Holy Orders

“…the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands" 2 Tim 1:6

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, Presbyterate, and Deaconate in other words, Bishop, Priest and Deacon.

Points to remember

·       Only Bishop can administer this sacrament through ordination and laying of hands.

·       Jesus Christ instituted the priesthood on Holy Thursday, the same time when He instituted the Sacrament of the Eucharist.

·       Only Baptised man can receive the Sacrament of Orders.

·       This sacrament is directed towards the salvation and service of others. Thus priests are the servants of the community.

·       Their mission is to build up the people of God through teaching, preaching, good works, and the administration of the sacraments.

·       Priests are set apart (consecrated).

·       Priesthood is ministerial priesthood which is different from the common priests of the faithful.

·       This sacrament confers an indelible spiritual character and cannot be repeated or conferred temporarily.

·       Celibacy is a discipline of the Church that has been effect since 306ADE and made mandatory in 1074. Mat 19:12, 1 Cor. 7:8, 7:27-38.

·       Priesthood to male only does not imply that women are inferior to men in anyway.

·       The priest acts in persona Christi (in the person of Christ) as another Christ.

·       All priest share in the one priesthood of Christ.

Priesthood for the Church

Priest is a man of the Eucharist: The Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith and the celebration of the Eucharist is central for the Church. Priest celebrates the Eucharist in persona Christi. There is an unbreakable bond between the Eucharist and the priest. Priesthood becomes fulfilled when he celebrates the Eucharist.

Priest is a man of prayer: ‘I nourish you with what I myself live on,’ St. Anselm said. The proclaimed truths must be discovered and adopted in the intimacy of prayer and meditation. Our ministry of the word consists in expressing what was first prepared in prayer. Priest is the mediator between God and men; many turn to him asking for prayers. Thus prayer, in a certain sense, ‘creates’ the priest, especially as Pastor.

Identity as priest: Many priests wondered whether priest is necessary in the face of secularisation and the abandonment of religious practices. Therefore, priest wondered about the identity. From the start, as the author of the Letter to the Hebrews wrote, the priest was ‘taken from among men and made their representative before God to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.’ This is the best definition of the priest’s identity. Every priest, according to the gifts bestowed upon him by the Creator, can serve God in various ways and with his priestly ministry, can reach various sectors of human life, bring them closer to God.

Fidelity to Christ and the people of God: Priest is taken from among men and made their representative before God to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. Priests fulfil their vocation by trusting in God’s support and constantly striving for holiness. Through the deep friendship with Christ, a priest becomes a bridge between God and His people. Therefore, a priest seeks the flock of God with love and mercy by cultivating the tranquil conviction that the One who began the work will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

The priest has a specific role in the parish community as pastor and leader. His primary role would be to pastor the people of God through the celebration of the Eucharist and the Sacraments. Thence, the priest pastors the community on behalf of the Local Bishop, who appoints him as the parish priest. The Second Vatican Council recommends, "Parish priests ensure that the celebration of the Eucharistic Sacrifice is the center and culmination of the entire life of the Christian community" (Decr. Christus Dominus, n. 30). Without Eucharistic worship as its beating heart, the parish dries up.

Fr. Jerri Dias SJ

Sacred Heart RCIA