The priest is a servant in the Church. He is in the Church and serves on behalf of the Church. This is because the Church is an institution of service, since its Founder willed it so, lived it so, and established it so in his image. For the Son of Man came “to serve”… and the Church is his body, but it extends this service. It is a great temptation for the Church to transform this service entrusted to her into a source of rights and privileges for herself… And since the Church in reality often falls humanly into this temptation and with the easiest intentions, the world rejects her and turns away from her. Service, then, is at the same time the reason for the Church’s existence and her reality and the source of the difficulty of fully adopting her in her fullness: that is, as an institution of service.

In the priesthood, the two things are identical, since the priest is for the Church: he is specifically the one who serves the Church and has dedicated his energies, his life and his being to it. He lives for it (seeing it in all its sublimity and strength as well as in the reality of its human weaknesses). On the other hand, he is the one used by the Church to serve humanity and the world in fulfillment of God’s will “that the sinner should turn and live” (Ezekiel 33:11).

Here we must distinguish between the two aspects of the priest’s ministry as an instrument of the Church: First, he is a supernatural instrument through which the Holy Spirit is poured out. Rivers of living water flow from the bosom of the Holy Trinity and revive the world through the priest. But at the same time, we must not forget that in this ministry that is carried out through him, he remains a man of flesh and blood, a human being with a sense of his own, a creature exposed to all the weaknesses of wounded human nature that is still on its way to complete healing and the glory of the last day. This is the true state of the priest’s ministry.

Now let us delve deeper into the concept of the meaning of the word “service.” The verb “to serve” is not a trivial, ordinary concept. Yes, it is used frequently in all languages and in all possible situations and circumstances, but it is one of the most profound words in the history of salvation. This is because it has been sanctified by God’s intention behind it, but by the service of the incarnate God. The entire history of salvation and divine revelation can be expressed in the context of service and within the concept of service. For example, we can say that the secret of salvation is the transition of man from a state of slavery to a state of service, from a slave to a voluntary servant, that is, from slavery to freedom. Even on the psychological level, the cross is the foundation of man’s salvation. For in man, no matter how ignorant he is of himself, there is a contradiction and tension between slavery and freedom: we all feel that we are drawn between the two, between a mysterious power that wants to subject us to forces and authorities that are alien to us and within us at the same time, and between a tendency that drives us to become ourselves, to conform to ourselves, to be free. And this existential tension in man found its solution only on the cross of Calvary, the cross of the God-man, Jesus Christ. Only through His cross was it possible to liberate man, subject to sin, who had lost his freedom, his truth, his spirit, and who was inclined toward slavery.

Slavery is of two types: to be slaves or to seek to enslave others. Either we are slaves, lacking freedom, like material things, due to a passion that captivates us or due to material forces stronger than us that make us lose our identity.(12)In a word, by our acceptance and submission to the power that wants to subjugate us. As for us wanting to subjugate and dominate our neighbor, we impose slavery on him in some form (whether through money, social pressure, cultural superiority, or despotic leadership, etc.) and make him into a thing, and thus we become, without realizing it, slaves to our slaves, because the one who enslaves others is the first to be seized by the spirit of slavery and becomes a prisoner of his desire (in the complete example of the tragedy of the passions). Therefore, we ask in the prayer of Ephrem the Syrian that “Free me From the love of the presidency.

We understood this only with the coming of Christ. Man was not previously in harmony with himself, he was not free, he was a slave incapable of serving, because service is only accomplished in freedom, that is, in self-giving, dedication and obedience. We see an illustration of this service in the Old Testament in the Exodus from Egypt, when God freed his people from Egyptian slavery in order to make them his servants. God does not accept as his servants except free and redeemed men. But he who serves God reigns with him. A theologian says: “Be careful, O man, for God does not accept into his kingdom anyone but gods.” Service makes us similar to God and his helpers, sitting “on twelve thrones…” (Matt. 19:28). Jesus promised this to Peter when Peter said to him: “Behold, we have left everything and followed you (to serve you), what shall we have?” Jesus answered him: “You will sit with me…” This is the meaning of service: contributing to the kingdom of Christ and his glory, including the cross. “The things which God has prepared for those who love him have never entered the heart of man” (1 Corinthians 2:9).

