Holy Orders

 THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY ORDERS

“Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19).

“As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:20-22).

Christ’s Words of Institution of the Sacrament of Holy Orders:

For Leadership, Teaching and Sanctification:

Now the eleven disciples [That is, the twelve minus Judas Iscariot] went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age” (Matt 28:16-20).

Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves [That is, the twelve minus Judas Iscariot] as they sat at table; and he upbraided them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. And he said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation (Mark 16:14-15).

For Priestly Offering of the New Covenant Sacrifice and Sanctification:

Now the feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called the Passover…. Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat it”…. And when the hour came, he sat at table, and the apostles [ALL MEN] with him. And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I tell you I shall not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God”….  And he took bread, and when he had given thanks he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”  And likewise the cup after supper, saying, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood” (Luke 22:1, 7-8, 14-16, 19-20).

Christ established His Church and instituted the ministry of shepherding, teaching and sanctifying His people through the Sacrament of Holy Orders. The Sacrament of Holy Orders comprises bishops, priests and deacons.  For leadership in the Universal Church, there is an unbroken line of succession from Peter to Pope Francis, who is the Bishop of Rome. The bishops are the successors of the Apostles and priests are their direct helpers.  

We all, every Christian (man or woman), by virtue of baptism, shares in Christ’s Priesthood; hence the “Common Priesthood or Baptismal Priesthood for the non-ordained.  But the Sacrament of Holy Orders is especially for the Ministerial Priesthood of the ordained Ministries, which Jesus instituted gradually but chiefly on Holy Thursday, at the Lord’s Supper, the First Eucharist or Mass: “For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; hence it is necessary for this priest also to have something to offer” (Heb 8:3).  The priesthood is all about sacrifice; hence, the most important ministry of the Priest is to celebrate Mass; acting in persona Christi capitis (in the person of Christ the Head), of the worshiping assembly.

While deacons are part of the Sacrament of Holy Orders, they are not priests.  There are two types of deacons, permanent and transitional. The permanent deaconate is very popular in our parishes here in the United States. They are usually married men (cf. 1Tim 3:12) who, after discerning their vocational calling, undertake the requisite training, followed by ordination as deacons for the service of God’s people in the Church. The transitional deaconate is a step toward the priesthood.

In this secular age, some people raise controversies against the reservation of this sacrament to men. They misguidedly accuse the Church of discrimination against women.  Please, the constitution of the priesthood in the Church is not our own making (cf. Exod 19:5-6) and NOT EVERY MAN is called to the Priesthood.  The Priesthood IS NOT A RIGHT; no one – man or woman – has a right to the priesthood (cf. Heb 5:1, 4-5).  God has the undeniable right to assign roles to men or women as He deems fit. Christ did His Father's will: “My food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to accomplish his work” (John 4:34). At the natural level, by divine constitution, “the husband is the head" (Ephesians 5:23) of a natural family.  And the supernatural level, God or His Christ is the Head and Bridegroom of His People, His family: “For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is his name” (Isa 54:5; cf. Isa 62:4-5).  To this end, by divine constitution, Christ who does His Father's will, chose certain men – bishops and priests – to represent Him as "Bridegroom" to the Church, His "Bride" (cf. Ephesians 5:23-30). 

Always remember that, in instituting this sacrament, Christ, the Eternal High Priest, called His chosen ones to be ordained (cf. Luke 6:12-16): “And he went up into the hills [to pray], and called to him those whom he desired; and they came to him” (Mark 3:13).  Indisputably, it was a thoughtful and decisive discernment of the Father’s Will for the Priesthood in the Church; a decision based on WHAT HE DESIRED; not based on cultural, political or ideological sentiments as often erroneously claimed by dissenters.  Not even the Virgin Mary, sinless (cf. Gen 3:15; Rev 12:1-6, 13-17), holiest and "most blessed of all women" (Luke 1:42) was called to the Sacrament of the Holy Priesthood. Yet, the Church reverences and venerates her as the most honored of the entire human race, for all time.  Mary Magdalene, Martha, Elizabeth – prominent holy women – were not pastors. Or are these people accusing the Lord Jesus Himself and His Apostles of discrimination?  Women were wonderful, very holy and upright, very dedicated, highly prized and loved by Jesus and were close associates (Matt 28:1; Mark 15:40-41; 16:1; Luke 8:1-3), but He did not assign the role or office of pastor to any woman.  Therefore, let it be known without any confusion or ambiguity: the Church has absolutely no mandate to change, edit or correct the Father's will as proclaimed and exemplified by Christ and His Apostles (cf. Matt 28:19). Can you understand, now, why the Popes (Saint Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis), say this matter about the possibility of women priesthood is not open to further discussion?  Please, let not Protestant and Evangelical practices confuse us; we follow only Jesus and His Apostles in humility (cf. 2Thess 2:15; 2Tim 4:3-4; 1John 2:24); and not make our own rules.  

Biblical References:

 And he went up into the hills, and called to him those whom he desired; and they came to him. And he appointed twelve, to be with him, and to be sent out to preach and have authority to cast out demons (Mark 3:13-15).

Let no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity......Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophetic utterance when the council of elders laid their hands upon you (1Timothy 4:12, 14).

For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness. 3 Because of this he is bound to offer sacrifice for his own sins as well as for those of the people. 4 And one does not take the honor upon himself, but he is called by God, just as Aaron was. So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, “Thou art my Son, today I have begotten thee”; as he says also in another place, “Thou art a priest for ever, after the order of Melchizedek” (Heb 5:1-6).

Teaching of the Church:

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 diaconate (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1536). 

To accomplish so great a work, Christ is always present in His Church, especially in her liturgical celebrations. He is present in the sacrifice of the Mass, not only in the person of His minister, "the same now offering, through the ministry of priests, who formerly offered himself on the cross", but especially under the Eucharistic species. By His power He is present in the sacraments, so that when a man baptizes it is really Christ Himself who baptizes. He is present in His word, since it is He Himself who speaks when the holy scriptures are read in the Church. He is present, lastly, when the Church prays and sings, for He promised: "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them" (Matt. 18:20). Christ indeed always associates the Church with Himself in this great work wherein God is perfectly glorified and men are sanctified. The Church is His beloved Bride who calls to her Lord, and through Him offers worship to the Eternal Father. Rightly, then, the liturgy is considered as an exercise of the priestly office of Jesus Christ. In the liturgy the sanctification of the man is signified by signs perceptible to the senses, and is effected in a way which corresponds with each of these signs; in the liturgy the whole public worship is performed by the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ, that is, by the Head and His members. From this it follows that every liturgical celebration, because it is an action of Christ the priest and of His Body which is the Church, is a sacred action surpassing all others; no other action of the Church can equal its efficacy by the same title and to the same degree (Vatican II, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosanctum concilium, 7).

Vocations and Prayer for Vocations:

In this age, where there is a scarcity of vocations, let us resolve to pray for more vocations. "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest" (Luke 10:2).  

If you are curious or feel called to the priesthood or religious life, contact your parish priest or call the Office of Vocations at 1-407-246-4875 or you may use the following link for more information from the Diocesan Office of Vocations: https://www.orlandodiocese.org/ministries-offices/vocations/