H.H. Pope Tawadros II addressed the newly ordained priests, saying: “The priestly ministry is a heavenly service carried out on earth. Everyone who walks in faithfulness, purity, and uprightness will be granted more by God and will become a sweet fragrance of Christ in every place where he serves.”
This morning, H.H. Pope Tawadros II prayed the Divine Liturgy at Saint Mark’s Cathedral, with the participation of thirteen bishops and the General Deputy of the Patriarchate in Cairo.
Following the Prayer of Reconciliation, His Holiness and the fathers prayed the ordination prayers, granting fifteen deacons the rank of priesthood to serve in the pastoral sectors of Cairo.
The sermon of the Liturgy was drawn from its appointed Gospel—the Gospel reading for Thursday of the first week of the Holy Great Lent. His Holiness emphasized that a deacon who becomes a priest must be a shining lamp in every sense of the word, as stated in the Gospel.
Pope Tawadros then spoke about the journey from earth to heaven in the life of the priest, as follows:
- The Beginning of the Journey
“If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear” (Mark 4:23)
Successful priestly service begins in the heart, through obedience and submission. The priest obeys the commandment of Scripture, his spiritual guide, the teachings of the Fathers, and the order of the Church. He also submits in love to the bishop responsible for him and to his fellow priests who preceded him in this service. He struggles against his own self and will so that God’s will may be fulfilled in him, thus living rightly and beginning the journey in the proper way. - The Nature of the Journey
“For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him” (Mark 4:25)
The priest who “has”—that is, who possesses diligence, labor, self-giving, sacrifice, and faithfulness—to him more will be given. Whoever is faithful in the details of life, in relationships with others, and in everything his hand touches, God will grant him more and more. But “whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”
This is the nature of the priesthood, a nature that continues until the end of life. Therefore, walk carefully and with accountability, and never forget that you have become a shining lamp among the flock and within the church you serve.
- The End of the Journey
“But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.” (Mark 4:29)
Keep your eyes fixed on the end of the journey—the harvest and the fruit of labor and self-giving—so that it may be an abundant harvest and become for you a crown in heaven. Your works, labor, effort, vigilance, diligence in caring for souls, and attachment to the Holy Scriptures—if all these are done in faithfulness—will prepare for you a plentiful harvest that you present to Christ.
Today we also celebrate the monthly commemoration of Archangel Michael. Let us remember the angels who will come with the Second Coming of Christ to gather the righteous from the earth.
His Holiness concluded: “This is a day of joy in the Church of the Most High, as fifteen deacons are consecrated to the priesthood. May Christ bless your lives and grant you grace, and a blessed and fruitful priesthood that pleases God and is accepted by Him as a continual sacrifice of love.”
The new ordinations were distributed across eight pastoral sectors in Cairo, as follows:
One priest each for the sectors of: Al-Salam City and Al-Hirafeyeen, the New Cities, and Al-Mokattam.
Two priests each for the sectors of: Ain Shams, Al-Matariya and Helmiyat Al-Zaytoun; Ezbet Al-Nakhl and Al-Marg; East of the Railway.
Three priests each for the sectors of: North Shoubra and Central Cairo.
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