TOS042 Sacraments -Holy Orders with Ken Hunter

Posted on by P Brunner

TOS042 Sacraments–Holy Orders with Ken Hunter For audio TOS042: The Sacraments – Holy Orders – Truth of the Spirit (podcast) | Listen Notes

Truth of the Spirit with Patti Brunner welcomes Ken Hunter, a deaconate candidate, as he shares (1) the Biblical Roots of Holy Orders, (2) about two priesthoods: the “priesthood of all the faithful” and the “priesthood of the ordained” (3) the origin of Bishop, Priest and Deacon, (4) who may be ordained and (5) the effects/graces of the Sacrament of Holy Orders. 

Holy Orders is not like “military orders”.  Holy Orders is the sacrament through which the mission entrusted by Christ to his apostles is continued to be exercised in the Church until the end of time.  It is the sacrament of apostolic ministry.  Through it, men are marked with an indelible character and constituted Sacred ministers – in three degrees: bishops, priests and deacons–to teach, sanctify, and govern the faithful in the person of Christ the Head.  The priesthood of the Old Covenant finds its perfect fulfillment in the priesthood of Jesus Christ, who is the one Mediator between God and us. “Jesus’ sacrifice of himself on the Cross is a priestly act of perfect self-offering accepted by the Father and culminating in his Resurrection from the dead so that, as Risen Lord and High Priest, he continues to offer salvation to all”.  This is the sixth episode of the continuing Truth of the Spirit series “The Eucharist and Other Sacraments”.

  1. Holy Orders –5 aspects of Holy Orders
  1. I know you’ve been covering them in detail, but first a little bit about Sacraments
    1. Psalm 115:1 “Not to us Lord, not to us, but to thy name give glory”
    1. The external exhibit of an internal change
      1. Intrinsically powerful and effective
    1. Sacrament = sign, Oath, biblical
    1. Not magic or forcing God to do something, but accepting God’s will for a change within us
  • Holy Orders is the sacrament through which the mission entrusted by Christ to his apostles is continued to be exercised in the Church until the end of time.  It is the sacrament of apostolic ministry.  Through it, men are marked with an indelible character and constituted Sacred ministers – in three degrees: bishops (episcopate), priests (presbyterate) and deacons (diaconate) – to teach, sanctify, and govern the faithful in the person of Christ the Head.
  1. Deacon Pate Story – 2011, CHRP
    1. Not worthy for such a role
    1. None worthy – following God’s will -> discernment
    1. Our process: 6.5 years
      1. Discernment 9 month
      1. Application 9 month
      1. Formation 5 years
    1. Where am currently
  • The 1st of 5: The Biblical Roots of Holy Orders
    • When I first heard of HO coming into the Church, I thought it was “getting orders”, like in the military … not so
      • Order, as in joining the body or group.  Like a religious order.
      • Thus, being received into one of the three degrees
      • The study of Holy Orders is the study of the Priesthood, so that’s what we’ll cover.
    • The origin of the priesthood goes back to the Old Testament. The first priest figure we encounter is Melchizedek, who offers a sacrifice of bread and wine on behalf of Abraham (Gen 14:18-20). He symbolizes the permanence of priesthood: “Like Melchizedek you are a priest forever” (Ps 110:4).

      When God chose Israel, he calls them to be “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation,” a people who would offer God true worship. “Within the people of Israel, God chose one of the twelve tribes, that of Levi, and set it apart for liturgical service…” (C 1539). The role of the tribe of Levi is to guard the Ark of the Covenant and to offer sacrifice and gifts for the people’s sins. They also proclaim God’s Word and interpret the Law of the Covenant and lead the people in communal worship of God. These priests of the Old Covenant prefigure the priests of the New Covenant.