So, with the Lord Jesus, we begin to understand that service is participation in the life of God. Service is an act of sacrifice and obedience that is better than any sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22). Since the Old Testament, they began to understand that external material service has no meaning except through internal sacrifice and obedience: “I desire love (mercy) and not sacrifice” (Hosea 6:6). Serving God, then, frees us, makes us understand that God Himself is the freedom of service and complete giving motivated by love, and that through this service and love we fulfill ourselves to the extent that we give and not to the extent that we receive, because “it is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). Therefore, we find opposite God “the Provider” the god of money in Jesus’ saying: “You cannot serve two masters” (Matthew 6:24). The Lord God is also met with money as a lord, but while we are in the service of the living God we are liberated, grow and become fulfilled, for we are not afraid to sacrifice ourselves, serving and sacrificing ourselves with God to the end. We are in the service of a provider, worshipping a lifeless idol, for the more we acquire, acquire, and collect, our connection to the earth becomes captive and narrow, instead of being liberated, expanding, and increasing in existence.

Christ is the first servant of God, the “servant” of God mentioned in the Book of Isaiah (Isaiah 52:13 and chapter 53), who came “to serve and to give his life a ransom for many” (Psalm 10:45). “Those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them; but it shall not be so among you. But whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all” (Mark 10:42-44), “And whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant” (Matthew 20:26). The Kingdom of God is a kingdom of service, sacrifice and offering: “Take, eat; this is my body… This is my blood, which is shed for many…” (Mark 14:22-24). “I am among you as one who serves” (Luke 22:27). The Lord gave us an example of this by washing the feet of his disciples (John 13:3-5). Not only did He exhort us to serve, but He actually did it. The washing of the feet immediately preceded the Last Supper, preparing for the great sacrifice. In this event there is a wonderful abyss of divine wisdom and revelation, for the Lord takes the simplest and most trivial thing, “the washing of the feet,” and raises it to the rank of the great sacrifice, making it almost a kind of Eucharist. This means that in order to enter the priestly service we must always pass through the humble service of the washing of the feet and understand that small things, since the Incarnation, contain God more than great things. Or rather, there are no longer any small things, because despite their smallness they enable us to serve God more and better.

This is how the apostles understood and fulfilled their mission: as a service. When they spoke of Judas Iscariot after his departure from the ranks of the Twelve, they mentioned that he had “a share in this ministry” (Acts 1:17). When Matthias was chosen to replace him, he was chosen “to receive this ministry and apostleship” (Acts 1:25). As for Paul, the apostle speaks of “the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the good news of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24) and of “all that God has done among the Gentiles through his ministry” (Acts 21:19). He refers to himself as God’s servant of reconciliation (2 Cor 15:18) and as Christ’s servant (2 Cor 11:23). This has been the framework and tradition of service in the Church since the beginning. Our service to God is the deepest of all things. It is as deep as the truth of man because it is the way for man to expand and flourish in his truth, through love, self-giving, and sacrifice that leads to victory and glory.

The priest performs this service by entering the church and consecrating the church to him as an instrument of the Spirit to serve it. The church here is not an abstract, imaginary thing, but rather a specific people, a parish in which the priest establishes real relationships with people of flesh and blood. We understand the whole mystery of the divine incarnation through this, because all these truths and the like are given to us in small, invisible things behind which God is hidden. The apostles did not know Him when He spoke to them after the resurrection, but He was present. The disciples of Emmaus knew Him “in the breaking of bread” (Lk 24:35), which symbolizes and expresses the fullness of His priestly service.

