Our Clergy Need More Than a Month of Appreciation

Clergy life is difficult, as the cross a clergyman bears is unique and uniquely heavy. Every priest knows this. Look for him on a Sunday afternoon, and you will encounter a man who feels “that power had gone out of Him” (Mark 5:30). Deacons, too, feel this in their own way. Recently a deacon confided in me that he was experiencing great pain on his left shoulder after every Liturgy. It was only a few weeks later that he realized this is the shoulder that bears his diaconal orarion. But this is not the only burden of the clerical life. 

Years ago, a brother priest told me that most of his priestly ministry was spent being sad and disappointed. Of course, this is no way for a priest to live. As Elder Aimilianos of the Holy Mountain said: “It is not possible for Christians to be joyless, weak, anemic, and miserable” (Fools for Christ, 42). Nevertheless, clergy are not superheroes. Their struggles are real. What faithful laypeople endure, so do bishops, priests, and deacons...and likely more. If not careful, clergy can easily fall into spiritual distress.