      The priesthood of the Old Covenant finds its perfect fulfillment in the priesthood of Jesus Christ, who is the one Mediator between God and us. “Jesus’ sacrifice of himself on the Cross is a priestly act of perfect self-offering accepted by the Father and culminating in his Resurrection from the dead so that, as Risen Lord and High Priest, he continues to offer salvation to all” (USC p. 264).
  1. Hebrews continues in contributing to a doctrine of priesthood.  It connects Christ’s Priesthood with his human nature.
    1. “Every high priest is taken from among men and made their representative before God, to offer gifts and sacrifices” Hebrews 5:1
    1. Melchizedek is the most important connection to Holy Orders.  Christ’s priesthood si compared to Melchizedek
      1. “It is even more obvious if another priest is raised up after the likeness of Melchizedek” Hebrews 7:15
  1. Coincidentally, there used to be subdiaconate, with a 4th order of ordination, as the lowest order of ordination towards priesthood – but now just duly instituted acolyte.
  • Solidifies God’s plan
    • Not just a Catholic invention
    • Dead sea scrolls – depict same hierarchy (albeit different names)
  • The 2nd of 5: Two Participation in the One Priesthood of Christ
    • Just as the whole of Israel was a priestly people, so is the whole Church a priestly people. The Church speaks about two priesthoods: the “priesthood of all the faithful” and the “priesthood of the ordained.” The common priesthood is exercised by the unfolding of baptismal grace (C 1547). The ministerial priesthood is rooted in the sacrament of Holy Orders. Both priesthoods share in the priesthood of Christ.
  1. While the two priesthoods differ from each other, they are interrelated. The ordained priesthood is at the service of the common priesthood and is the means by which Christ builds up and leads his Church (C 1547). Both the baptized and ordained are called to live a life of holiness, a life surrendered to God, a life of service to others. Both are called to participate in Jesus’ saving work by living holy lives, by witnessing to Gospel values.
  1. While every Christian by reason of baptism, represents Christ and acts in the person of Christ, only the ordained priest represents Christ as head of his Church―teaching, shepherding and sanctifying God’s people (C 1549). The priest also represents the whole Church and acts in her name when he offers the sacrifice of the Mass, in his whole ministry and, hopefully, in the way he lives his life. The priest is not a stand-in for Christ like a substitute teacher in a school. The priest, by reason of his ordination, makes Christ present in a way similar to the way Christ is truly present in the bread and wine at Mass. “While the sacrament of Holy Orders does not preserve the ordained from weakness and sin, the Holy Spirit guarantees that the minister’s sin does not impede the effectiveness of the Sacrament and its graces” (USC p. 265).
    1. Bad doctor example
  1. Importance: Church history and failings of today
  1. Not dependent on people
    1. Can not like pastors/bishops, and it’s OK – don’t let that interfere with our relationship with God
      1. Easier said than done
  • Origin of Bishop, Priest and Deacon
  1. As we read the Acts of the Apostles and letters of the New Testament, we learn that the Apostles took on a leadership role in the early Christian communities.
  1. They represented Christ in these communities. In Lk 10:16, Jesus says to his representatives: “Whoever listens to you, listens to me. Whoever rejects you, rejects me and rejects the one who sent me.”
  1. When the Apostles started to die, they appointed successors who came to be known as bishops. Bishops acted as overseers of the first Christian communities.
  1. When the Apostles were still alive, they appointed some men to assist them, especially in caring for the needy. These men became known as deacons. In 1Tim 3:1-3, Paul outlines the qualifications needed for bishops and deacons, indicating that these two ministries had become established in the early decades of the Church.
  • The development of the order of priest is less clear in the New Testament. But by the end of the first century, three roles or “offices” of leadership and service came to be recognized in local Christian communities: the bishops, presbyters, and deacons (C 1554). In 110 A. D., early church Father Ignatius of Antioch states: “I exhort you to try and do all things with a divine harmony, while your bishop presides in the place of God, and your presbyters in the place of the assembly of apostles, along with your deacons, who are most dear to me, who were entrusted with the ministry of Jesus Christ”. Also, certain New Testament verses testify to the beginnings of what became known as the Sacrament of Holy Orders. For example, in 1Tim 3:1, Paul speaks about the office of bishop being a worthy way to serve God’s people. In 2Tim 1:6, he speaks about the laying on of hands. In Titus 1:5, Paul directs his collaborator Titus to ordain priests to assist the Church in Crete. Let us examine these three minis-tries a little closer.
