The priesthood is a call from Christ to live a relationship with
him by serving his people. Not content to leave his people with
simply the memory of his redeeming love, Christ chose certain of
his followers (the apostles) to continue his work on earth until
the end of time. The priesthood is an extension of this, and is
hence a continuation of the work of Christ in the world today.
While the whole Church is a priestly people, sharing in the
priesthood of Christ by their daily sacrifices, prayers and
spreading of the Gospel, God calls specific people to serve in
his name in the midst of the community. These people are
priests.
The priesthood is a calling. Christ asks of some men
the sacrifice of their lives in following him as his more intimate companions.
From all eternity, certain men are called to the priesthood.
It is a call inscribed in their nature and because of this,
is a call that will bring them fulfillment.
Thus, the priesthood is not simply one
occupation among many. It is a way of life through which God
invites a man to enter more deeply in relationship with him.
Photo courtesy of Chris Sheridan
[The priest] offers his humanity to Christ, so that Christ may use him
as an instrument of salvation, making him as it were into another Christ.
Pope John Paul II
The priesthood is a
sacrament. Sacraments are physical
means through which God’s grace is experienced in the world. The sacrament of
the priesthood (known as Holy Orders) is the visible way through
which Christ continues his mission in the world today.
We live in a moment in history when all are searching for
meaning. What is the meaning of my life? Where am I to find
the happiness that I desire? Our being cries out for
meaning, for purpose, and, if we are honest with ourselves,
for love.
God has not left us alone. He has heard our cries for love,
for mercy, for justice, for beauty, for goodness, for truth.
And he has loved us so much that he has become man and dwelt
among us. He has sent his son, Jesus Christ, as an answer to
human longing.
Christ instituted the priesthood so that we would not be
alone. It is the priest who makes present Christ himself in
the Eucharist through the daily offering of Holy Mass. It is
the priest who leads men and women to God.
The world needs
priests, because ultimately the world needs Christ.
The priest in your parish can trace his ordination to Jesus and the apostles.
From the beginning of the early Church, the apostles ordained successors.
It is from this unbroken chain of command that the priesthood comes.
Christ himself chose the apostles and gave them a share in his mission and authority:
“As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.” (Jn. 20:21 RSV)
“He who hears you hears me...” (Lk. 10:16 RSV)
“[W]hatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Mt. 18:18 RSV)
“If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” (Jn. 20:23 RSV)
“[Baptize] them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Mt. 28:19 RSV)
Today, he has not forsaken his flock but he keeps it under his constant protection through his priests.
