1533
Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist are sacraments of Christian initiation.
They ground the common vocation of all Christ's disciples, a vocation to
holiness and to the mission of evangelizing the world. They confer the graces
needed for the life according to the Spirit during this life as pilgrims on the
march towards the homeland.
1534
Two other sacraments, Holy Orders and Matrimony, are directed towards the
salvation of others; if they contribute as well to personal salvation, it is
through service to others that they do so. They confer a particular mission in
the Church and serve to build up the People of God.
1535
Through these sacraments those already consecrated by Baptism and Confirmation 1 (Cf. LG 10. ) for the common priesthood of all the faithful can receive particular
consecrations. Those who receive the sacrament of Holy Orders are consecrated
in Christ's name "to feed the Church by the word and grace of God."2 (LG 11 # 2. ) On their part, "Christian spouses are fortified and, as it were,
consecrated for the duties and dignity of their state by a special
sacrament."3
ARTICLE 6 THE
SACRAMENT OF HOLY ORDERS
1536
Holy Orders is the sacrament through which the mission entrusted by Christ to
his apostles continue 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.
(On
the institution and mission of the apostolic ministry by Christ, see above, no.
874 ff. Here only the sacramental means by which this ministry is handed on
will be treated.)
I.
Why Is This Sacrament Called "Orders"?
1537
The word order in Roman antiquity designated an established civil body,
especially a governing body. Ordinatio means incorporation into an ordo. In the
Church there are established bodies which Tradition, not without a basis in
Sacred Scripture,4 ( Cf. ⇒ Heb 5:6; ⇒ 7:11; ⇒ Ps 110:4. ) has since ancient times called taxeis (Greek) or ordines.
and so the liturgy speaks of the ordo episcoporum, the ordo presbyterium, the
ordo diaconorum. Other groups also receive this name of ordo: catechumens,
virgins, spouses, widows,...
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. Today the word "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 (Cf. LG 10. ) which can come only from Christ himself through his Church. 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.
II.
The Sacrament of Holy Orders in the Economy of Salvation
The
priesthood of the Old Covenant
1539
The chosen people was constituted by God as "a kingdom of priests and a
holy nation."6 ( Ex 19:6; cf. ⇒ Isa 61:6.) But within the people of Israel, God chose one of the
twelve tribes, that of Levi, and set it apart for liturgical service; God
himself is its inheritance.7 (Cf. ⇒ Num 1:48-53; ⇒ Josh 13:33. ) A special rite consecrated the beginnings of the
priesthood of the Old Covenant. the priests are "appointed to act on
behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for
sins."8 (Heb 5:1; cf. ⇒ Ex 29:1-30; ⇒ Lev 8.)
1540
Instituted to proclaim the Word of God and to restore communion with God by
sacrifices and prayer,9 ( Cf. ⇒Mal 2:7-9. ) this priesthood nevertheless remains powerless to bring
about salvation, needing to repeat its sacrifices ceaselessly and being unable
to achieve a definitive sanctification, which only the sacrifice of Christ
would accomplish.10 (Cf. ⇒ Heb 5:3; ⇒ 7:27; 101-4. )
1541
The liturgy of the Church, however, sees in the priesthood of Aaron and the
service of the Levites, as in the institution of the seventy elders,11 (Cf. ⇒ Num 11:24-25.) a
prefiguring of the ordained ministry of the New Covenant. Thus in the Latin
Rite the Church prays in the consecratory preface of the ordination of bishops:
God
the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, by
your gracious word you
have established the plan of your Church.
From
the beginning, you
chose the descendants of Abraham to be your holy nation.
You
established rulers and priests and
did not leave your sanctuary without ministers to serve you....12 (Roman Pontifical, Ordination of Bishops 26, Prayer of Consecration.)
