The Priest as Preacher and Teacher
The Priest as Preacher and Teacher
And the priest, in his sermon, ought not to hurt anyone’s feelings.
Especially in topics that involve criticism or warning people about something. It is not proper for him to use wounding sarcasm, sharp criticism, insults, or belittling people in an offensive manner that lacks gentleness, as though his words were arrows directed at certain individuals… For such a method may cause some people to stay away from the church, or think that the priest is targeting them personally to offend or humiliate them in front of the congregation…
And the priest may not argue that he has the authority to rebuke!
Clinging continually to the apostle’s words to his disciple Timothy the bishop: “Rebuke, exhort, preach” (2 Tim. 4:2). For the apostle says afterwards, “with all longsuffering and teaching.” And this same apostle, in his words to the elders of Ephesus, told them that he spent three years among them, not ceasing to warn everyone with tears (Acts 20:31). He warns with tears, not with humiliation or insult. The positive spiritual word in teaching is far stronger and much more effective than insults in sermons…
And know that the bad habit you want to remove from people’s lives may need time.
It also needs divine help and the work of grace so that some may be freed from it. Merely insulting those bound by the habit will not make them stop it. Perhaps it also needs prayer from you on their behalf. And Saint Paul the Apostle says: “Remember the prisoners as if chained with them, and those who are mistreated as being in the body yourselves” (Heb. 13:3).
And know also that part of preparing the sermon is preparing your own spirit to deliver it.
For the sermon is not merely spoken words; rather, it is above all an influence on souls. And this influence flows from your spirit, from its connection with God, and from God’s work in the word. Imagine that the great Saint Paul the Apostle says in his epistle to the Ephesians: “Pray for me, that utterance may be given to me when I open my mouth…” (Eph. 6:19).
The priest must also respect the mission of the pulpit.
The pulpit is the place of teaching, a place for serving the word only…
It is not for settling accounts with certain people, nor for a particular policy the priest desires. It is not for presenting his problems with the church council or with Sunday School, or with anyone else.
Nor is the pulpit a place for self-promotion or self-defense. Rather, it is a spiritual mission and a word of benefit. Many may attend the church who have nothing at all to do with the problems the priest presents, and they may stumble or at least gain nothing for their spiritual edification.
Also, the teaching pulpit is not for spreading private ideas.
It is for spreading the thought of the Church, her doctrine, and her teaching. As for the one who has personal ideas or personal doctrine, he has no right to make them the general doctrine of the universal Church. This is neither his right nor his authority. And if every priest were to spread his own ideas which are not part of the Church’s doctrine, this would lead to confusion, and perhaps to heresy or doctrinal error…
Only the Holy Synod provides teaching for the Church.
And if this involves something new, the Holy Synod does not declare it except after thorough study and deliberation among its members, and based on the teaching of the Holy Scriptures and the sayings of the Fathers.
And when Scripture said that from the mouth of the priest the people should seek the law (Mal. 2:7), it meant the law established in the Church, in Scripture, and in recognized traditions, not a law according to the priest’s private interpretation! For private understanding varies from one person to another.
Let the priest beware of spreading everything he reads in books, especially foreign books.
For in the West, freedom of thought has reached the point that some reject the teaching of the universal Church, and even reject some teachings of the Holy Bible! Many deviations exist, many doctrinal trends, and everyone says what he wants and teaches what he wants. As a result, denominations multiplied and differed… And among them arose what is known as “Biblical Criticism.” Beware of such foreign writings, whether in their original language, translated, or quoted…
Do not teach anything except what you have received from the Church. And in this Saint Paul the Apostle says to his disciple Timothy the bishop:
“And the things you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Tim. 2:2).
Many have harmed the Church because they spread their own personal ideas and doctrines, or because of their admiration for new ideas they wanted to dazzle people with, without realizing their accuracy or their danger!!
Behind this may lie some self-admiration or pride that imagines it knows what others do not, or desires people to know that it knows what others do not.
Or this may occur due to a lack of respect for the Church and her teaching!!
Therefore, every new idea that comes to you, give it a period of incubation until it settles on solid theological foundations.
Until it rests on the basis of the Bible, the Church’s Tradition, and the teaching of the Fathers. Do not publish it quickly or lead others to adopt it. In doing so, you may harm yourself and others with you. There is no harm in consulting those with knowledge and expertise. And research, for teaching does not go hand in hand with haste.
Some priests also address matters in their teaching that are outside their field.
And they express spontaneous or improvised opinions which often become subjects of criticism!! If asked about atoms, or space sciences, or medical or scientific matters, or the like… they have no objection to answering extensively, so that listeners do not think them ignorant!
It is known that no one is a specialist in all sciences and knowledge; otherwise what would specialization mean? And it is also known that the scientific field of the priest does not lie in such matters. If the priest remains silent concerning such topics, this is not a flaw in him, nor will anyone blame him.
In this regard, how beautiful is the story of Saint Abba Antony when he posed a question to some of his disciples: some answered, but Saint Abba Joseph said, “I do not know.” Then Saint Abba Antony told him, “Blessed are you, Abba Joseph, for you have found the way to the words: I do not know.”
Some priests in their sermons address social matters and go into details that lower the spiritual level of the sermon.
Therefore, I ask—when you speak about social matters or family relationships—to observe the spiritual level of the sermon, and not address these matters except in a spiritual manner that preserves its dignity and solemnity, with restraint and brevity…
Likewise, in spiritual teaching, do not place on people burdens hard to bear.
For concerning this the Lord rebuked the scribes and Pharisees, because “they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers” (Matt. 23:4). And He said to them: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in!” (Matt. 23:13).
The apostles took this matter into account in their first Holy Council in Jerusalem when they issued their decision for the Gentiles. They began their decree with the words: “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things” (Acts 15:28).
And know that a sermon is addressed to people in general. And not all are at a high spiritual level.
The highest spiritual levels can be given to certain groups capable of living them, or may be given in confession sessions to those capable of practicing them. Other things may be offered gradually, even in general sermons, so that you say: this is the high level, and the first step towards it is such and such.
This applies also to many spiritual practices such as prayer, fasting, and renunciation. Remember the saying of Saint Paul the Apostle: “I fed you with milk and not with solid food, for until now you were not able” (1 Cor. 3:2).
The wise priest is the one who progresses gradually with his people to lead them forward, without pressing them with commandments beyond their strength, causing them to fail at the beginning of the path or to despair…
And the priest may not issue harsh judgments against those who cannot (fulfill certain practices), describing them with wounding words, as Pharaoh said to the people: “You are idle! Idle!” (Exod. 5:17).
Every person has his own particular circumstances: whether health circumstances, work circumstances, or the extent of his spiritual understanding and training in spiritual matters. The beginner in spiritual matters is not like the mature one, nor like the one walking the path of perfection. Treat people with gentleness and longsuffering.
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