The Gift of the PRIESTHOOD[1]

We must always begin with Christ who was very generous and giving that sacred night in the Cenacle. He is first and foremost our Eternal High Priest. However, because he loved us so, he had decided to share his one and unique Priesthood with his ecclesial family, the Church. This happened the night he was betrayed. The priesthood is indeed a gift Christ left the Church on the eve of his Passion while at that table. As his Priestly People[2], since the community of believers is priestly, we already partake in his Priesthood by virtue of our baptism. We refer to this as the common or baptismal priesthood of all the faithful in Christ. Moreover, the baptized exercise this priesthood according to their individual calling in life, participating in and thus embodying the very mission of Christ as priest, prophet and king. This constitutes the unfolding and flourishing of the grace received at the moment of our baptism, especially in the exercise and witnessing of the virtues of faith, hope and love.

Subsequently, and from among the baptized disciples, Jesus chooses men to follow him in a special way to become his representatives, ministers and instruments of grace. He gives to them a new and second share in his Priesthood — the ministerial or hierarchal priesthood of the ordained. Holy Orders is one of the sacraments “at the service of communion”[3] and points to the fact that not only are bishops and priests servants of God, they are also at the service of the baptismal priesthood in the new covenant established in Christ. Power and authority are meant for the service of others: sacerdos propter alios, in Latin. The priesthood is for others, to build up the Body of Christ and not for personal gain or self-aggrandizement. Priests act “in the person of Christ the head of the Church” (in persona Christi Capitis) and they lead and build up the Church as shepherds, teachers and spiritual fathers intent on fostering communion by the exercise of this sacred authority. The ministerial priesthood is given sacred power in order to serve and not to be served, as Christ modeled for us. Jesus taught, healed, led, built people up, challenged, went the extra mile, served with his entire life. Bishops and priests are a gift given for the glory of God and to spread his Kingdom, to grow the Body of Christ on earth by serving and furthering the unfolding of the baptismal grace of all the faithful. The Bishop understands his priests as co-workers, sons, brothers and friends — it is truly a sacramental bond that unites them; they are his first and closest collaborators in the exercise of the sacred, apostolic ministry handed down by Christ through the centuries in the Catholic Church.

As cooperators of the bishop, promising and offering love and obedience to him, and forming a sacramental and personal brotherhood of presbyters, ordained priests are at the service of the People of God, shepherding Christ’s flock by governing, teaching, sanctifying, all for the glory of God. Stemming from the episcopacy, priests receive a special share in Christ’s priesthood and are configured to the saving Lord, receiving a special seal (an indelible spiritual character) on their soul. Consecrated to preach the Gospel in season and out of season, they are to shepherd the flock, celebrate liturgies, exercise pastoral care, seek the lost, make Christ present and nourish the Christian People with the sacraments. Bishops and priests are ultimately intent on cultivating a life of holiness for themselves and for the People to whom they are sent to continue Christ’s own mission. Bishops have the fulness of the sacrament of holy orders and priests have a share in that grace, though in a limited way.

Anecdotal Illustration

While on a pilgrimage to the Eternal City with her family, Thérèse Martin — who came to be known as St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face — began to understand her divine calling:  to be consecrated to God and to be a spiritual mother for priests. In her autobiography she describes that after meeting many holy priests in Italy, she understood their weaknesses and frailty in spite of the sublime dignity: “If holy priests…show in their conduct their extreme need for prayers, what is to be said of those who are tepid?” (A 157). In a letter to her sister Céline, she offered great and zealous encouragement writing: “Let us live for souls, let us be apostles, let us save especially the souls of priests…Let us pray, let us suffer for them, and, on the last day, Jesus will be grateful.” (LT 94). A very touching episode at the end of her earthly life further illustrates the magnanimity and depth of her soul. Though already extremely ill, she nonetheless heeded the nurse’s advice to walk 15 minutes each day in the convent garden. She did it even if it did not really help her health situation all that much. On one occasion, a fellow Carmelite nun accompanying her noticed how painful it was for Sister Thérèse to walk. She advised her caringly: “You would do better to rest, this walking can do you no good under such conditions. You are exhausting yourself.” But the Little Flower responded: “Well, I am walking for a missionary. I believe that over there, far away, one of them is perhaps exhausted in his apostolic endeavours, and, to lessen his fatigue, I offer mine to God.”

Questions to Ponder

We read in the Catechism of the Catholic Church: “The faithful exercise their baptismal priesthood through their participation each according to his own vocation, in Christ’s mission as priest, prophet and king.”^[4] Are we conscious that while we go about our daily duties, responsibilities, chores and activities, we are called to unite this work, all work, to Jesus? When we rejoice, we have the graced opportunity to unite that joy to Jesus; when we experience suffering, we unite that suffering to Jesus; and when we worship at Mass we unite ourselves to the self-offering of Jesus himself. How real is this calling in my life? Do I ever consider myself as called to participate in the priesthood of Christ? How often do I think of my baptism and the common priesthood of all the faithful? Does it influence my faith journey? Do I see and live my life, work and vocation as service? How does the universal call to holiness inspire and guide my daily decisions, thoughts, words and deeds? Do we pray for our ordained priests especially those who struggle? How do I collaborate with the parish priests in the archdiocese for an even greater outpouring of grace and for a stronger witnessing to the beauty and saving truth of the Gospel? Do I encourage and respect our priests as true icons of Christ and spiritual fathers? Do I fast and pray daily for an increase in vocations to the ordained/ministerial priesthood? Do I encourage the young men of our families and communities to consider the possibility of a calling to the priesthood? As a young man, have I ever given true and generous thought, prayer and discernment to this persona and ecclesial vocation?

[1] For a more fulsome explanation of the Sacrament of Holy Orders, see the CCC, 1536-1600

[2] Cf. the priesthood of the believers referred to as a “holy priesthood” 2 Peter:5 and “royal priesthood” 2 Peter:9.

[3] “Holy Order and Matrimony, are directed towards the salvation of others; if they contribute as well to personal salvation, it is through service to others that they do so. They confer a particular mission in the Church and serve to build up the People of God” — CCC, 1534

[4] CCC, 1546