. Should the priest then remain silent and not answer, or say that he does not know, or give any answer, whether correct or incorrect, that causes the listener to stumble or at least does not convince him?
The same situation may confront the priest-father during a visit or pastoral care, or in a certain meeting. What then should he say?
Therefore, the priest must persist in study and research in all aspects of religious sciences,
because he is no longer responsible only for educating himself, but rather responsible for all the people of his church—positively, to satisfy them with all knowledge, and negatively, to keep all doubts away from them.
Likewise, the priest who is apt to teach is fit to be a father of confession,
because he is often exposed, while receiving confessions, to 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 refers them to references that contain answers to their inquiries. Knowing books and references and what they contain is among the necessary matters for the priest in guidance.
Do not think that theological study is required only as a qualification for the priesthood; rather, it is even more required after priestly ordination.
What is required of the priest is far broader than the limits of academic curricula in theological colleges, and the study of religious sciences does not stop at a certain limit. What the priest is exposed to in terms of questions may be something he did not receive in his theological studies, or perhaps something he received and forgot.
Therefore, the priest should continue in a life of discipleship and never stop, but rather increase in knowledge day by day, especially because many servants in the Church persist in reading, and books have become very numerous. It is possible that some of what they contain raises many questions that need an answer. Also, much reading makes his sermons rich and satisfying,
because the sermon is the outcome of all the priest’s knowledge. It is not limited only to some spiritual information, but he supplies it with everything related to it—sayings of the Fathers, stories of the saints, or doctrinal, theological, or liturgical matters raised by the sermon text, supported by verses from the Holy Bible. Thus the sermon becomes comprehensive of multiple kinds of knowledge, bringing out of his treasure things new and old (Matt 13:52).
Among the importance of teaching is 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 Tim 4:16). And 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, denominations became strong in infiltrating it,
whereas the opposite is true: the stronger the Church is in teaching, the more it is able to repel that foreign tide. Thus you see how the Church was able to resist heresies and false teachings through its activity in teaching, whether from the pulpit in the church, or in general meetings, or youth meetings, or Sunday School, or through writing.
The priest should supervise this, not with a domineering style, but with beloved, fatherly care.
He cannot fulfill this duty unless he is trusted in terms of religious knowledge, is a servant of the word, and is able to satisfy his children in every science and 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 flows to all.
The verses of Scripture should be present in his mind,
and also present on his tongue, mentioning them in their proper place so that they apply exactly to the subject. It is known that “the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword” (Heb 4:12), and by it he convinces others easily. The word does not return void (Isa 55:11), but works, succeeds, and bears its fruit in hearts. Thus the Lord Christ taught, speaking with authority and not as the scribes (Matt 7:29). His word has authority over hearts.
Such a priest, his teaching calls people to trust him
and calls them to respect his opinion and thought, seeing that his teaching is not from emptiness, but is based on the teaching of Scripture and on the teaching of the great Fathers acknowledged in the Church as teachers.
The teaching of the priest is of two kinds: direct and indirect.
The direct is through preaching and the word that comes from his mouth. The more his sermons are satisfying, the more people come to the church to hear him, because they feel the benefit they gain from his words. They see that each time they take from him something new that they did not know before, and that through his sermons he builds them spiritually and intellectually. Their knowledge increases continually, and their spiritual life grows stronger through his hands.
The priest must be faithful in preparing his sermon.
The people are sensitive and can discern whether the sermon is prepared, organized, and full of information, or merely words with nothing new in them and with no connection binding their information together.
The priest who cares to prepare his sermon respects the minds of his listeners,
and respects what they offer of time and effort in coming to the church to benefit and be satisfied from the word of God. It is not right to send them away empty. By preparing the sermon, he is faithful to the responsibility entrusted to him by the Lord in teaching and caring for his children.
The priest who is concerned 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 practice. There is no objection to studying, for this purpose, all that others who specialize in this field have written. He also knows the needs of his people regarding doctrine, rite, Church history, and the lives of the saints.
Beware lest some think that preparation is against their personal dignity,
as though they have become above the level of preparation because all information is present in their minds and needs no preparation. Even if all information were present, it still needs arrangement and recall lest it be forgotten, and 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 least through preparation, he resists forgetting some important ideas.
The matter is not a matter of dignity, but of the benefit presented to the people.
Preaching is not dignity, but a duty intended to present the best possible to the listeners for their spiritual benefit and for establishing them in the faith. It is not right for the priest to think about what is said about him regarding people’s appreciation of his knowledge. Rather, he must 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 lengthen it in a way that makes them bored or delays them from their responsibilities at work or in the family, nor shorten it in a way that does not give the subject its due.
He should focus his eyes on the listeners to discern the extent of their response—
whether they are accepting what he says and eager for more, or whether anxiety has begun to appear on their faces, and some of them have begun to look at their watches, while their feelings cry out: When will the sermon end?
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