General Remarks
- CCC 1536: 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.
- Order → designated an established civil body. Ordinatio is incorporation into an ordo → the order of the priesthood. What kind of order?
- CCC 1538 Integration into one of these bodies in the Church was accomplished by a rite called ordinatio, a religious and liturgical act which was a consecration, a blessing or a sacrament.
- "ordination" is reserved for the sacramental act which integrates a man into the order of bishops, presbyters, or deacons, and goes beyond a simple election, designation, delegation, or institution by the community, for it confers a gift of the Holy Spirit that permits the exercise of a "sacred power" (sacra potestas)5 which can come only from Christ himself through his Church.
- Done by the Holy Spirit → gives the capacity to exercise sacred powers.
- Ordination is also called consecratio, for it is a setting apart and an investiture by Christ himself for his Church. The laying on of hands by the bishop, with the consecratory prayer, constitutes the visible sign of this ordination.
- Consecration is uniquely done by God.
- "ordination" is reserved for the sacramental act which integrates a man into the order of bishops, presbyters, or deacons, and goes beyond a simple election, designation, delegation, or institution by the community, for it confers a gift of the Holy Spirit that permits the exercise of a "sacred power" (sacra potestas)5 which can come only from Christ himself through his Church.
Priesthood in the Old Testament
- Originally, the firstborn son, once he became father of his own family, performed the role of priest in the family.
- The firstborn received this blessing to be priest from his father, and then passed it on to his own firstborn son → the firstborn offered sacrifice, this is the distinct action of a priest.
- Examples: Adam, Cain, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob/Israel → All offered sacrifice.
- Sometimes a king would perform the priestly act of sacrifice as father of a nation (rare)
- The Levitical Priesthood → originated after the golden calf incident. The Tribe of Levi stayed loyal to God and did not break the covenant by worshipping the golden calf.
- Also, firstborn were spared in Egypt, but later worshipped the golden calf → transition to Levitical priesthood → Ex 32:26-29
- The tribe of Levi was set apart for God → received no inheritance of land, God was their inheritance → Num 18:20 “Then the LORD said to Aaron:* You shall not have any heritage in their land nor hold any portion among them; I will be your portion and your heritage among the Israelites.”
- Ordination (Ex 29:1-9)
- Sprinkling of the priests and their garments with anointing oil mixed with blood → consecrates Aaron/his sons and their garments.
- Aaron, as high priest, wore four additional vestments and received a special anointing.
- High Priest 🡪 Bishop (rulers and priests), Levitical Priest 🡪 Priest (aid/help), Levite 🡪 Deacon (ministers as sons of Levi).
- Duties of a Levitical Priest
- Discern God’s will
- Teach the Torah (Festival of booths → read the Torah to all every seven years)
- Offer sacrifice → slaughter an animal and sprinkle the blood on the altar (sin offering), animal blood symbolizes life and substituted for human life → expiates man from sin/atonement.
- Maintain the tabernacle → Numbers 1:47-54
- Protect what was holy → separate clean from unclean. Bless in the name of God.
- Need for a renewed Priesthood
- The tension between prophets and priests → Priests falling into idolatry, failing their duties, greed, disrespecting the sabbath, not separating the holy from the profane, hereditary rather than vocational.
- Micah 3:1-3 → messenger, messiah, offerings of righteousness.
- Hope that all sacrifices cease except for the toda sacrifice → peace offering of leavened and unleavened bread, thanksgiving after salvation from death, illness, threat to life.
The Priesthood of Christ
- Temple liturgies transfigured in Christ
- Cleansing of the Temple → drives out the money changers, destroy the temple (his body) and he will raise it. The former view of the temple is passing away, also rejecting Levitical sacrifices.
- The temple also a house of prayer → from Isaiah, all will offer burnt offerings and sacrifices, not just the Levitical priests → a new priesthood where both Israel and Gentiles act as priests.
- Feast of Tabernacles (water used as a libation around the altar) → Christ proclaims “If anyone thirst let him come to me and drink.
- Also an evening light liturgy where the priest lights 4 candelabras → Jesus states “I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life”.
- Feast of Dedication (celebrated the rededication/reconsecration of the temple) → Jesus declares he has been consecrated by the Father.
- Jesus’ Priestly Prayer (John 17): Follows the structure of the high priest’s prayers on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) → prays for himself, his house (fellow priests), and all people
- Jesus prays for himself (to glorify the follow), for his disciples, and for all who come to believe through his disciples.
