chapter 12

The Sacrament
Of Holy Orders

A
s Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, Yes, God places him in front of the people; at the same
He saw two brothers, Simon who is called time, he is placed in front of God by the Church. There
Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting is also one mediator between God and humankind
a net into the sea; they were fishermen. (1Tim. 2:5). The priest, through his priesthood, shares
He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you the eternal priesthood of Jesus. Thus he acts as the
fishers of men” (Mt. 4:18-19). This is a beautiful scene mediator between God and man.
depicting how Jesus invites His disciples to serve in the
kingdom of God. At once they followed Jesus, leaving The Common Priesthood
behind their parents and everything. At present, the All the baptized are incorporated into the priesthood
service of the kingdom of God is entrusted to priests. of Jesus. This is the common priesthood of the people
This mission will be rendered in the Church till the of God. “...You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy
end of the world. nation, a people of his own” (1Pet. 2:9). Here St. Peter
refers to the common priesthood. Common priesthood
Priesthood in the Old Testament exhorts us to carry on our life and activities in a spirit
God selected Israel as a kingdom of priests and a of sacrificial offering and thus introduce Jesus to all
holy nation. He especially selected the tribe of Levi around us.
for liturgical service. They were appointed to offer
gifts and sacrifices for the people. The sacrifices and The Ministerial Priesthood
priesthood of the old covenant were merely shadows God selects some people and appoints them specially
of the sacrifice and priesthood of the new covenant to for His service. Jesus makes them share His mission
be perfected through Jesus. “...When Christ offered one of leading, teaching and sanctifying the people of
sacrifice for sins, and took his seat forever at the right hand God. Jesus selected them and authorized them to
of God...by one offering he has made perfect forever those proclaim the message, heal the sick and cast out
who are being consecrated.” (Heb. 10:12-14) demons. (Mk. 3:14-15) Thus He gave the disciples
authority to reach the fruits of salvation he secured to
Priest - One Who is Placed in the Front the future generations through the paschal mysteries.
The word ‘priest’ means one who is placed in front. He gifted them with the Holy Spirit and strengthened

64 Church: The Worshipping Community

them. Now he has entrusted this same mission to through this rite of ‘laying on of hands’ and with the
the bishops, the successors of the apostles, and their special grace of the Holy Spirit. In the ancient Church,
assistant ministers, the priests and deacons. the deacons were ordained through ‘laying on of the
hands’. (Acts 6:1-6)
The Coworkers of the Disciples
Wherever the disciples preached the gospel, they The Succession of the Apostles and the
appointed the priests as their coworkers and ordered Grace of the Holy Spirit
them to be vigilant to tend the flock of God. The There are two prayers during the imposition of hands
apostles ordained their assistant ministers, ‘laying in the ordination service of the Syro Malabar liturgy.
hands on them’. St. Paul says to Timothy, “...I remind In the first prayer of imposition, the bishop prays,
you to stir into flame the gift of God that you have through “Lord, true to the apostolic tradition entrusted upon
the imposition of my hands.” (2Tim. 1:6). The bishops us, through the laying on of hands, I am presenting
who are successors of the apostles hand over the this humble servant in front of you so as to be a
priesthood through the ‘laying on of hands’. The most selected priest of Your Church. May the grace of the
important part of the ministry of Holy Orders is the Holy Spirit descend upon him, and with the mercy and
prayer of ‘laying on of hands’. Priesthood is conferred blessings of Your only Son, may he become mature

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Chapter 12 // The Sacrament Of Holy Orders

enough to execute the ministry of priesthood in all Priest - the Sanctifier

perfection.” This prayer clarifies that Holy Orders has The priests of the old covenant were selected and
an apostolic succession and that it is continued with ordained by God to sanctify the people by giving
the power of the Holy Spirit. Even if the person called sacrifice and offerings. However, those sacrifices
for priesthood is unworthy, the power of the Spirit and offerings were too ineffective to truly transform
makes him worthy. The prayer during the Liturgy of the worshippers because they were mere shadows of
Word reminds us of this fact: “With the grace of the the true and eternal sacrifice to come. On the other
Holy Spirit, the status of actual priesthood is being hand, by Jesus celebrating an eternal sacrifice only
granted through the imposition of hands. Though we once, He secured the sanctification or salvation of the
are humble and insignificant, out of Your mercy You whole of humanity. The priest who partakes in the
have made us eligible to be worthy members of the priesthood of Jesus is invited to sanctify the people of
body of Your Church and render spiritual service to God. He fulfills this mission through the sanctifying
the faithful.” rituals of holy Qurbana and the sacraments. His faith
and sanctity in life and in prayer are helpful for the
Priestly Duties sanctification of the people of God.
In the prayer of the imposition of hands, the celebrant
reminds of the special duties of a priest and also prays Priest - the Leader
for the grace to execute them. The important duties of Jesus is the true shepherd who sacrificed His life for
a priest mentioned in this prayer are: preaching the His people. Priests are called to lead the flock through
Word of truth, healing the sick by laying hands on the pastures of grace and ultimately to heaven. His
them, performing the ministries in the sanctuary with leadership is that of service, not of authority. Jesus
a clear conscience, and officiating the sacraments of said, “The Son of Man has come not to be served but
Reconciliation, Baptism and Matrimony. Through to serve.” A priest has to lead the people of God from
these, a priest is executing the mission of Christ. the slavery of sin to the freedom of the love of God.

