The priest’s life in the liturgical spirit of the Church

His Holiness Pope Shenouda in this lecture emphasizes the importance that “the priest should vivify the church rite,” meaning that he should live the rite and master it, not be content with its external form.
He stresses that a new priest should spend a full year in the rite to learn how the occasions and feasts are prayed (Holy Week, Palm Sunday, the Fridays closing the fasts, Jonah’s Fast…) and how the priest’s movements and the church’s melody and responses take place.
He confirms that liturgical knowledge must be practical: hands-on training with an older priest or a liturgical teacher, and receiving the melodies tied to the rite so that the spirit of the chants is not lost when translating or going abroad.
He warns that a successful liturgical priest combines spirituality and liturgical knowledge — he knows the readings specific to the patriarchate and the saints and the prayers of the sacraments (baptism, marriage, anointing of the sick) and explains them to the people.
He recommends that every priest have a personal library containing commentaries, books on doctrine, saints’ lives, liturgical and spiritual books to prepare his sermons and to create something new in repeated readings so that the congregation does not feel bored.
He emphasizes the importance of preparation and communication: teaching people the meanings of the rite and its petitions and why they are said, and preparing simple materials (images, summaries, references) on saints’ feasts to nourish the people’s faith.
He gives practical examples: explaining baptism before the immersion so that the parents understand its significance, and not merely performing the rite but teaching its spiritual content.
Conclusion: it is the priest’s duty to live and know the rite in detail, train practically, prepare his sermons, and teach the people the meanings of the rites in order to achieve spiritual depth and a proper church life.

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