WHERE DOES THE PRIESTHOOD COME FROM?
Christ, the Risen One, remains with us, on human paths on this earth and on the winding paths of history, until the end of the world. It does not leave us alone but calls for cooperation! He calls by name so that his chosen ones continue his saving mission through the ministry of the word and the sacraments. And He, Good Shepherd call us to pray for priests and for priestly and religious vocations. The Church prays that those who are called to the path of priestly life or consecrated life will respond positively to the call. In many countries around the world, these prayers last a whole week - until May 1st. It is a time of thanksgiving and special prayers for priests, but also a time to call all priests to spiritual renewal and fidelity to Christ. Just as he once entrusted himself to the chosen twelve, so also today he entrusts himself to man and says: Follow me. The list of twelve is not closed.
Let us start with a simple question: why do we call a clergyman a priest (sacerdos) if Christ is the only priest? In the Letter to the Hebrews, we clearly read: While in the Old Testament " Those priests were many because they were prevented by death from remaining in office, but he, because he remains forever, has a priesthood that does not pass away. Therefore, he is always able to save those who approach God through him, since he lives forever to make intercession for them.” (cf. Heb 7:23–25). And then the Letter to the Hebrews explains that Christ the Lord is not only the only priest, but he has offered his sacrifice only one time, namely of himself (cf. Heb 7:27).
We all have something priestly in us
So, what do these statements mean in the New Testament, where all believers in Christ are called priests? For example, for the Apostle Peter it is obvious that since we are the Church as believers in Christ, we have something priestly in us: " like living stones, let yourselves be built* into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”(1 Pet 2: 5). In the Apocalypse it is said three times that Christ " made us into a kingdom, priests for his God and Father " (Rev 1: 6; cf. 5:10; 20: 6). Incidentally, this is a repetition of the fascinating idea from the Book of Exodus (19: 6) that, as God's people, we are to be priests, that is, to worship God in the name of all mankind, and in a sense, in the name of all creation.
Since there is only one Priest, Jesus Christ, what does it mean that all of us - believers in Christ and baptized - are called to some priesthood? There is only one answer to this question: Our priesthood is only possible as part of the one priesthood of Jesus Christ. The last Vatican Council writes about it: In the Holy Spirit, “all the faithful are made a holy and royal priesthood; they offer spiritual sacrifices to God through Jesus Christ, and they proclaim the perfections of him who has called them out of darkness into his marvelous light. Therefore, there is no member who does not have a part in the mission of the whole Body; but each one ought to hallow Jesus in his heart, and in the spirit of prophecy bear witness to Jesus.” (Presbyterorum ordinis, 2).
The essence of the priesthood is the ability to make sacrifices that please God, both for oneself and for others. Well, just as in the final dimension there is only one Priest, Jesus Christ, and any other true priesthood is participation in His priesthood, so there is only one Sacrifice that can please God. It is this Sacrifice of love that Jesus, the only priest, made of himself on Calvary.
So why does God's Word also call us to offer sacrifices to God? For example, the Apostle Paul invites us to " offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, as an expression of our wise service to God" (cf. Rom 12: 1). The answer to this question is similar to the answer to the previous question: If we want to offer God a sacrifice of ourselves, we must strive that the only Priest would deign to include it in the one Sacrifice that He offered on the cross and which always pleases His Eternal Father.
Whoever sees with the eyes of faith this truth about the one Priest and one Sacrifice, and about our participation in both, immediately understands why the Eucharist is of very importance in the Church. "Do this in remembrance of me!" (cf. Lk 22:19; 1 Cor 11:24) - said the Lord Jesus, establishing this Mystery of making His one Sacrifice present forever. It is made present for us so that we - as individual baptized people, but also as the whole Church - offer to the Eternal Father, in union with our only Priest, his one sacrifice, and that we may include ourselves and our whole path to God to this one sacrifice. Our participation in the Eucharist is therefore a specifically priestly activity. Not only the priest at the altar, but all those who in faith participate in the Mass, join the action of the one Priest and his one Sacrifice.