  • Bishops (C 1555-1561, USC p. 265). Church teachings speak of the bishop as having the “fullness of the priesthood.” This does not mean that he has more priesthood than the lay person or a priest or deacon. Rather, it means that he has received the fullness of the responsibilities of Holy Orders. Through the Ordination Rite, the bishop becomes a successor to the original Apostles and takes on all the responsibilities Christ entrusted to them: teacher, shepherd, guardian of the flock and the Gospel of Christ. A bishop is ordained by another bishop who must be assisted by two other consecrating bishops. Every bishop belongs to the College of Bishops, and with them and in union with the Bishop of Rome, he has responsibility for the entire mission of the Church. He usually oversees a territory called a diocese. A bishop is the ordinary minister of Confirmation (which can be delegated to priests). Only a bishop can ordain priests and deacons. He also blesses the sacred oils used in the sacraments.
  • Priests – coworkers of the bishops (C 1565-1568, USC p. 266). When a bishop ordains a priest, he is extending to him a portion of his apostolic authority. This makes the priest a coworker with the bishop of a diocese. With the bishop, priests are responsible for preaching and teaching the Gospel, shepherding God’s people, and leading the community in worship, especially in the celebration of the Eucharist. The priest promises obedience to the bishop in service to God’s people.
  • Permanent deacons (C 1569-1571, USC p. 266). Deacons receive the Sacrament of Holy Orders from a bishop and are ordained, not to ministerial priesthood but to the ministry of service. Through ordination, the deacon is conformed to Christ, who came to serve and not to be served” (USC p. 266). Deacons can baptize, bless marriages, preside at funerals, proclaim the Gospel, preach, and dedicate themselves to other works of charity. The Church has “transitional” deacons (men on their way to priesthood) and permanent deacons. Both married and single men can be ordained to the permanent diaconate.
  1. The essential or central rite of the ordination ceremony for bishops, priests and deacons occurs when the bishop lays hands on the head of the person being ordained and invokes a special prayer of consecration during which he asks God for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit and his gifts upon the ordained so that he may serve God and his people with love and fidelity.
  • I only want to spend a quick minute on #4 of 5: Who May be Ordained.
  1. Whole other discussion points …
    1. Conditions required to receive holy orders
      1. Candidates should be male baptized catholic
      1. Candidate must be in the state of grace.
      1. He must have the prescribed age and learning
      1. Must have the intention of devoting his life to the sacred ministry (free from coercion)
      1. Must be called to the Holy Orders by his bishop or proper ecclesiastical superior.
    1. Celibacy
  • Last point: Effects/Graces of the Sacrament of Holy Orders
    • Holy Orders, like the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation, confers an indelible spiritual character (often called a “seal”) on the soul of the recipient. These three sacraments configure the recipient to Christ in a special way, enabling him to act for the Lord in his threefold office of priest, prophet and king. These three sacraments can only be received once.
      • An increase of sanctifying grace;
      • Sacramental grace through which the priest receives God’s constant help in his sacred ministry.
      • A lasting indelible character, which is a special sharing in the priesthood of Christ and which gives the priest special supernatural powers.
    • In the case of the priest, the special indelible character enables the priest to celebrate Eucharist and to represent Christ as Head of the Church and to act in the name of the whole Church.
      • To change bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ.
      • To forgive sins in the sacrament of Penance
    • A priest who has left active priesthood, or who has been forbidden to exercise his priestly duties, or who has been laicized, is still a priest and, in cases of emergency, could hear confession and administer the Anointing of the Sick.
    • Since it is ultimately Christ who acts in the sacraments through the ordained minister, the sinfulness or unworthiness of the ordained person does not prevent Christ from giving us his graces in the sacraments. St. Augustine writes: “The spiritual power of the sacraments is indeed comparable to light: those to be enlightened receive it in its purity, and if it should pass through defiled beings, it is not itself defiled” (C 1584).
    • The Holy Spirit offers each bishop, priest and deacon the graces and gifts necessary to live a holy life and to faithfully carry out the duties of his state in life. Having said that, ordination does not automatically confer holiness. Holiness is the lifelong call of every baptized person. It only occurs when one generously cooperates with the movements of the Holy Spirit in one’s life.
    • Examples:
      • Ordination Mass in June
        • Bishop Taylor: “Changes the Nature, not the person” … have to deal with still being human
        • Father Rocky: Get a second guardian angel – for ministry

