Holy Orders: The Priesthood of Christ [EP. 19]

Whose hand rests upon a man's head at ordination? Beginning with his own ordination to the diaconate, Dcn Seraphim explains that the priesthood belongs to Christ, the one eternal High Priest, and that bishops, priests, and deacons receive particular ministries within His priesthood rather than possessing spiritual authority of their own. He shows how ordained ministry serves rather than replaces the royal priesthood of every baptized Christian, traces apostolic succession from Christ and the apostles through the laying-on of hands, and describes the distinct work of the bishop, priest, deacon, reader, and subdeacon. The episode then walks through the Orthodox ordination rite: the procession around the altar, the prayer that divine grace heals what is infirm and completes what is lacking, the cry of “Axios,” and the vesting of the newly ordained man. Dcn Seraphim closes by considering what clergy and people owe one another — faithful teaching, reverent service, prayer, honesty, accountability, practical support, and mercy — as they work out their salvation together in the body of Christ.

Handouts and resources: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ub5iFJAGN6hCXhyfKSWoPA11qudSLKaA?usp=sharing

Music Used: Cherubic Hymn, Romanian Chant, Tone 8 Choir of St. Seraphim Orthodox Cathedral, Santa Rosa, CA