1542
At the ordination of priests, the Church prays:
Lord,
holy Father,... .when
you had appointed high priests to rule your people, you
chose other men next to them in rank and dignity to
be with them and to help them in their task.... you
extended the spirit of Moses to seventy wise men...You
shared among the sons of Aaron the
fullness of their father's power.13 (Roman Pontifical, Ordination of Priests 22, Prayer of Consecration.)
1543
In the consecratory prayer for ordination of deacons, the Church confesses:
Almighty
God . . ..
You
make the Church, Christ's body, grow
to its full stature as a new and greater temple.
You
enrich it with every kind of grace and
perfect it with a diversity of members to
serve the whole body in a wonderful pattern of unity.
You
established a threefold ministry of worship and service, for
the glory of your name.
As
ministers of your tabernacle you chose the sons of Levi and
gave them your blessing as their everlasting inheritance.14 (Roman Pontifical, Ordination of Deacons 21, Prayer of Consecration.)
The
one priesthood of Christ
1544
Everything that the priesthood of the Old Covenant prefigured finds its
fulfillment in Christ Jesus, the "one mediator between God and
men."15 ( 2 Tim 2:5. ) The Christian tradition considers Melchizedek, "priest of God
Most High," as a prefiguration of the priesthood of Christ, the unique
"high priest after the order of Melchizedek";16 (Heb 5:10; cf. ⇒ 6:20; ⇒ Gen 14:18. ) "holy,
blameless, unstained,"17 (Heb 7:26. ) "by a single offering he has perfected for
all time those who are sanctified,"18 (Heb 10:14. ) that is, by the unique sacrifice of
the cross.
1545
The redemptive sacrifice of Christ is unique, accomplished once for all; yet it
is made present in the Eucharistic sacrifice of the Church. the same is true of
the one priesthood of Christ; it is made present through the ministerial
priesthood without diminishing the uniqueness of Christ's priesthood:
"Only Christ is the true priest, the others being only his
ministers."19
Two
participations in the one priesthood of Christ
1546
Christ, high priest and unique mediator, has made of the Church "a
kingdom, priests for his God and Father."20 ( Rev 1:6; cf. ⇒ Rev 5:9-10; ⇒ 1 Pet 2:5, 9.) The whole community of
believers is, as such, priestly. the faithful exercise their baptismal
priesthood through their participation, each according to his own vocation, in
Christ's mission as priest, prophet, and king. Through the sacraments of Baptism
and Confirmation, the faithful are "consecrated to be . . . a holy
priesthood."21
1547
The ministerial or hierarchical priesthood of bishops and priests, and the
common priesthood of all the faithful participate, "each in its own proper
way, in the one priesthood of Christ." While being "ordered one to
another," they differ essentially.22 (LG 10 # 2. ) In what sense? While the common
priesthood of the faithful is exercised by the unfolding of baptismal grace - a
life of faith, hope, and charity, a life according to the Spirit - , the
ministerial priesthood is at the service of the common priesthood. It is
directed at the unfolding of the baptismal grace of all Christians. the
ministerial priesthood is a means by which Christ unceasingly builds up and
leads his Church. For this reason it is transmitted by its own sacrament, the
sacrament of Holy Orders.
In
the person of Christ the Head . . .
1548
In the ecclesial service of the ordained minister, it is Christ himself who is
present to his Church as Head of his Body, Shepherd of his flock, high priest
of the redemptive sacrifice, Teacher of Truth. This is what the Church means by
saying that the priest, by virtue of the sacrament of Holy Orders, acts in
persona Christi Capitis:23
It
is the same priest, Christ Jesus, whose sacred person his minister truly
represents. Now the minister, by reason of the sacerdotal consecration which he
has received, is truly made like to the high priest and possesses the authority
to act in the power and place of the person of Christ himself (virtute ac
persona ipsius Christi).24
Christ is the source of all priesthood: the priest of the old law was a figure of Christ, and the priest of the new law acts in the person of Christ.25
1549
Through the ordained ministry, especially that of bishops and priests, the
presence of Christ as head of the Church is made visible in the midst of the
community of believers.26 (Cf. LG 21.) In the beautiful expression of St. Ignatius of
Antioch, the bishop is typos tou Patros: he is like the living image of God the
Father.27 (St. Ignatius of Antioch, Ad Trall. 3, 1: SCh 10, 96; cf. Ad Magn. 6, 1:SCh 10, 82-84. )
1550
This presence of Christ in the minister is not to be understood as if the
latter were preserved from all human weaknesses, the spirit of domination,
error, even sin. the power of the Holy Spirit does not guarantee all acts of
ministers in the same way. While this guarantee extends to the sacraments, so
that even the minister's sin cannot impede the fruit of grace, in many other
acts the minister leaves human traces that are not always signs of fidelity to
the Gospel and consequently can harm the apostolic fruitfulness of the Church.