Amen.

REFERENCES FOR THE SACRAMENT OF Holy Orders

Catechism of the Catholic Church and  NAB

Psalm 115:1 “Not to us Lord, not to us, but to thy name give glory”

Holy Orders is the sacrament through which the mission entrusted by Christ to his apostles is continued to be exercised in the Church until the end of time.  It is the sacrament of apostolic ministry.  Through it, men are marked with an indelible character and constituted Sacred ministers – in three degrees: bishops (episcopate), priests (presbyterate) and deacons (diaconate) – to teach, sanctify, and govern the faithful in the person of Christ the Head.

Gen 14:18-20 Melchizedek, who offers a sacrifice of bread and wine on behalf of Abraham.

Ps 110:4 “Like Melchizedek you are a priest forever”.

CCC 1539 “Within the people of Israel, God chose one of the twelve tribes, that of Levi, and set it apart for liturgical service…”

Hebrews 5:1 “Every high priest is taken from among men and made their representative before God, to offer gifts and sacrifices”

Hebrews 7:15 “It is even more obvious if another priest is raised up after the likeness of Melchizedek”

CCC 1547 Just as the whole of Israel was a priestly people, so is the whole Church a priestly people. The Church speaks about two priesthoods: the “priesthood of all the faithful” and the “priesthood of the ordained.” The common priesthood is exercised by the unfolding of baptismal grace

CCC 1547 The ordained priesthood is at the service of the common priesthood and is the means by which Christ builds up and leads his Church

CCC 1549 While every Christian by reason of baptism, represents Christ and acts in the person of Christ, only the ordained priest represents Christ as head of his Church―teaching, shepherding and sanctifying God’s people

Lk 10:16, Jesus says, “Whoever listens to you, listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me and rejects the one who sent me.”

1Tim 3:1-3, Paul outlines the qualifications needed for bishops and deacons

CCC 1554  By the end of the first century, three roles or “offices” of leadership and service came to be recognized in local Christian communities: the bishops, presbyters, and deacons

1Tim 3:1, Paul speaks about the office of bishop being a worthy way to serve God’s people. 1

2Tim 1:6, he speaks about the laying on of hands.

Titus 1:5, Paul directs his collaborator Titus to ordain priests to assist the Church in Crete.

CCC 1555-1561, USC p. 265 Bishops.  Church teachings speak of the bishop as having the “fullness of the priesthood.”

CCC 1565-1568, USC p. 266. Priests – coworkers of the bishops

CCC 1569-1571, USC p. 266. Permanent deacons

Conditions required to receive Holy Orders

  1. Candidates should be male baptized catholic
    1. Candidate must be in the state of grace.
    1. He must have the prescribed age and learning
    1. Must have the intention of devoting his life to the sacred ministry (free from coercion)
    1. Must be called to the Holy Orders by his bishop or proper ecclesiastical superior.

CCC 1584 Holy Orders, like the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation, confers an indelible spiritual character (often called a “seal”) on the soul of the recipient. Since it is ultimately Christ who acts in the sacraments through the ordained minister, the sinfulness or unworthiness of the ordained person does not prevent Christ from giving us his graces in the sacraments. St. Augustine writes: “The spiritual power of the sacraments is indeed comparable to light: those to be enlightened receive it in its purity, and if it should pass through defiled beings, it is not itself defiled”.

Discussion Questions

  1. What is your personal experience with the Sacrament of Holy Orders?
  • Have you ever gone to the ordination of a bishop?  How many bishops attended?

Have you ever gone to the ordination of a priest or deacon?  Share your experience.

  • Melchizedek is often mentioned when discussing the priesthood.  What do you know about him?
  • Through the Ordination Rite, the bishop becomes a successor to the original Apostles and takes on all the responsibilities Christ entrusted to them.  What are the main duties of a bishop?  Compare the duties of a priest, a deacon and our duties as a Christian.
  • Comment on tonight’s talk and the reference quotes.  
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