The tragedy of being a priest without Divine Grace
by
Nikita Kafkiou
SAINT
PORPHYRIOS A PRIEST’S PRIEST
Mr. Kafkiou tells us: “The personal
relationship of man with God is not a given, nor is it guaranteed to be stable,
progressive or constant. A priest may
start off in life with spiritual enthusiasm for his priestly calling. But after a few years, it is possible for him
to feel completely removed from the Grace of God. Human weaknesses, the difficulties of married
life, the uncertainties of daily life are able to knuckle under the most
dedicated faithful priest. The only possible
way for a priest to live a spiritual life is for him to accept his unworthiness
and to submit his feelings to the love of Jesus Christ. If a priest cannot bring himself to bring
before Jesus his pain and defeat, he will end up being completely lost. For a priest to find spiritual maturity he must
realize that this journey is a one way street.
If a priest does not progress spiritually he will be ripped to
shreds. If the priest falls away from
God because of his spiritual failures, he will become worldly. Instead of a liturgist he will end up being simply
an actor.
A priest who is burdened by the
darkness of his spiritual downfall no longer has the disposition or the burning
desire to deal with liturgical details of Church life. In many of our Orthodox Churches on Sunday
mornings and feast days the gathering of the faithful feels like they are attending
a theatrical performance. During the
celebration of Church services the faithful do not feel a sense of peace. Instead of charging up their spiritual
batteries they experience psychosomatic turmoil. His emotional life is tortured and his
spiritual being is scandalized.