1551
This priesthood is ministerial. "That office . . . which the Lord
committed to the pastors of his people, is in the strict sense of the term a
service."28 (LG 24. ) It is entirely related to Christ and to men. It depends
entirely on Christ and on his unique priesthood; it has been instituted for the
good of men and the communion of the Church. the sacrament of Holy Orders
communicates a "sacred power" which is none other than that of Christ.
the exercise of this authority must therefore be measured against the model of
Christ, who by love made himself the least and the servant of all.29 (Cf. ⇒ Mk 10 43-45; ⇒ 1 Pet 5:3. ) "The
Lord said clearly that concern for his flock was proof of love for him."30 (St. John Chrysostom, De sac. 2, 4: PG 48, 636; cf. ⇒ Jn 21:15-17. )
.
. . "in the name of the whole Church"
1552
The ministerial priesthood has the task not only of representing Christ - Head
of the Church - before the assembly of the faithful, but also of acting in the
name of the whole Church when presenting to God the prayer of the Church, and
above all when offering the Eucharistic sacrifice.31
1553
"In the name of the whole Church" does not mean that priests are the
delegates of the community. the prayer and offering of the Church are
inseparable from the prayer and offering of Christ, her head; it is always the
case that Christ worships in and through his Church. the whole Church, the Body
of Christ, prays and offers herself "through him, with him, in him,"
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, to God the Father. the whole Body, caput et
membra, prays and offers itself, and therefore those who in the Body are
especially his ministers are called ministers not only of Christ but also of
the Church. It is because the ministerial priesthood represents Christ that it
can represent the Church.
III.
The Three Degrees of the Sacrament of Holy Orders
1554
"The divinely instituted ecclesiastical ministry is exercised in different
degrees by those who even from ancient times have been called bishops, priests,
and deacons."32 ( LG 28. ) Catholic doctrine, expressed in the liturgy, the
Magisterium, and the constant practice of the Church, recognizes that there are
two degrees of ministerial participation in the priesthood of Christ: the
episcopacy and the presbyterate. the diaconate is intended to help and serve them.
