The priests service and the generality of this service

General message (essence of the lecture)
The lecture shows that the priest’s service is general and limitless, and its fields vary from spiritual to social. It emphasizes the necessity of balance for the priest between liturgical duties, inner spiritual work, and practical preparations for effective service. The goal is for the priest to be a prepared spiritual guide, not immersed in appearances nor drifting away from them.

Main points (detailed summary)

1. Nature of the general service: the priest’s service enters spiritual, personal, social, economic, and project matters and responds to the needs of all church groups.
2. Patterns of problem-solving: a description of several methods followed by fathers — from those who use trickery or quickly solve by any means, to those who issue rigid orders, to the passive who do not solve, to those who refer the problem to others, to those who rely on prayer only, and to those who combine prayer, action, and follow-up until the issue is resolved practically and spiritually.
3. Principle of non-bias: the priest must not join one side at the expense of the other; he must be a father to all without bias.
4. Importance of preparation and readiness: planning for seasons and activities (such as summer camps and summer activities and Nayrouz celebrations) well ahead, involving talents of the congregation and committees and avoiding improvisation.
5. Working from within: the real influence of the priest is inside people’s souls — working within feelings, talents, weaknesses — and the successful priest mingles with people, knows them, and serves them with compassion and wisdom.
6. Danger of ritual dominance: a warning that liturgical service may swallow other spiritual services, and that preoccupation with appearances and courtesies diminishes spiritual depth and turns the rite into a routine without benefit.
7. Managing practical burdens: the problem of many funerals and occasions and their effect on the priest, and that increasing numbers is not a solution by itself; the solution requires invigorating spiritual work and committing to steady spiritual services and not yielding to customs that impose formal burdens.
8. Practical and spiritual suggestions: sometimes recording sermons, keeping case books for follow-ups, combining prayer with practical action and follow-up, and relying on talents and hobbies within the congregation to expand ministry without the priest losing his spiritual depth.
9. Prayers of the rites: the necessity that liturgical prayers be said with reverence and understanding not routinely, and that they become a means for true spiritual work not mere superficial courtesies.

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