Pure Scandal

[DavidHawthorne]

I am tired of all the posts revealing the deep dark scandalous secrets of the clergy so I decided to post this short note which, in our times, can only be PURE scandal:
My parish priest has, in the years I have known him, had the nerve to:
-be at virtually every single service. Arriving early and staying late.
-serving those same services reverently
-delivering a practical truly Orthodox homily week after week
-listened without judgement to my sorry confessions in which I
seem to say the same things (again, week after week)
-put up with all my stupid mistakes as a Reader
-served the parish almost completely without pay in a run down
house on rented property with a low "take" in tithes WHILE
raising a five child family and keeping a full-time secular job.
-and, adding to all this, he has had the unmitigated gall to STILL
be always on call for visitations, funerals, problems, running a
prison ministry, keeping a website and God knows what else.

I would go on but I am confident that many, if not most, of the people on this list can sympathize with my experience in regard to their own parish priests.
In Christ,
David Hawthorne

[Liudmilla]

As unbelievable as it may seem, my priest is guilty of these same offenses.

God help us all!

Milla

[spiridon]

Well I unfortunately cant say the same,but I do know 2 O.C.A. Priests a thousand miles apart guilty of the same..I have always wondered why I just didnt join them instead..They are persecuted by all Orthodox jurisdictions and yet seem to stay straight in what they were called to do Shepard the lost sheep that God has entrusted to them.May god grant all these Priest that I mentioned and those mentioned in the previous posts..and for the rest of the clergy ensnared in politics Truely Gods call to these Priests didnt include- choose a jurisdiction and judge the ones not with you,how sad the times have changed the image of God with there educated words and degrees, maybe we should remember the Prayer of St Epraim daily instead of just certain feasts of the year.....Im not judging ,for god`s job cannot be replaced by me a sinner, but i can sorrow for these sad times and the good people ensnared by them.........may god help us all...............

[joasia]

I'm glad to see that I'm not alone in this. It's good to see that there are others who are going through the same thing as me.