by St. John of Kronstadt
The priest must in the first place acquire, through God’s grace, evangelical love; he needs this love every minute, every second… But he needs this love especially during the celebration of the Divine Liturgy which is wholly the mystery of infinite, divine love for the human race. In this sacrament, the sacrament of the Eucharist or the giving of Christ’s Body and Blood, the divine love manifests itself in its entire immortality: when the Lord Jesus Christ drains Himself to the uttermost in order to save us, giving Himself to us as food and drink…
During the Liturgy the priest must be filled with love for God and men – men who are redeemed, redeemed all together through Christ’s Blood.
In the priest there must not be even a shadow of anger or grievance, wounded feelings towards anyone, or predilection for anything terrestrial – food, clothing, adornment, official distinction, or for any person.
As much as I love the vestment (and what some these days would call bling) in the photo that accompanies the article, isn’t it a ‘predilection for the terrestrial’? Was this a set up? ;)