On Pastoral Priesthood
By Fr. W. Joseph Boyd
The Theological Meaning of the Pastoral Ministry
“But the aim of the (priestly, as opposed to medical) art is to provide the soul with wings to rescue it from the world, and to present it to God. It consists in preserving the image of God in man, if it exists; in strengthening it, if it is in danger; in restoring it, if it has been lost. Its end is to make Christ dwelling the heart through the Spirit, and, in short, to make a god sharing heavenly bliss out of him who belongs to the heavenly hosts.”[1]
The Church is, as a reflection and continuation of the ministry of its Lord, a divine-human institution, meshed as it is between the created and uncreated, exposing man to both the best and the worst of human experience. The whole purpose, then, of this economy is the reception of life, a “modus vivendi" that allows for the survival of the human race, the divine-human faith, and a continued experience of the presence and transformative energies of God…
The Theological Meaning of the Pastoral Ministry
“But the aim of the (priestly, as opposed to medical) art is to provide the soul with wings to rescue it from the world, and to present it to God. It consists in preserving the image of God in man, if it exists; in strengthening it, if it is in danger; in restoring it, if it has been lost. Its end is to make Christ dwelling the heart through the Spirit, and, in short, to make a god sharing heavenly bliss out of him who belongs to the heavenly hosts.”[1]
The Church is, as a reflection and continuation of the ministry of its Lord, a divine-human institution, meshed as it is between the created and uncreated, exposing man to both the best and the worst of human experience. The whole purpose, then, of this economy is the reception of life, a “modus vivendi" that allows for the survival of the human race, the divine-human faith, and a continued experience of the presence and transformative energies of God…