The priest’s service in the church takes place in three aspects or stages:

1- In intercession and mediation

The mediator is the one who stands in the middle between two parties, connecting them and trying to unite them by establishing a relationship of unity between them. The two parties here are God the Creator and man the created. As for God, He is eternally faithful in His relationship with man, but man distanced himself from God in the tragedy of the freedom on which he was created. Therefore, God sought to create mediators, people more qualified than others to speak with Him and mediate with Him on behalf of the deceitful and erring party. These mediators, “the fathers of the Old Testament and His prophets,” were a picture and shadow of the one who was to come, Jesus the Son of God, the only mediator, because the two parties were united with Him and in Him in one person, God and man together. His divinity was united with His humanity and accepted the humiliated human condition. His mediation went to the end, even to the cross, thus adopting the approach of the ultimate service after which there is no service, the service of divine love.

As for Jesus, from the beginning of his preaching on earth, he chose helpers for him, who were the apostles (see chapter ten of the Gospel of Matthew). However, their mission was not limited to this world and was not restricted to it, for the helpers of the Lord are with him where he is, sharing in his authority (Matthew 28:18) and whatever they loose on earth will be loosed in heaven (Matthew 16:19 and John 20:23). In the Book of Revelation, which is the book of the heavenly priesthood (see chapter five of the Gospel), we see them overcome those who suffer with him and intercede for others, saying: “How long, O Lord and Holy One?” (Rev. 6:9-11). This is the position of the mediator priest in his service to the church. The priest is also a mediator with the Spirit in the sense that the Spirit is the one who makes the body of the church one, and through the priests he gives, pours out, and builds the church. The priest stands at the same time on the side of God and on the side of the people, representing the people to God and representing God to the people. Therefore, he is “the salt of the earth,” the salt that prevents corruption in the world (it has been said that the holy priest makes the virtuous people, the virtuous priest makes the wicked people, and the wicked priest makes the godless people). The priest is a mediator in the service of the sacraments, offering them to God on behalf of the people, and he is a witness to God before the people by his words, his example, and his life. The priest must first of all believe in the religion he serves. Otherwise, the ritual service he performs regularly, if it is limited to the external level and he does not “adopt” it into his life, will not allow the power of the sacrament to pass through it, even though it is a true and effective service. It will not be as radiant as the sacrament itself as long as the priest resists it and does not pour his obedience into it. The priest always appears to the people in the easiest way “and without wanting to,” that is, the God he serves: the living God, “the Provider,” or another Lord. Let us not forget that we are priests of Christ and heirs of God with Him (see Rom. 8:14-17). The priest is a living image of the Father’s love for the world because he is “delivered” (with emphasis on the lam and with emphasis on the fatha) to people like Christ (by the Father) to convey to them the love of God: not just any love (abstract or human love) but an active, working love that senses people’s conditions and suffers with them, searching and seeking to save “that which is lost” (Matthew 18:11). In a word, the priest must be Christ in the world. No, the priest was not anointed with the Spirit only to provide external rituals “for that would be a terrible thing,” but we as priests are consecrated and set apart for Christ, His servants and chosen members through whom He gives Himself to the world. It is natural that the priest will face various difficulties, obstacles and shocks in this regard because this world is still in labor, expecting salvation.

Then we must not forget that the priest also prophet: Not in the sense of one who predicts the future, but one who foretells and proclaims God and “cries” to the people, one who speaks to a deaf people who have no feelings and whose heart has hardened. In this proclamation and cry, he does not seek his own good and glory, but only serves. The only true prophet is Christ, in whom the prophecies revealed their secret. When he appeared, he was the prophet of the Father’s love for people and the prophet of humility, performing the service of the Son of God who came for his own, and his own did not accept him, but he loved them to the end. This means that the priest, like Christ, will always clash with the fossilized customs and blindness of the people. But the mediator is necessary in spite of everything in order to prevent the religion of the spirit from falling into material, social and external stereotypes. The priest must always “shock” his people to some extent in order to awaken and renew in them the concern (emphasis on the m) for the true, living Church, so that the spirit does not go out.

