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| PRIESTLY ORDINATION. Image from romancatholicvocations.blogspot.com via google.com |
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states about the Sacrament of Holy Orders,
"Holy Orders is the sacrament through which the mission entrusted by Christ to his apostles continues to be exercised in the Church until the end of time: thus it is the sacrament of apostolic ministry. It includes three degrees: episcopate, presbyerate, and diaconate." [CCC 1536].
It is the priesthood of the ordained ministers of the Church. Though this sacrament do properly belong to the ordained, by understanding their priesthood, we can love them more and show support in their ministry. We can also become more active in our common priesthood which we have acquired by Baptism.
In the Old Testament, God established Israel as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation and yet He also set apart of the twelve tribes, the Levites, to lead in liturgical services and to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins [1539]. But their priesthood was limited and a mere prefiguration of the one priesthood of the Lord Jesus Christ who is the priest in the order of Melchizedek, holy, blameless and unstained [1544]. As in the Old Testament and the former Israel, the Lord Jesus Christ has made in the New Testament His followers, members His Church, which is the New Israel, a kingdom of priests and holy people [1546], and ordained priests [1547] as sharers of His one and unique priesthood [1544-1545].
Ordination to the Holy Orders leave an indelible mark, an imprint, upon the person receiving the sacrament, which configures them to Christ. In the Catholic Church, those who respond to the call to receive the sacrament of Holy Orders are required to be celibate. There are three degrees of the ordained priesthood in the Church.
The Episcopate is the fullness of the priesthood for the Bishops are considered as successors of the Apostles themselves and includes the roles of sanctifying, teaching and ruling. The Bishop, as Christ's Vicar, the responsibility over a particular Church entrusted to his pastoral care but also by collegiality, that is, in brotherhood with other Bishops, shares the responsibility of caring for the whole Church. As Christ's representative, the Bishop's presiding in the celebration of the Holy Eucharist has a special character also [1555-1561].
Priests are co-workers of the Bishop. Although they do not have the fullness of the priesthood like the Bishops, priests are consecrated to preach the Gospel and shepherd the faithful. In the name of the Bishop and in dependence and communion with him they dispense the divine office among the faithful in their particular local assembly of the faithful. Priests also form an intimate sacramental brotherhood among themselves under their Bishop [1562-1568].
Deacons receive the imposition of the hands not unto the priesthood but unto the ministry. Only the Bishop imposes his hands upon the candidate to the diaconate to signify his special attachment to the Bishop in the task of diakonia or service.
As we mentioned above, in the Catholic Church, those who receive the sacrament of Holy Orders are required to be celibate. Hence priests, including Bishops and deacons, need our constant prayer and support that they may sustain their sacramental lives and be protected from the temptations of the flesh which seek to mislead them from their faithful performance of their roles and to distract them from focusing on their sacred duties by enticing them to see the beauty in another vocation, such as marriage life. We can strengthen them in their ministry by being faithful also to our respective vocations such as marriage life for those who have spouses, and to the single blessed state for the single ones.
As for the Common Priesthood, which all of us baptized share through baptism, we can practice them by actively participating in liturgical activities and by living our lives in holiness. For our priesthood is about living our vocation as a holy people, a people set apart, consecrated by God to sing His praises [1 Peter 2: 5, 9]. From among many peoples, we have been chosen, we have been called, and by baptism we acknowledged that call, God's choice, and so become consecrated to be His people, His priests forever. Hence in everything we say, think and do, we must be holy as the Father is holy [Matthew 5:48].
As priests, we can offer gifts and sacrifices also, though not as special as the offering and sacrifice of the ordained priests. We can offer to God by sharing part of our resources to the various ministries of the Church. These resources may be in the form of financial support, or our time, skills and talents. We can offer sacrifices especially by following the occasions for fasting and abstinence not only during Lent and Advent but also during special occasions whereby the Church asks us for such offerings.
We can also practice our common priesthood by our prayers. Ordained priests offer prayers and praises to God. We also are called to do that by participating in liturgical activities, devotional practices, and in our own special and personal ways.
Priests may belong to a special class due to their special vocation. But they are still human beings like us who need prayers and support in their effort to remain faithful to their calling. Pope Francis I knew the importance of this so he asked the faithful to "pray for me" and to pray for all the ordained. For ordination does provide graces for them to dispense their role in accordance with its dignity but as they are also still living in the world, without belonging to it just like us, they can fail if we leave them vulnerable to attacks. For the enemies of the Church know that they cannot destroy the Church by snatching up on the members but in destroying the credibility of its leaders, as it is written,
"Strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered,
and I will turn my hand against the little ones."
- Zechariah 13:7
The Lord has entrusted us to their care, but they have been given to us to support. For when He commanded Christians to love one another, He meant for each and every one to do it to each and every other.
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