“The priest continues the work of redemption on earth . . .
The Priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus.” (St. John Vianney)
Priests are present in the Old Testament and acted as
intermediaries between God and man, but the offerings and sacrifices they were
commissioned to make could not take away our sins. At the Last Supper, Jesus made the Apostles
priests and commanded them to celebrate the Eucharist, sending them out to
preach and baptize in His Name. Following
His Resurrection, He gave them His own authority to forgive sins as well. The Apostles later ordained other men to be
their successors, and those did the same down through the centuries to our
time.
Through the Sacrament of Holy Orders, a baptized man is
configured to Christ by a special grace of the Holy Spirit through the laying
on of hands, becoming another Christ (alter
Christus) so that he can stand in the very Person of Christ (in persona Christi) among those he
serves. The grace of ordination imparts
a permanent seal or mark on his soul that conforms him to Christ in a deep and
particular way.
There are three degrees of Holy Orders in the Catholic Church:
Bishop, Priest, and Deacon.
- Bishops receive the fullness of Holy Orders and
can trace their ordination in succession all the way back to the Apostles
themselves. The importance of this
apostolic succession for the preservation of the Church’s teaching is clearly
documented as early as the second century, and indeed in Scripture itself. Bishops receive the office of Jesus for
sanctifying, teaching, and guiding or governing the faithful under their care. They are assigned by the Pope to serve the
Church in a particular geographic area called a Diocese or Archdiocese, and
they share in the Pope’s responsibility for the whole Church as his brothers.
- Priests are also ordained into Jesus’
ministerial priesthood, but to a lesser degree.
They serve as co-workers with their bishops, to whom they promise
obedience and by whom they are ordained, and he assigns them to serve the
people in a particular parish or ministry and to share in his office of
sanctifying, teaching, and governing. As
priests, they receive from Christ the power to forgive sin and to offer the
Mass.
- Deacons are also ordained by the bishop, but not
to the priesthood. A deacon’s ministry
is one of service, so that bishops and priests may focus primarily on those
duties reserved to them. Deacons may
assist at the Mass, preach and teach, witness and bless marriages, preside at
funerals, baptize, and carry out works of charity, but they cannot hear
confessions or offer the Mass.
Holy Orders is a call from God, not to be confused with a
career choice or a right that anyone can invoke. Like Matrimony, it is a Sacrament of Service
or Vocation. Unlike the Sacraments of
Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist), which are intended for everyone
in the Church, Holy Orders is a call given only to some and only to men. It is a gift given as God wills and the
Church confirms, not because of what a man can do but because of what he has become
through ordination.
For more information about the priesthood, religious life, or the permanent diaconate in the Diocese of Arlington, please visit the Office of Vocations.