2- Accepting everyone

The priest's reception of people must be inclusive and include everyone and tolerate no rejection from anyone, because the priest does not attract people to himself but to those he represents and serves. It is not easy humanly not to reject anyone, to accept everyone without exception, because our impatience and irritation quickly become apparent when people annoy us. The priest must receive everyone with an open heart and chest, to become light, to settle in calm, serenity and transparency towards people (without any indifference). Every person we meet reveals God to us, expresses God's creative intention, for God, his Creator, wanted him to be and knew him before the foundation of the world, and made me know him, so how can I reject him, despite my annoyance or pain with him? The priest is responsible in the Church, he is a man of God, so he no longer owns himself but is for God, and God is for others, so the priest is for others as well. God distributes “with the open mouth” without interruption in the Eucharist, and the priest must also be a living sacrifice, in a state of distribution and acceptance for all, in a constant state of “Amen”. Yes, this is often painful and tiring, it crucifies the priest, but despite this he must always be confident and reassured, breaking himself with courage, patience and joy for others. The gift of self is in fact the best way for one to renew oneself and gain oneself and vice versa. “Whoever wants to lose his life will save it, and whoever wants to save his life will lose it” (Mt 16:25). With this comprehensive acceptance and gift of self to all, we reach maturity: the other then no longer frightens us, his presence is no longer a source of anxiety and disturbance for us, but on the contrary becomes a source of joy. As long as we have not reached this, we are not yet “adults” in Christ. As long as we have a legacy of fear, hesitation and mistrust before people, the service of Christ through us is not fully accomplished.

3- In crucified love

The priest’s service is always carried out, from beginning to end, in “crucified love.” To serve people means to live from love God is for people, and our love is crucified because this is the reality of our service. We are crucified for people’s indifference and their rejection of our service. The sins of this world reject and resist what we carry in us from above, not from us. Christ was crucified because those whom he loved and came to rejected him: “He came to his own, and his own did not receive him” (John 1:11). In addition, he was also crucified in the flesh… so we cannot escape crucifixion. “If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20), “A servant is not greater than his master” (John 13:16). In addition, we are also crucified for our weaknesses, shortcomings, and the corruption within us. Let us overcome them, not by striving for a theoretical perfection that we imagine in our minds (such perfection does not exist. This is the sterile experience of “perfectionism”), but by offering ourselves more as living sacrifices as we are, with our faults. Christ handed us all over to the people and through us he handed himself over to them.

God creates children for himself through our loins: “My little children, with whom I travail again until Christ be formed in you” (Galatians 4:19), and through this travail Christ realizes himself in the Church “which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all” (Ephesians 1:23). “I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I complete in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ for the sake of his body, which is the church” (Col. 1:24). The priest in his ministry is therefore in struggle and conflict. He wants to give more than what people expect from him: not signs and wonders, but spiritual fatherhood. The priest’s ministry is to give birth to children of God. He suffers for his children and because of them, just as he suffers with them as they grow as children of God.

He is also a shepherd of his flock, deriving his service from the only shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ. As a shepherd, he walks with his flock wherever they go and whatever happens to them, and shares their life circumstances. He is at once the companion and the leader, without whom the flock would be scattered. But if he is scattered, “he will be beaten many times” (Luke 12:48).

Therefore, we must give our life in everything we do. The priest’s service to the church is to give his life to the church. He cannot generate life without giving his life. But the amazing and wonderful thing is that he does not give his life, but rather the life of Christ is given and poured out through him. And to the extent that we give ourselves out of love for Christ, the victory is for the life of Christ, which works in the children of God and revives them and us with them to eternal life.

(12) In his book (Memories of the House of the Dead), Dostoevsky, in Siberia where he was exiled and held captive in a state of extreme slavery, narrates how he discovered freedom there in the midst of humiliation, injustice, beatings, etc., because a person cannot be internally enslaved if he looks to God.