For this reason, the term sacerdos in current usage denotes bishops and priests
but not deacons. Yet Catholic doctrine teaches that the degrees of priestly
participation (episcopate and presbyterate) and the degree of service
(diaconate) are all three conferred by a sacramental act called
"ordination," that is, by the sacrament of Holy Orders:
Let
everyone revere the deacons as Jesus Christ, the bishop as the image of the
Father, and the presbyters as the senate of God and the assembly of the
apostles. For without them one cannot speak of the Church.33
Episcopal
ordination - the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders
1555
"Amongst those various offices which have been exercised in the Church
from the earliest times the chief place, according to the witness of tradition,
is held by the function of those who, through their appointment to the dignity
and responsibility of bishop, and in virtue consequently of the unbroken
succession going back to the beginning, are regarded as transmitters of the
apostolic line."34
1556
To fulfil their exalted mission, "the apostles were endowed by Christ with
a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit coming upon them, and by the imposition
of hands they passed on to their auxiliaries the gift of the Spirit, which is
transmitted down to our day through episcopal consecration."35
1557
The Second Vatican Council "teaches . . . that the fullness of the
sacrament of Holy Orders is conferred by episcopal consecration, that fullness
namely which, both in the liturgical tradition of the Church and the language
of the Fathers of the Church, is called the high priesthood, the acme (summa)
of the sacred ministry."36
1558
"Episcopal consecration confers, together with the office of sanctifying,
also the offices of teaching and ruling.... In fact ... by the imposition of
hands and through the words of the consecration, the grace of the Holy Spirit
is given, and a sacred character is impressed in such wise that bishops, in an
eminent and visible manner, take the place of Christ himself, teacher,
shepherd, and priest, and act as his representative (in Eius persona
agant)."37 (LG 21. ) "By virtue, therefore, of the Holy Spirit who has been
given to them, bishops have been constituted true and authentic teachers of the
faith and have been made pontiffs and pastors."38
1559
"One is constituted a member of the episcopal body in virtue of the
sacramental consecration and by the hierarchical communion with the head and
members of the college."39 (LG 22. ) The character and collegial nature of the
episcopal order are evidenced among other ways by the Church's ancient practice
which calls for several bishops to participate in the consecration of a new
bishop.40 (Cf. LG 22. ) In our day, the lawful ordination of a bishop requires a special
intervention of the Bishop of Rome, because he is the supreme visible bond of
the communion of the particular Churches in the one Church and the guarantor of
their freedom.
1560
As Christ's vicar, each bishop has the pastoral care of the particular Church
entrusted to him, but at the same time he bears collegially with all his
brothers in the episcopacy the solicitude for all the Churches: "Though
each bishop is the lawful pastor only of the portion of the flock entrusted to
his care, as a legitimate successor of the apostles he is, by divine
institution and precept, responsible with the other bishops for the apostolic
mission of the Church."41
1561
The above considerations explain why the Eucharist celebrated by the bishop has
a quite special significance as an expression of the Church gathered around the
altar, with the one who represents Christ, the Good Shepherd and Head of his
Church, presiding.42
The
ordination of priests - co-workers of the bishops
1562
"Christ, whom the Father hallowed and sent into the world, has, through
his apostles, made their successors, the bishops namely, sharers in his
consecration and mission; and these, in their turn, duly entrusted in varying
degrees various members of the Church with the office of their
ministry."43 ( LG 28; cf. ⇒ Jn 10:36. ) "The function of the bishops' ministry was handed over
in a subordinate degree to priests so that they might be appointed in the order
of the priesthood and be co-workers of the episcapal order for the proper
fulfillment of the apostolic mission that had been entrusted to it by
Christ."44
1563
"Because it is joined with the episcopal order the office of priests
shares in the authority by which Christ himself builds up and sanctifies and
rules his Body. Hence the priesthood of priests, while presupposing the
sacraments of initiation, is nevertheless conferred by its own particular
sacrament. Through that sacrament, priests by the anointing of the Holy Spirit
are signed with a special character and so are configured to Christ the priest
in such a way that they are able to act in the person of Christ the
head."45
1564
"Whilst not having the supreme degree of the pontifical office, and
notwithstanding the fact that they depend on the bishops in the exercise of
their own proper power, the priests are for all that associated with them by
