“Let Your priests be clothed with righteousness, and let Your saints shout for joy” (Psalm 132:9).
Through the divine grace bestowed by the Lord—which heals every infirmity and supplies every lack—a person, by virtue of their humanity united with the High Priesthood, becomes worthy to minister the mysteries of God and, by divine authority, to serve God’s people. Through this authority, exercised in love, the priest becomes a bridge for grace to reach the believers, ushering them into participation in the Kingdom of Heaven through repentance that rectifies every crooked path. He becomes a divine instrument calling all to repentance and a life aligned with the divine way, so that for every believer, Orthodoxy becomes both a true faith and a righteous way of life.
Out of love and a sense of responsibility for sustaining the work of building up the Church—a task long carried out by the reverend fathers—and in recognition of the physical demands of this spiritual and pastoral role, as well as the need to uphold the priest’s dignity and consider any health issues he may face, the Church has exempted priests over the age of 72 (subject to their individual health conditions) from administrative and pastoral duties, allowing them to fortify the Church and the congregation against all harm through their prayers.
