In these extracts, there is a striking similarity between St John of Kronstadt and Fr Arseny, both of whom live up to St John Chrysostom’s description of what a priest should be. One almost gets the impression that the one in the other’s (very different) place would have fulfilled the priestly vocation in a very parallel way. St John of Kronstadt describes how in prayer, when fully convinced in true faith of God’s action in response, God will accomplish everything: “at such a time there is no interval between God and yourself”[2]. Similarly, when Fr Arseny, out of his love for his fellow prisoners and his great faith simply calls on God commanding the prisoners to stop fighting, God answers his call, the fighting stops and the wounded are helped.[3]

Fr Arseny continually centres himself with the Jesus prayer, and by calling upon the Theotokos. St John of Kronstadt says that to call with faith and love upon the name of God and the name of the Mother of God will “enliven, hallow and comfort”[4]. The prayers of the Church are seen as a great blessing. St John of Kronstadt admits the temptation sometimes to shorten or rush the public prayers “wishing to finish the holy work the quicker that we may hasten after worldly vanity.”[5] By so doing, we neglect what is the source of peace, joy and health for ourselves and for those praying with us – “enlivening, strengthening and healing our body as well as our soul.”[6] Fr Arseny understands the value of these prayers. Without access to a church, service books, vestments or any material thing that he was accustomed to using in his priestly work before his arrest, he would recite the matins service, the akathist to the Mother of God, to St Nicholas and to St Arseny all by heart.[7] In fact, so strong was the power of his prayer and so fully did his prayer represent that of the Church, that on one occasion, an officer in the camp saw in him suddenly not “an old man in a patched up vest and torn pants, but a fully vested priest, who was performing the sacrament of prayer to God.”[8]

St John of Kronstadt emphasises that during the celebration of the Liturgy, the whole Church – in heaven and on earth – is assembled around the Lamb of God. He sees this holy assembly, he sees his brothers and sisters in the Church gathered among the saints and angels, and he wonders at the fact that he too is there, celebrating for his neighbour as for himself[9]. The awareness of the tremendous grace of being permitted to share in such a gift opens his heart “to love all, to care for all, to seek the salvation of all.”[10]

This love and care for all is demonstrated in Fr Arseny’s constant care for the sick prisoners, sharing his own meagre ration with them, and persevering in this care despite the lack of gratitude (and even contempt and mockery) on the part of the sick.[11] This love goes along with humility as he quietly takes abuse and derision, which St John Chrysostom says can make even the most valiant ascetic lose his head.[12] This love is also demonstrated in Fr Arseny’s full use of all the gifts he was given for the benefit of the souls in his care: “It is essential that even the ‘silly priests,’ as you call them, understand the soul of Russian art and, being shepherds of souls, they must show their flock the truth as it is in reality.”[13] Especially in a world where truth has been subjected to ideology, the priest has a particular responsibility to try to understand the direction of the culture that surrounds the Church, and to communicate this understanding to his people, that they may understand true reality.

The world of Fr Arseny is strongly in contrast to that of St John Chrysostom, where a man might seek out the priesthood for worldly reasons. Who would seek out the kind of priesthood that Fr Arseny found himself serving in? St John Chrysostom says, “the weakest athlete can keep his weakness secret as long as he remains at home and pits himself against nobody; but when he strips for the contest, he is soon shown up.”[14] What kind of preparation is there for the contest that Fr Arseny had to face? Yet in all that he did and all that he experienced, Fr Arseny found that the root of his life was the same: “I had my faith in Christ out there in freedom and I have it here within myself.”[15] He lived his life so much in the light and presence of God, and in service to others, that even some of the most hardened criminals and atheists were able to say “but you… I trust. I know you won’t turn your back on me. You live in your God…”[16] Truly it was with Fr Arseny as St John Chrysostom said it ought to be with any priest: “the beauty of his soul must shine out brightly all around, to be able to gladden and enlighten the souls of those who see.”[17]

[1] Priesthood p93, p86

[2] Counsels p68

[3] Fr Arseny p22-23

[4] Counsels p71

[5] Counsels p64

[6] Counsels p65

[7] Fr Arseny p12

[8] Fr Arseny p26

[9] See Counsels p63

[10] Counsels p78

[11] Fr Arseny p10, 12-13

[12] Priesthood p83 – those who cannot “bear insult and abuse and vulgar language and taunts from inferiors” must be barred from the priesthood.

[13] Fr Arseny p19. Note that St John Chrysostom says that piety is not enough for a priest, he needs to combine piety with “considerable intelligence”, Priesthood p89. Part of this is manifested in the priest’s responsibility to teach (especially in the absence of miracles – p115), to which St John Chrysostom devotes most of Book IV of his Six Books.