- Letter to the Hebrews → describes Christ’s death as transfiguring the Old Testament → specifically the Day of Atonement (the one day the high priest entered the Holy of Holies and sprinkled blood to atone for sins)
- Christ enters the heavenly Holy of Holies, answers the needs/hopes of the Jewish people for atonement.
- Christ’s Priesthood is after the order of Melchizedek → superior to the Levitical priesthood.
- The Last Supper: institutes the Eucharist and the New Covenant in his blood shed on the cross (in each covenant, cutting and binding were essential, the blood sealed the covenant)
- Jesus is a priest through his priestly offering → death on the cross.
Consecration of the Apostles
- Consecration → Handing over a reality, a person or even a thing, to God, especially for worship
- Washing of the Feet (John 13) → Preparation for Consecration
- Jesus’ Priestly Prayer → Ask’s the Father, who is holy, to give some of his holiness to the apostles also
- Holy → Hagios (gk), same word used to describe the ordination of priests in the OT.
- Jesus petitions that the Father consecrate the apostles in truth, to be removed from the profane, to be set apart for God.
- As the Father consecrated Jesus for his mission, so Jesus prays that the Father also consecrate the apostles for their mission (teach, rule, sanctify)
- Setting apart and mission (existing for) form a single whole.
- Consecration means that God is exercising a total claim over this man ‘setting him apart’ for himself yet at the same time sending him out for the nations.
Components of the Sacrament
- Matter: imposition of hands, Form: ordination prayer, Recipient: a baptized man.
- With the exception of deacons, the ordained minister is called to live a life of celibacy → for the sake of the kingdom, to consecrate and dedicate himself entirely to God and his will/mission.
- The recipient of the sacrament receives an indelible mark, configuring him to Christ → 2 Cor 2:10
The Priesthood of Christ
- Temple liturgies transfigured in Christ
- Cleansing of the Temple → drives out the money changers, destroy the temple (his body) and he will raise it. The former view of the temple is passing away, also rejecting Levitical sacrifices.
- The temple also a house of prayer → from Isaiah, all will offer burnt offerings and sacrifices, not just the Levitical priests → a new priesthood where both Israel and Gentiles act as priests.
- Feast of Tabernacles (water used as a libation around the altar) → Christ proclaims “If anyone thirst let him come to me and drink.
- Also an evening light liturgy where the priest lights 4 candelabras → Jesus states “I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life”.
- Feast of Dedication (celebrated the rededication/reconsecration of the temple) → Jesus declares he has been consecrated by the Father.
- Jesus’ Priestly Prayer (John 17): Follows the structure of the high priest’s prayers on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) → prays for himself, his house (fellow priests), and all people
- Jesus prays for himself (to glorify the Father), for his disciples, and for all who come to believe through his disciples.
- Letter to the Hebrews → describes Christ’s death as transfiguring the Old Testament → specifically the Day of Atonement (the one day the high priest entered the Holy of Holies and sprinkled blood to atone for sins)
- Christ enters the heavenly Holy of Holies, answers the needs/hopes of the Jewish people for atonement.
- Christ’s Priesthood is after the order of Melchizedek → superior to the Levitical priesthood.
- The Last Supper: institutes the Eucharist and the New Covenant in his blood shed on the cross (in each covenant, cutting and binding were essential, the blood sealed the covenant)
- Jesus is a priest through his priestly offering → death on the cross.
Consecration of the Apostles
- Consecration → Handing over a reality, a person or even a thing, to God, especially for worship
- Washing of the Feet (John 13) → Preparation for Consecration
- Jesus’ Priestly Prayer → Ask’s the Father, who is holy, to give some of his holiness to the apostles also.
- Holy → Hagios (gk), same word used to describe the ordination of priests in the OT.
- Jesus petitions that the Father consecrate the apostles in truth, to be removed from the profane, to be set apart for God.
- As the Father consecrated Jesus for his mission, so Jesus prays that the Father also consecrate the apostles for their mission (teach, rule, sanctify).
- Setting apart and mission (existing for) form a single whole.
- Consecration means that God is exercising a total claim over this man ‘setting him apart’ for himself yet at the same time sending him out for the nations.
Components of the Sacrament
- Matter: imposition of hands, Form: ordination prayer, Recipient: a baptized man.
- With the exception of deacons, the ordained minister is called to live a life of celibacy → for the sake of the kingdom, to consecrate and dedicate himself entirely to God and his will/mission.
- The recipient of the sacrament receives an indelible mark, configuring him to Christ → 2 Cor 2:10