I am nearing the end of a Master of Theology course on the Early Church. Many of these early church fathers and thinkers have given me new theological insights into the Christian faith, while also instructing me in pastoral ministry. One of those pastoral provocateurs is John Chrysostom of Constantinople.
Listen to these words I’ve selected from On the Priesthood (book five) on the special office of preaching:
“How great is the skill required for the teacher in contending earnestly for the truth, that has been sufficiently set forth by us. But I have to mention one more matter beside this, which is a cause of numberless dangers, though for my own part I should rather say that the thing itself is not the cause, but they who know not how to use it rightly, since it is of itself a help to salvation and to much good besides, whenever you find that earnest and good men have the management of it. What then, do I mean by this? The expenditure of great labor upon the preparation of discourses to be delivered in public. For to begin with, the majority of those who are under the preachers’ charge are not minded to behave towards them as towards teachers, but disdaining the part of learners, they assume instead the attitude of those who sit and look on at the public games; and just as the multitude there is separated into parties, and some attach themselves to one, and some to another, so here also men are divided, and become the partisans now of this teacher, now of that, listening to them with a view to favor or spite. And not only is there this hardship, but another quite as great.”
“For the public are accustomed to listen not for profit, but for pleasure, sitting like critics of tragedies, and of musical entertainments, and that facility of speech against which we declaimed just now, in this case becomes desirable, even more than in the case of barristers, where they are obliged to contend one against the other. A preacher then should have loftiness of mind, far exceeding my own littleness of spirit, that he may correct this disorderly and unprofitable pleasure on the part of the multitude, and be able to lead them over to a more useful way of hearing, that his people may follow and yield to him, and that he may not be led away by their own humors, and this it is not possible to arrive at, except by two means: indifference to their praise, and the power of preaching well.”
“And if on the other hand he is successful as a preacher, and is overcome by the thought of applause, harm is equally done in turn, both to himself and the multitude, because in his desire for praise he is careful to speak rather with a view to please than to profit. And as he who neither lets good opinion influence him, nor is skillful in speaking, does not yield to the pleasure of the multitude, and is unable to do them any good worth mentioning, because he has nothing to say, so he who is carried away with desire for praise, though he is able to render the multitude better service, rather provides in place of this such food as will suit their taste, because he purchases thereby the tumult of acclamation.”
When I read this I thought these words of advice could easily apply to present day pastoral teaching! For those who regularly teach/preach in a pastoral setting, Chrysostom addresses many needs for 21st century teaching from his experience in the 4th century.
Present day teachers need to contend “earnestly for the truth, that has been sufficiently set forth by us.” An “expenditure of great labor upon the preparation of discourses to be delivered in public” should be part of every teachers week leading up to the Sunday event.
He makes interesting commentary on those who listen who assume “the attitude of those who sit and look on at the public games. For the public are accustomed to listen not for profit, but for pleasure, sitting like critics of tragedies, and of musical entertainments…” What should a preacher/teacher do in the face of these listeners? Like ancient priests, modern teachers should lead in such a way that they “correct this disorderly and unprofitable pleasure on the part of the multitude” and “lead them over to a more useful way of hearing.” But along the way, these modern teachers must “not be led away by their own humors” by doing two things: being indifferent to their praise and simply preach well (which I take to mean with power and conviction, not caring what the masses think about said teaching.)
These last few lines got to me in my own role of teaching: “You see, my excellent friend, that the man who is powerful in preaching has peculiar need of greater study than others; and besides study, of forbearance also greater than what is needed by all those whom I have already mentioned;” “Therefore it is especially necessary to be trained to be indifferent to all kinds of praise.”
Modern day teachers need to study and prepare well for powerful and convicting teaching that rises above the pleasures, wants, humor, attitudes, and opinions of the multitudes; modern day teachers need to be trained to be indifferent to any kind of praise. Why? In order to contend and fight earnestly for the truth that Tradition and the Spirit has given us through history.
What timely words (at least for me) from this timeless Saint!