reason of their sacerdotal dignity; and in virtue of the sacrament of Holy
Orders, after the image of Christ, the supreme and eternal priest, they are
consecrated in order to preach the Gospel and shepherd the faithful as well as
to celebrate divine worship as true priests of the New Testament."46
1565
Through the sacrament of Holy Orders, priests share in the universal dimensions
of the mission that Christ entrusted to the apostles. the spiritual gift they
have received in ordination prepares them, not for a limited and restricted
mission, "but for the fullest, in fact, the universal mission of salvation
'to the end of the earth,"'47 (PO 10; OT 20; cf. ⇒ Acts 1:8. ) "prepared in spirit to preach the
Gospel everywhere."48
1566
"It is in the Eucharistic cult or in the Eucharistic assembly of the
faithful (synaxis) that they exercise in a supreme degree their sacred office;
there, acting in the person of Christ and proclaiming his mystery, they unite
the votive offerings of the faithful to the sacrifice of Christ their head, and
in the sacrifice of the Mass, they make present again and apply, until the
coming of the Lord, the unique sacrifice of the New Testament, that namely of
Christ offered himself once for all a spotless Victim to the Father."49 (LG 28; cf. ⇒ 1 Cor 11:26. ) From this unique sacrifice, their whole priestly ministry draws its strength.50
1567
"The priests, prudent cooperators of the episcopal college and its support
and instrument, called to the service of the People of God, constitute,
together with their bishop, a unique sacerdotal college (presbyterium)
dedicated, it is, true to a variety of distinct duties. In each local assembly
of the faithful they represent, in a certain sense, the bishop, with whom they
are associated in all trust and generosity; in part, they take upon themselves
his duties and solicitude and n their daily toils discharge them."51 (LG 28 # 2. ) priests can exercise their ministry only in dependence on the bishop and in
communion with him. the promise of obedience they make to the bishop at the
moment of ordination and the kiss of peace from him at the end of the
ordination liturgy mean that the bishop considers them his co-workers, his
sons, his brothers and his friends, and that they in return owe him love and
obedience.
1568
"All priests, who are constituted in the order of priesthood by the
sacrament of Order, are bound together by an intimate sacramental brotherhood,
but in a special way, they form one priestly body in the diocese to which they
are attached under their own bishop. . ;"52 ( PO 8.)The unity of the presbyterium
finds liturgical expression in the custom of the presbyters' imposing hands,
after the bishop, during the Ate of ordination.
The
ordination of deacons - "in order to serve"
1569
"At a lower level of the hierarchy are to be found deacons, who receive
the imposition of hands 'not unto the priesthood, but unto the
ministry."'53 (LG 29; cf. CD 15. ) At an ordination to the diaconate only the bishop lays hands
on the candidate, thus signifying the deacon's special attachment to the bishop
in the tasks of his "diakonia."54 (Cf. St. Hippolytus, Trad. ap. 8: SCh 11, 58-62. )
1570
Deacons share in Christ's mission and grace in a special way.55 (Cf. LG 41; AA 16. ) The sacrament
of Holy Orders marks them with an imprint (“character") which cannot be
removed and which configures them to Christ, who made himself the
"deacon" or servant of all.56 ( Cf. ⇒ Mk 10:45; ⇒ Lk 22:27; St. Polycarp, Ad Phil. 5, 2: SCh 10, 182.) Among other tasks, it is the task of
deacons to assist the bishop and priests in the celebration of the divine
mysteries, above all the Eucharist, in the distribution of Holy Communion, in
assisting at and blessing marriages, in the proclamation of the Gospel and
preaching, in presiding over funerals, and in dedicating themselves to the
various ministries of charity.57
1571
Since the Second Vatican Council the Latin Church has restored the diaconate
"as a proper and permanent rank of the hierarchy,"58 (LG 29 # 2. ) while the
Churches of the East had always maintained it. This permanent diaconate, which
can be conferred on married men, constitutes an important enrichment for the
Church's mission. Indeed it is appropriate and useful that men who carry out a
truly diaconal ministry in the Church, whether in its liturgical and pastoral
life or whether in its social and charitable works, should "be
strengthened by the imposition of hands which has come down from the apostles.
They would be more closely bound to the altar and their ministry would be made
more fruitful through the sacramental grace of the diaconate."59 (AG 16 # 6. )
IV.
The Celebration of This Sacrament
1572
Given the importance that the ordination of a bishop, a priest, or a deacon has
for the life of the particular Church, its celebration calls for as many of the
faithful as possible to take part. It should take place preferably on Sunday,
in the cathedral, with solemnity appropriate to the occasion. All three
ordinations, of the bishop, of the pRiest, and of the deacon, follow the same
movement. Their proper place is within the Eucharistic liturgy.
