By Bishop Hierotheos Vlachos, Metropolitan
of Nafpaktos and St. Vlassios; excerpt from his highly esteemed book "Orthodox
Psychotherapy."
The priest has a double task. One is
to perform the sacraments and the other is to heal people so that they can
worthily approach and receive Holy Communion. We have further pointed out that
there are many priests who are priests outwardly and perform their function
unhindered but in essence have defiled the priesthood, and that this is apparent
from the fact that they are not able to heal. They perform the sacraments, and
the gifts are sanctified through them, but they cannot cure others or save their
own souls.
On the other hand, there are laymen
and monks who do not have the sacramental priesthood but can heal people because
they have spiritual priesthood. We should like to dwell briefly on this point.
Through baptism and the effort to
keep Christ’s commandments all Christians have put on Christ, and in this way we
share the royal, prophetic and high priestly office of Christ.
This teaching is recorded in the
texts of the New Testament. In the Book of Revelation John the Evangelist
writes: To him who loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood and
has made us kings and priests to his God and Father... (Rev 1:5). The
Apostle Peter says: You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy
nation, his own special people. (1 Pet 2:9). And the Apostle Paul writes to the
Christians of Rome: I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God,
to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which
is your spiritual worship. (Rom 12:1).
