Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.
Psalm 50/51:10
And to keep me from being too elated by the abundance of revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to harass me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I besought the Lord about this, that it should leave me; but He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
2 Corinthians 12: 7-9
I want to thank one of our readers who requested this topic be addressed on the prayer team. This person wrote, in part, “A major barrier to faith is when people put their faith in a person, perhaps their spiritual father, spouse, or popular opinion, instead of Christ. We know people are fallible, and however dear a spiritual father may be to us, he is not our Lord and Savior. Jesus Christ is.”
Many of us have had the experience of trying out a professional—a doctor, dentist, lawyer, therapist, etc.—and not really clicking with them. And then we move on and find a different doctor or dentist or therapist and we click the second or third one we try. It is critical that we have a good relationship with a primary care doctor, as an example, as they guide our health which in turn leads to a more quality life. My primary care physician used to have an office down the street from me. He was good, and convenient. When he moved his office to the other side of town, I decided to try a different doctor because I didn’t want to drive. I didn’t click with the other doctor, it was not a good match, and so I went back to my old doctor and gladly drive across town to see him because I trust him with my health.
There are definitely fewer Orthodox churches than doctors’ offices in every city. Some places are lucky to have one church. And so for the Orthodox Christian, there isn’t an opportunity to see different priests to see if we click with one. There might be only one priest and one church in town. Ideally, we will click with our priest. He will be someone that we feel comfortable talking to, going to confession with, having him bless our home, or visit us in a hospital. We will ideally enjoy his sermons, like his voice, think that he is an effective teacher who does well with all ministries with people of all ages. At some point, we will realize that the priest I am describing doesn’t actually exist. There is no priest who does all the things I just described just perfectly for everyone.
Priests are people too. We are not saints. We are not perfect. We don’t have a perfect set of skills to match all needs. One of my professors at the Seminary told us that 20% of a congregation will like a priest no matter what, 20% will dislike the priest no matter what, and the other 60% will like or dislike him depending on what he does. To a large degree that is true. I also believe that each priest sets up his priesthood according to his understanding of the priesthood and according to his skill set. Some priests wear a cassock (black robe) all the time and others do not. That decision is based on one’s understanding of the priesthood. Those who wear a robe believe that is a necessary part of the identity of the priest while those who don’t wear one don’t believe it is a necessary part of the priestly identity. I believe there is room for both expressions. My skills as a priest include pastoral care, liturgics, youth work and writing. That’s why the calendar at our parish is filled with activities that fit my skill set. I am not a strong academic. There are some priests who are like walking encyclopedias of information. I am not one of them. I’m very comfortable with “Orthodoxy 101” which is reflected in the things I write for the Prayer Team.
The Grace of the Holy Spirit is what drives the sacraments of the Church. The Grace of the Holy Spirit is what comes down on bread and wine and consecrates them into the Body and Blood of Christ. Let’s say that a person doesn’t like their priest. The Grace of the Holy Spirit can still consecrate the Gifts, and is still imparted through the hand of any priest. When a person goes to confession, the Prayer of Absolution reads “The Grace of the Holy Spirit, through my unworthy person, looses and forgives your sins.” So, in that sense, it doesn’t matter which priest one receives the sacraments from—whether one likes the priest or not, whether the priest is “accomplished” or not—the Grace of the Holy Spirit works the same way through each priest.
There is a prayer that a priest offers before the Great Entrance, which begins with the words “Oudis axios” (in Greek), “No one is worthy.” No priest, no matter how accomplished, is actually worthy to be a priest and do the amazing things that a priest is called to do.
All of this leads to saying that while a priest may be a challenge to your faith, because of his personality, or his abilities, he shouldn’t be. Though that is much easier said than done. Regarding whoever your priest is, please remember a few things—1) He won’t be good at everything. 2) He won’t connect with everybody on a deeper level. 3) He needs your prayers and encouragement. 4) He most likely is struggling with something, probably his own sense of unworthiness. 5) He knows that he is a challenge/stumbling block for some people, and he probably feels a sense of guilt or shame because of that. I can say for certain that I fit all five categories. And that’s not humility, it is a sobering fact.
There are priests who we put high on a pedestal and we are disappointed when they fall, or have a bad day, or say a bad word. Many priests become cults of personality, calling attention to themselves instead of to Christ. I’ve been guilty of this, especially when I was younger and less mature in my priesthood. The priest has this amazing/incredible/daunting role of bringing the presence of Christ to people. He is not Christ, and yet he works to bring a presence of Christ to the people, while trying to be humble about it, and that is hard.
Hope is found in the above verses from 2 Corinthians 12:7-9. Every priest has a thorn in his side—and sometimes that thorn is his own ego. Every priest has human weakness. However, every priest has been given the Grace of the Holy Spirit, which makes God’s power sufficient to work through the sinful frailties of the priests. His power is perfect, despite our weakness.
Lord, thank You for instituting the Holy Priesthood, as a means to connect us to You through the sacramental life of the Church. Please inspire my priest (his name) in his work. Keep him focused on You. Make sure he gets enough encouragement and also maintains his humility. Be with him in his humanity, keep away temptation from his mind and heart. Help him to focus on You at all times and through his focus on You, may others find inspiration and focus as well. Amen.
We go to church to worship God, not the priest. No priest, however accomplished, is worthy to be a priest. Rather than trying to see God in a priest, pray for the priest to see God in his people, and to find joy in bringing God to them.