1573
The essential rite of the sacrament of Holy Orders for all three degrees
consists in the bishop's imposition of hands on the head of the ordinand and in
the bishop's specific consecratory prayer asking God for the outpouring of the
Holy Spirit and his gifts proper to the ministry to which the candidate is
being ordained.60
1574
As in all the sacraments, additional rites surround the celebration. Varying
greatly among the different liturgical traditions, these rites have in common
the expression of the multiple aspects of sacramental grace. Thus in the Latin
Church, the initial rites - presentation and election of the ordinand,
instruction by the bishop, the examination of the candidate, litany of the saints -
attest that the choice of the candidate is made in keeping with the practice of
the Church and prepare for the solemn act of consecration, after which several
rites symbolically express and complete the mystery accomplished: for bishop
and priest, an anointing with holy chrism, a sign of the special anointing of
the Holy Spirit who makes their ministry fruitful; giving the book of the
Gospels, the ring, the miter, and the crosier to the bishop as the sign of his
apostolic mission to proclaim the Word of God, of his fidelity to the Church,
the bride of Christ, and his office as shepherd of the Lord's flock;
presentation to the priest of the paten and chalice, "the offering of the
holy people" which he is called to present to God; giving the book of the
Gospels to the deacon who has just received the mission to proclaim the Gospel
of Christ.
V.
Who Can Confer This Sacrament?
1575
Christ himself chose the apostles and gave them a share in his mission and
authority. Raised to the Father's right hand, he has not forsaken his flock but
he keeps it under his constant protection through the apostles and guides it
still through these same pastors who continue his work today.61 ( Cf. Roman Missal, Preface of the Apostles I.) Thus, it is
Christ whose gift it is that some be apostles, others pastors. He continues to
act through the bishops.62
1576
Since the sacrament of Holy Orders is the sacrament of the apostolic ministry,
it is for the bishops as the successors of the apostles to hand on the
"gift of the Spirit, "63 (LG 21 # 2. ) The "apostolic line."64 (LG 20. ) Validly
ordained bishops, i.e., those who are in the line of apostolic succession,
validly confer the three degrees of the sacrament of Holy Orders.65 (Cf. DS 794 and Cf. DS 802; ⇒ CIC, can. 1012; CCEO, can. 744; 747. )
VI.
Who Can Receive This Sacrament?
1577
"Only a baptized man (vir) validly receives sacred ordination."66 (CIC, can. 1024. ) The
Lord Jesus chose men (viri) to form the college of the twelve apostles, and the
apostles did the same when they chose collaborators to succeed them in their
ministry.67 (Cf. ⇒ Mk 3:14-19; ⇒ Lk 6:12-16; ⇒ 1 Tim 3:1-13; ⇒ 2 Tim 1:6; ⇒ Titus 1:5-9; St. Clement of Rome, Ad Cor. 42, 4; 44, 3: PG 1, 292-293; 300. ) The college of bishops, with whom the priests are united in the
priesthood, makes the college of the twelve an ever-present and ever-active
reality until Christ's return. the Church recognizes herself to be bound by
this choice made by the Lord himself. For this reason, the ordination of women
is not possible.68
1578
No one has a right to receive the sacrament of Holy Orders. Indeed no one
claims this office for himself; he is called to it by God.69 ( Cf. ⇒ Heb 5:4.) Anyone who thinks
he recognizes the signs of God's call to the ordained ministry must humbly
submit his desire to the authority of the Church, who has the responsibility
and right to call someone to receive orders. Like every grace, this sacrament
can be received only as an unmerited gift.
