November 1, 1998
On
Judging Priests
Today’s thought concerns the priesthood and judging those
who occupy this holy office. It is tempting to think that we should not deal with a priest
who commits sins or other misdeeds, judging him harshly for any errors he may have
committed and refusing the sacraments he serves. Abba Mark the Egyptian teaches us by his
example that we should not be so quick to judge. His experience shows us why:
BEGIN: It was said of Abba Mark the Egyptian that he lived for thirty years without going
out of his cell. The priest used to take Holy Communion to him. But the devil, seeing the
remarkable endurance of this man, decided to tempt him, by making him blame the priest. He
brought it about that a demoniac went to the old man, under the pretext of asking for
prayers. Before anything was said, the possessed man cried out to the old man, "Your
priest smells of sin, do not let him come near you any more." But Mark, filled with
the spirit of God, said to him, "My son, everyone rids himself of impurity, but you
bring it. It is written: ‘Judge not for that you be not judged.’ (Matt. 7:1)
However, even if he is a sinner, the Lord will save him, for it is written: ‘Pray for
one another that you may be healed.’" (James 5:16)
When he had said this and when he had prayed, he drove the devil out of the man and sent
him away healed. When the priest came, according to his custom, the old man received him
with joy. Seeing the absence of malice in the old man, the good God showed him a marvel.
When the priest prepared himself to stand before the holy table, this is what the old man
related: "I saw the angel of the Lord descent from heaven and place his hand on the
priest’s head and he became like a pillar of fire. I was filled with wonder at this
sight, and I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Man, why are you astonished at this? In
truth, if an earthly king does not allow his nobles to stand in his presence in soiled
garments, but only arrayed in glory, how much more will the divine power purify the
servants of the holy mysteries who stand before the heavenly glory?’" And the
noble athlete of Christ, Mark the Egyptian, became great and was judged worthy of this
grace because he had not judged the priest. END
from Sr. Benedicta Ward, "The Sayings of the Desert Fathers," (Kalamazoo,
Mich.: Cistercian Publications, 1975), Number 59 in the Cistercian Studies Series, pp.
150-151
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