Instruction of His Grace, Bishop (St.) Tikhon of the Aleutians and North America, to a Newly Ordained Priest

I greet you, beloved, upon the reception of the grace of the priesthood. When our soul comes into contact with Divine grace, it softens in its usual hardness, as wax becomes soft under the action of fire. I think that your soul also experiences a similar state in these sacred and exceptional moments of your life, and I make use of this to impart to you an instruction in your new ministry. Do you, then, imprint it and incline “not only your ear, but also your heart” to my words. Of the many subjects, I deem it timely to proclaim to your hearing an indication of what is required of you as a priest.

In your new rank, you are entering upon a place already familiar to you; therefore, you partly know what is needed there. Your flock is composed of Greeks, Arabs, Slavs. For many years they managed without a priest; having arrived here in search of livelihood, of daily bread, they perhaps thought little of the heavenly bread, of the "one thing needful" (Luke 10:42). From this, their hearts could not but grow dull, and when spiritual consolation was granted them in the person of a priest, perhaps their hearts did not sufficiently kindle with the holy fire and were not consumed by love for the Divine. They do know that the Divine "Wisdom has built herself a house even among them, has slaughtered her sacrifices for them... and prepared her table" (Prov. 9:1–2), yet still it is necessary to call them "by the wayside, and at the gates, and on the tops of the high places," to call them so that they may "forsake their folly and prefer the knowledge of the Divine to pure gold" (Prov. 8:2–3, 19). What then? Shall we be burdened by this? For we are "servants of Wisdom," whom she sends precisely for this purpose. "For behold, now you also are sent by her." Therefore, preach not only to those who thirst for this, but labor "to seek those who do not seek you, and to be found by those who do not ask for you, and to stretch forth your hands to the disobedient and gainsaying" (Isa. 65:1–2). Others often "compass sea and land to make one proselyte" (Matt. 23:15). Hasten you also to help, and be diligent in entreating all who are cold toward their mother, the holy Orthodox Church.

Another part of your flock is composed of those reunited from the Unia, living in Wilkeson [in Washington state]. Their love for the Orthodox faith they have shown, as you yourself know, also by good deeds. Strive, then, that they may not grow cold in their first love, but abound in it all the more. Take care also that this church community, still small for now, may grow, like the Gospel mustard seed, into a great tree with many branches (Matt. 13:31–32), under which even those not yet in our fold may find shelter. And it will attract outsiders most of all if in it the divine services are performed fervently, with beauty, if the church life is distinguished by order, if the members of the community live in peace, love, concord, as brothers. The foundations for some of this have already been laid; it is only necessary to strengthen and develop them. Other things have not yet even been begun; thus, there is no church school there, the establishment of which you must take care of. I say this to you, and I do not hide it before others, that the future of Orthodoxy in this land depends on church schools, that these schools are especially necessary here, since in the public schools of this country, as you know, the Law of God is not taught.

What I have said until now pertains to your outward future labor. But do not think to limit yourself to this alone. Perhaps outward labor alone is sufficient in some other vocation, but by no means in the pastoral one, although some, even among the pastors, seem to place nearly all their ministry in outward labor. Have you, beloved, paid attention to the words of the Savior: "Many will say to Me...: Lord, Lord! Have we not prophesied in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name done many wonders? And then will I declare to them: I never knew you; depart from Me, you who work iniquity" (Matt. 7:22–23). What then? Does it mean that one can be a pastor, preach Christ, perform wonders in His name, and yet not be acknowledged by the Lord? Yes, and be afraid of this, lest this fate befall you! Remember that the success of pastoral labor depends not so much on outward measures as it is the result of the spiritual struggle and the grace-filled life of the pastor himself. A priest can only be a true builder of souls and a guide to Christ when he himself is spiritually building himself up and, in his conscience, is walking the path of Christian self-perfection. And it cannot be otherwise, for such is the law of spiritual life! It is necessary, says Saint Gregory the Theologian, first to cleanse oneself, and then to cleanse others; to become wise, and then to make others wise; to become light, and then to enlighten; to become holy, and then to sanctify. An experienced elder in spiritual life used to say: you will not do good in another more than there is of it in yourself.

Therefore, for the success of your pastoral labor, you must first of all take care of your own enlightenment and purification. The Most Holy Chief Shepherd Christ Himself, before setting out on the labor of service to the human race, spent forty days in the wilderness in fasting and prayer. And, looking to the Chief Shepherd, all true pastors of Christ began their pastoral ministry with the labor of inner self-perfection. From this you also must begin, all the more since, having become a priest, you, due to circumstances, will not immediately proceed to outward pastoral labor — it will for some time still remain under the care of your elder fellow servant in Christ. Use, then, this transitional time in order to prepare yourself for the great work of pastoral ministry.

Now, by the laying on of hands of my unworthiness, the Divine grace has descended upon you. Let it not be "in vain" in you (1 Cor. 15:10). Do not quench this spirit which you have received, but diligently kindle it. I will briefly point out to you some of the means for kindling the spirit. The first is prayer. Just as our body cannot live without air, so our soul cannot live without the breath of the Almighty — without the grace of God; and grace is above all drawn to man through his fervent and zealous prayer to God. The Venerable John of the Ladder, commemorated today by the Holy Church, calls prayer the intercessor of grace-filled gifts. And the great man of prayer of our time, the pastor John of Kronstadt, calls it the food, strength, and fortitude of the soul, the air, the light, the life-giving warmth, the heavenly rain that refreshes and makes fruitful our soul. In a word, without prayer, there can be no true spiritual life; and if prayer, therefore, is necessary for every believer, then all the more so for a priest, who is appointed precisely to offer prayers to God for himself and for the people (Heb. 5:3). Therefore, exercise yourself unceasingly in prayer; do not limit yourself to public services, but in the chamber of your house, in silence and solitude, warm and wash your soul with prayer to God.

For the kindling of the grace of God within yourself, exercise yourself also in the reading of the Word of God. The Word of God is a hammer that breaks and softens our stony hearts; it is a fire that burns away the impurity of sin and warms our cold hearts (Jer. 23:29). It is "profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works" (2 Tim. 3:16–17). Therefore, "meditate in the law of the Lord day and night" (Ps. 1:2). Set for yourself the rule to read the Word of God daily, and read it with reverent attention, and then that which seemed to you long familiar in it, that which previously did not make a strong impression upon you, will suddenly acquire for you a new, great meaning and significance, as if you were hearing it for the first time; it will produce trembling in your soul, and upon your heart will descend peace, consolation, and compunction.

I have yet many things to say to you, but, perhaps, due to your weariness, you may not now be able to bear them all. In place of this, receive the "instruction of the holy hierarch to newly ordained priests" and by reading it, edify and strengthen yourself unto salvation. And I will pray to the Lord, that He may make you a "good shepherd, rightly dividing the word of truth." Amen.

 

Source: Американского Православного Вестника [American Orthodox Herald], No. 8, 1900.