1579
All the ordained ministers of the Latin Church, with the exception of permanent
deacons are normally chosen from among men of faith who live a celibate life
and who intend to remain celibate "for the sake of the kingdom of
heaven."70 (Mt 19:12. ) Called to consecrate themselves with undivided heart to the
Lord and to "the affairs of the Lord,"71 (1 Cor 7:32. ) they give themselves
entirely to God and to men. Celibacy is a sign of this new life to the service
of which the Church's minister is consecrated; accepted with a joyous heart
celibacy radiantly proclaims the Reign of God.72
1580
In the Eastern Churches, a different discipline has been in force for many
centuries: while bishops are chosen solely from among celibates, married men
can be ordained as deacons and priests. This practice has long been considered
legitimate; these priests exercise a fruitful ministry within their
communities.73 ( Cf. PO 16.) Moreover, priestly celibacy is held in great honor in the
Eastern Churches and many priests have freely chosen it for the sake of the
Kingdom of God. In the East as in the West a man who has already received the
sacrament of Holy Orders can no longer marry.
VII.
The Effects of the Sacrament of Holy Orders
The
indelible character
1581
This sacrament configures the recipient to Christ by a special grace of the
Holy Spirit, so that he may serve as Christ's instrument for his Church. By
ordination one is enabled to act as a representative of Christ, Head of the
Church, in his triple office of priest, prophet, and king.
1582
As in the case of Baptism and Confirmation this share in Christ's office is
granted once for all. the sacrament of Holy Orders, like the other two, confers
an indelible spiritual character and cannot be repeated or conferred temporarily.74
1583
It is true that someone validly ordained can, for a just reason, be discharged
from the obligations and functions linked to ordination, or can be forbidden to
exercise them; but he cannot become a layman again in the strict sense,75 ( Cf. ⇒ CIC, cann. 290-293; ⇒ 1336 # 1 3, ⇒ 5, ⇒ 1338 # 2; Council of Trent DS 1774.) because
the character imprinted by ordination is forever. the vocation and mission
received on the day of his ordination mark him permanently.
1584
Since it is ultimately Christ who acts and effects salvation through the
ordained minister, the unworthiness of the latter does not prevent Christ from
acting.76 (Cf. Council of Trent DS 1612; DS 1154. ) St. Augustine states this forcefully:
As
for the proud minister, he is to be ranked with the devil. Christ's gift is not
thereby profaned: what flows through him keeps its purity, and what passes
through him remains dear and reaches the fertile earth.... the spiritual power
of the sacrament 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.77
The
grace of the Holy Spirit
1585
The grace of the Holy Spirit proper to this sacrament is configuration to
Christ as Priest, Teacher, and Pastor, of whom the ordained is made a minister.
1586
For the bishop, this is, first of all, a grace of strength (“the governing
spirit": Prayer of Episcopal Consecration in the Latin rite):78 (Cf. Roman Pontifical, Ordination of Bishops 26, Prayer of Consecration; cf. CD 13; 16. ) The grace
to guide and defend his Church with strength and prudence as a father and
pastor, with gratuitous love for all and preferential love for the poor, the
sick, and the needy. This grace impels him to proclaim the Gospel to all, to be
the model for his flock, to go before it on the way of sanctification by
identifying himself in the Eucharist with Christ the priest and victim, not
fearing to give his life for his sheep:
Father,
you know all hearts.
You
have chosen your servant for the office of bishop.
May
he be a shepherd to your holy flock,
and
a high priest blameless in your sight,
ministering
to you night and day;
may
he always gain the blessing of your favor
and
offer the gifts of your holy Church.
