I am happy for you (that you have achieved such perfection in prayer) and for all humanity (that has such a prayerful person), the weak must use auxiliary means (Sacraments) as the Church has established. Therefore, the presbyter (bishop), like the speaker – is equal among equals, one of the community, not the one above the community. As in the adoption of laws, not the speaker himself participates, but all deputies, so the presbyter does not perform the sacramental act (serve the Sacrament) by himself, but the entire community (royal priesthood)!!! With pagans it’s different: there is a caste of specials: archbishops, priests, Sadducees, Pharisees, monks, theologians… and profanes, laypeople (from the word ‘secular’ – pagans), darkness, second sort, unlike the first (‘initiated’ into ‘mysteries’, mysteries) a lot of things are not allowed due to their ontological unworthiness, uninitiated (e.g., women not allowed to enter the altar, not to touch the altar and many other absolute taboos…, and a day is not enough to tell about everything that paganism has done to the church children of God, called to Freedom in the Holy Spirit!). The presbyter in the community – equal among equals (priest among priests) with duties and rights of service, laid upon him by all. The presbyter organizes and tunes the community for the Worship – the service of God to man, – to each from this community. He is obliged to care that each member of the community (the Body of Christ) entrusted to him is in the proper state of readiness (preparedness, announcement) to receive the service from God and to enter the Reality of the Kingdom, which is revealed, unfolds in the Sacrament. And the essence of the presbyteral service, to which he is appointed by the Church in the sacrament of ordination, – is to point the way to the Kingdom of God (to teach the correct spiritual life), and anyone will be waving a censer, for this no great wisdom is needed! And then censer-wavers (priest-priests, ritual-performers) – many, but presbyters (elders, not by age, but by wisdom; because there are also many old men!), who know the way – few! Incense wavers despise simple people, boast (brag), that they are special – they are priests!? The Sacraments are performed by Christ (God), and only God!
The presbyter will be able to organize the Eucharistic (the center of which is the Sacrament of the Eucharist, the actualization of the Sacrament of the Church) life of the community only when he knows (at least learns to comprehend, forces himself in the knowledge of the truth) the laws of proper spiritual life, will be able to pray (at least persistently with prudence learns) and think correctly (know, at least rationally, the basic principles of Orthodox theology, and will explore the New Testament and the creations of the holy fathers and mothers – and correlate everything with spiritual life).
In part I, we said that the reality and effectiveness of the sacrament does not depend on the moral qualities of the presbyter, who performs the sacramental act together with the community. Now we will say that this is so, and no! In one of the prayers of the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great, the presbyter prays that the Lord would not withhold (not take away) the Holy Spirit from the offered Gifts because of his sins! Indeed, these words contain the sad truth of evil that lurks in the service of immoral priests, who are not able to prepare the community for the contemplation of reality! Therefore – it’s a disaster for such a community! What to do with such ‘sacred’ individuals? The church has a procedure – prohibition in service. If the priest is ‘blue’, or a fornicator, or a thief, or a murderer (or some other overt criminal), then until the ‘church prosecutor’s office’ gathers evidence, he will preside in the assembly (woe to such an assembly – it’s hard for him (this community) to organize, to create conditions for the revelation of Reality! But let them dare), until he is banned from presiding (presiding) and another is not chosen!?? The Sacraments are performed by Christ! (Be careful reading these thoughts about the presbyter, priests, paganism, because here I ironized a lot, spoke with sarcasm, sometimes joked; little dogmatics – more sarcastic pedagogy!).
The hierarchy in the Church has one purpose – to perform the Eucharist and ensure communication among the faithful. Therefore, the presbyter – is no priest (in the pagan sense, in the sense of some exclusivity, special; the presbyter, bishop as much a priest as every Christian, and no more), he does nothing performs, he only serves the Sacrament together with the community. Therefore, serves the Sacrament, performs the act of the Sacrament the entire community headed by the presider (presbyter), who has the lawful pleasure (‘legitimate’ (by canons) elected, who has ‘world’ recognition, i.e., can show the chain of pleasure of his presbyteral service from one of the apostles!) apostolic service. (You ask: Can a woman be a presbyter, a bishop? Can! After the above – it’s obvious! (According to pagan measures of ‘sacred’ and ‘profane’ it – ‘female priesthood’ – sounds simply blasphemous (like blasphemy); but from the position of freedom in Christ royal priesthood of the children of God… – it’s even shameful to argue about obvious truths!). But, is it worth tempting the weak?! Someone once said that he would never eat meat, just so as not to tempt the weak!).