Priest - the Teacher The Call to Priesthood

The prophets were people appointed by God to Just as Jesus called and appointed the twelve apostles, He
converse with the people of Israel in the name of invites certain people today to execute His mission. We
God and lead them to God after pointing out their should be ready to respond to this call. The sacrament
mistakes. Teaching is a prophetic mission. Jesus was of Holy Orders, through which one is incorporated into
the greatest God-sent prophet and teacher the world the priesthood of Jesus, is very sublime.
has ever seen. He devoted his public life entirely to The hymn in the ritual of Holy Orders is worthy
teaching. The Temple, synagogues, hilltops, valleys, of attention: ‘How superior is the position you
fields and seashore were pulpits for Him to teach shoulder…’ If God calls us for the service of priesthood
from. The priest who partakes in Jesus’ priesthood we must respond to the call. God has His own plans
is bound to teach. The primary duty of a priest is to for each of us. When we live according to God’s plan,
tell everyone of the good news of salvation. It is the our life becomes fruitful. We must pray unceasingly to
duty of a priest to impart authoritative knowledge discern what God’s plan is for us. Frequent reception
pertaining to faith and morality to the people of of the sacraments, Bible reading, etc. are means to
God. He must execute this mission according to the promote vocations to the priesthood. We should pray
teachings of the Church. that God provides many good priests for the Church.

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 LET US READ AND MEDITATE Teachings of the Fathers of the Church
ON THE WORD OF GOD “When the bell calls you to church, if you were asked, “Where
2 Tim 1:3-14 are you going?” you might answer, “I am going to feed my soul.
“ If someone were to ask you, pointing to the tabernacle, “What
is that golden door?” “That is our storehouse, where the true
A Verse to Remember Food of our souls is kept. “ “Who has the key? Who lays in the
“No one takes this honor upon himself but provisions? Who makes ready the feast, and who serves the
only when called by God, just as Aaron was.” table?” “The priest.” St. Augustine
(Heb. 5:4)
Let us Talk About It
1. How does a priest become a mediator between God and
Let Us Pray man?
O Jesus who asked us to pray to send people 2. Write a short paragraph on the difference between
to the field of harvest, we pray that You give common priesthood and ministerial priesthood.
us many priests, religious and lay apostles. 3. Explain how one becomes a priest with the blessings of
the Holy Spirit.
4. What are the duties of a priest?
My Resolution 5. What should be done to promote vocations to the
I will pray for priests daily. priesthood and religious life?

A CTIVITY 1: Break up into groups and read chapter 9 from ACTIVITY 2: In groups of 2-3, discuss the significance of the
the letter to the Hebrews. Compare the priesthood of the Old act of laying on of hands. Are there parallels in history or today’s
Testament with the priesthood of Jesus. day and age?

What happens in priestly ordination? bishops namely, sharers in his conse- Supper and when he commissioned the
In priestly ordination the Bishop calls cration and mission; and these, in their Apostles, however, Christ equipped
down God’s power upon the candi- turn, duly entrusted in varying de- some with a sacred authority to serve
dates for ordination. It imprints upon grees various members of the Church the faithful; these ordained priests
the souls of these men an indelible seal with the office of their ministry”. “The represent Christ as pastors (shepherds)
that can never be lost. As a collabora- function of the bishops’ ministry was of his people and as head of his Body,
tor with his bishop, the priest will pro- handed over in a subordinate degree to the Church. (Youcat answer 259) (CCC
claim the Word of God, administer the priests so that they might be appointed 1546-1553,1592)
sacraments, and, above all, celebrate in the order of the priesthood and be
the Holy Eucharist. (Youcat answer 254) co-workers of the episcopal order for Using the same word, “priest”, for two
the proper fulfillment of the apostolic related things that nevertheless “dif-
During the celebration of a Holy Mass, mission that had been entrusted to it fer essentially and not only in degree”
the actual ordination of priests be- by Christ”. (CCC 1562) (Second Vatican Council, LG 10, 2) of-
gins when the candidates are called by ten leads to misunderstandings. On
name. After the bishop’s homily, the How is the universal priesthood of the one hand, we should observe with
future priest promises obedience to the all the faithful different from the joy that all the baptized are “priests”
bishop and his successors. The actual ordained priesthood? because we live in Christ and share in
ordination takes place through the im- Through Baptism Christ has made us everything he is and does. Why, then,
position of the bishop’s hands and his into a kingdom of “priests to his God do we not call down a permanent
prayer. (Youcat commentary 254) and Father” (Rev 1:6). Through the blessing on this world? On the other
universal priesthood, every Christian hand, we must rediscover God’s gift to
“Christ, whom the Father hallowed and is called to work in the world in God’s his Church, the ordained priests, who
sent into the world, has, through his name and to bring blessings and grace represent the Lord himself among us.
apostles, made their successors, the to it. In the Upper Room during the Last (Youcat commentary 259)

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