[14] Priesthood p85

[15] Fr Arseny p15

[16] Fr Arseny p21

[17] Priesthood p85

The extract from this book continues the basic theme of the other readings in demonstrating both the extreme weight of responsibility of the priesthood and also its glory. The strongest impression from this text is the intensity and sincerity with which St John prayed for his people (“he was above all a ‘genius of prayer’”[1]). Out of his prayer, miracles came. In his prayer, he worked tirelessly for the benefit of the souls who were entrusted to him – there was no opposition between his prayer and its practical outplaying in his life’s work. How much this convicts us when we read of someone living out our faith this deeply: “we all shrink from the fundamental demands which the Christian faith… makes upon us” and, phrased as a greater challenge, “He was a man of outstanding faith… and I, alas, am not… why am I not?” [2] The answer to this latter question is provided by St John himself who says that it is essential to “live in a state of constant watchfulness”, “without ceasing praise and thank the Lord” (cf. 1 Thess 5:17), and “always be striving after holiness, with fasting… with humility of mind, obedience and patience.”[3]

In order to be able to heal others, a priest must “strive to be free himself from spiritual infirmities”. Attachment to ‘earthly cares’ needs to be laid aside: “If he is frightened of man, it means that he does not yet entirely cleave to God.”[4] He describes this attachment as a “wall” which we have to “pierce” by prayer.[5] But earthly cares are not the only difficulty: St John points out that the more holy the task, the greater the temptation and attack of the devil, whether it be through sloth, depression, despair or just doubt over the purpose of long prayers[6]. But the priesthood is not only a harbinger of greater spiritual attack, it is also a provision of weapons to use in the conflict: invoking the Holy Spirit over the Holy Gifts in the Liturgy brings confidence that he will come also in other situations[7]. The work of a priest is full of reminders and experiences that should bring him close to God, and if he can live a holy life, his prayer can “work wonders”[8].

[1] p11, Grisbrooke quoting G.P. Fedotov

[2] p16 and p27

[3] p35

[4] p38

[5] p54

[6] See pp43-44

[7] p54

[8] p56

As it is the duty of all men and women to fulfil the same commandments of the moral law over and over again, so it is our priestly duty to repeat over and over again the same prayers, beginning with the Lord’s Prayer itself, for it is not by variety of prayers that the soul is strengthened, but by their constant repetition, and so by their being brought into our heart, into our will, and into our whole life.

***

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Heb. 13:8)

When you pray with prayers that you have grown accustomed to, from praying them over and over again, remember that the Lord is for all eternity the same. Your heart may change and grow cold, but the same words or the same prayers still have the same power with the Lord, who himself is the same, yesterday, today and for ever.

In this longing for heaven (“thy kingdom come”), Chrysostom says, we should work to make the earth more like it, and that means aiming for perfection (5:48: “be ye perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect”). Green has trouble with this saying, and wishes the ‘τέλειοι’ to be not ‘perfect’ but ‘mature’ (p101). While this is technically a possible interpretation of the Greek word, it would be unusual to describe God as ‘mature’ – ‘the Ancient of Days’ (Dan 7:9) perhaps, but this would not fit the context of 5:48 (and in any case is usually taken to be a reference to God as eternal). Thus it seems necessary to take this word here as referring to completeness or perfection.

Chrysostom says “there is nothing to hinder our reaching the perfection of the powers above… even while abiding here” by virtue of the grace from above (p135). On the other hand, further on in the Lord’s prayer we assume our sinfulness, asking for our sins (or ‘debts’) to be forgiven. Even in the midst of our sinfulness we still must look forward to becoming the person God calls us to be, and that involves perfection.

To sustain us on this journey towards perfection, we ask for ‘our daily bread’ (‘τον αρτον υμων τον επιουσιον’ – the ‘essential’ – sometimes translated ‘super-essential’ – bread) to be given to us ‘this day’. Chrysostom (p135) takes this absolutely straightforwardly, as being our needs for the current day, with no worry about the morrow, referring us forward to v25-31 where this is what Jesus teaches us. Green agrees, but also suggests a possible interpretation of the Greek phrase as ‘the bread of tomorrow’, pointing to this being a foretaste of the eternal Bread which sustains not only our bodies but our souls. Augustine (‘Our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount’ Book 2, VII:25 – NPNF vol.6 p41) suggests three possible interpretations: our daily needs (but unlike Chrysostom he sees v25-31 as an objection to this interpretation), the Eucharistic mysteries (but he notes that these are not taken daily in the East), or a reference to spiritual ‘food’ or precepts which we live by daily. He inclines towards the last interpretation, but accepts that all are acceptable. Perhaps the fullest understanding of this petition comes from holding all three together.