The sacrament of "Laying on of hands" – Sacrament of Holy Orders
I think that thanks to this analysis it will be easier for us to understand why we call clergyman, that is, those of our brothers who preside over the Church gathered for the Eucharist, priests. Through the sacrament of baptism, we are all gifted and called to the royal priesthood spoken of which by both the Apocalypse and the Apostle Peter. On the other hand, those who have been chosen by the sacrament of Holy Orders to be pastors and teachers in the Church fulfill the ministerial priesthood. Both the royal priesthood and the ministerial priesthood - including all Christians and the shepherds of the Church - are participation in the one priesthood of Christ the Lord.
We read about the ministerial priesthood many times in the New Testament. The words of the Lord Jesus: "Do this in remembrance of me" were addressed only to the Apostles, and not to all believers. Even the Apostle Paul clearly distinguishes between the hierarchy in the Church and those whom it serves: " We are God’s co-workers; you are God’s field, God’s building." (1 Cor 3: 9). " Thus, should one regard us," we read a little further, consider us as servants of Christ and as stewards of the mysteries of God (cf. 1 Cor 4: 1). So, it is not a human invention that some people are for other people "stewards of God's mysteries."
The apostles established their helpers and successors in the Church. They did this through the sacramental rite of laying on the hands. The apostle Paul wrote to the young bishop Timothy: " I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God* that you have through the imposition of my hands " (cf. 2 Tim 1: 6; cf. 1 Tim 4:14). The average priest listens to these words many times because they are often recalled during retreats for priests.
Already in apostolic times, this sacrament of "the laying on of hands" was given not only by the Apostles themselves, but also by those who had previously received the "laying on of hands" from the Apostles. " Do not lay hands too readily on anyone," the Apostle Paul exhorts the aforementioned Timothy, " and do not share in another’s sins " (cf. 1 Tim 5:22). "For this reason, I left you in Crete," the Apostle writes to another bishop appointed by him, named Titus, "that you may appoint priests in every town" (Tit 1: 5).
All those who have thus been made "guardians" (Greek episkopoi - "bishops") and "elders" (presbiteroi) in the Church bear a special responsibility for the Church. " Keep watch over yourselves," the Apostle Paul says farewell to the bishops of Asia Minor before his final journey, “and over the whole flock of which the holy Spirit has appointed you overseers (Bishops), in which you tend the church of God that he acquired with his own blood. "(Acts 20:28; cf. 1 Pet 5,1–3). So, the Apostles laid their hands on them, but the Holy Spirit Himself made them bishops in the Church - precisely through this sacramental rite of Laying on of hands.
Not only to priests
If anyone wants to know how important priests are for the very existence of the Church, let us have a good look at what the enemies of faith and the Church think about it. From ancient times to our twenty-first century, the persecutors of the Church have always directed the blade of repression against bishops and priests. They intuitively sensed the truth of the Lord Jesus' words: "Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered" (cf. Mt 26:31). Because the Church gathers around the altar. It is enough, then, to strike at those who celebrate Holy Mass and nourish the people of God with the Body of the Lord, that the spiritual structure of the Church may dissolve and that God's people may be dispersed and confused.
Unfortunately, the Church has endured persecutions that are even more dangerous than those of her open enemies. The worst wounds are inflicted on the Church by her own children. They inflict these wounds with their evil deeds, but also with their sloppy faith. Especially the transgressions of priests and their coldness in the service of God weakensthe Church probably more than external persecution.
May the aforementioned Week of Good Shepherd bring a renewal of fidelity to Christ by our clergy. Let us pray for our shepherds more than usual. Let us pray that those zealous ones will become even more zealous. May all our priests "rekindle within themselves the charism of God" with which they were bestowed on the day of their ordination.
Until Tomorrow
fr. george