Through
the Spirit who gives the grace of high priesthood grant him the power
to
forgive sins as you have commanded
to
assign ministries as you have decreed
and
to loose from every bond by the authority which you
gave
to your apostles. May he be pleasing to you by his gentleness and purity of
heart,
presenting
a fragrant offering to you,
through
Jesus Christ, your Son....79
1587
The spiritual gift conferred by presbyteral ordination is expressed by this
prayer of the Byzantine Rite. the bishop, while laying on his hand, says among
other things:
Lord,
fill with the gift of the Holy Spirit
him
whom you have deigned to raise to the rank of the priesthood,
that
he may be worthy to stand without reproach before your altar
to
proclaim the Gospel of your kingdom,
to
fulfill the ministry of your word of truth,
to
offer you spiritual gifts and sacrifices,
to
renew your people by the bath of rebirth;
so
that he may go out to meet our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, your only
Son,
on
the day of his second coming,
and
may receive from your vast goodness
the
recompense for a faithful administration of his order.80
1588
With regard to deacons, "strengthened by sacramental grace they are
dedicated to the People of God, in conjunction with the bishop and his body of
priests, in the service (diakonia) of the liturgy, of the Gospel, and of works
of charity."81
1589
Before the grandeur of the priestly grace and office, the holy doctors felt an
urgent call to conversion in order to conform their whole lives to him whose
sacrament had made them ministers. Thus St. Gregory of Nazianzus, as a very
young priest, exclaimed:
We
must begin by purifying ourselves before purifying others; we must be
instructed to be able to instruct, become light to illuminate, draw close to
God to bring him close to others, be sanctified to sanctify, lead by the hand
and counsel prudently. I know whose ministers we are, where we find ourselves
and to where we strive. I know God's greatness and man's weakness, but also his
potential. [Who then is the priest? He is] the defender of truth, who stands
with angels, gives glory with archangels, causes sacrifices to rise to the
altar on high shares Christ's priesthood refashions creation, restores it in
God's image, recreates it for the world on high and, even greater, is divinized
and divinizes.82
IN
BRIEF
1590
St. Paul said to his disciple Timothy: "I remind you to rekindle the gift
of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands" (⇒ 2Tim 1:6), and
"If anyone aspires to the office of a bishop, he desires a noble
task." (⇒
1 Tim 3:1) To Titus he said: "This is why I left you in Crete, that you
amend what was defective, and appoint presbyters in every town, as I directed
you" (⇒
Titus 1:5).
1591
The whole Church is a priestly people. Through Baptism all the faithful share
in the priesthood of Christ. This participation is called the "common
priesthood of the faithful." Based on this common priesthood and ordered
to its service, there exists another participation in the mission of Christ:
the ministry conferred by the sacrament of Holy Orders, where the task is to
serve in the name and in the person of Christ the Head in the midst of the
community.
1592
The ministerial priesthood differs in essence from the common priesthood of the
faithful because it confers a sacred power for the service of the faithful. the
ordained ministers exercise their service for the People of God by teaching
(munus docendi), divine worship (munus liturgicum) and pastoral governance
(munus regendi).
1593
Since the beginning, the ordained ministry has been conferred and exercised in
three degrees: that of bishops, that of presbyters, and that of deacons. the
ministries conferred by ordination are irreplaceable for the organic structure
of the Church: without the bishop, presbyters, and deacons, one cannot speak of
the Church (cf St. Ignatius of Antioch, Ad Trall. 3,1).
1594
The bishop receives the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders, which
integrates him into the episcopal college and makes him the visible head of the
particular Church entrusted to him. As successors of the apostles and members
of the college, the bishops share in the apostolic responsibility and mission
of the whole Church under the authority of the Pope, successor of St. Peter.
1595
Priests are united with the bishops in sacerdotal dignity and at the same time
depend on them in the exercise of their pastoral functions; they are called to
be the bishops' prudent co-workers. They form around their bishop the
presbyterium which bears responsibility with him for the particular Church.
They receive from the bishop the charge of a parish community or a determinate
ecclesial office.
1596
Deacons are ministers ordained for tasks of service of the Church; they do not
receive the ministerial priesthood, but ordination confers on them important
functions in the ministry of the word, divine worship, pastoral governance, and
the service of charity, tasks which they must carry out under the pastoral
authority of their bishop.
1597
The sacrament of Holy Orders is conferred by the laying on of hands followed by
a solemn prayer of consecration asking God to grant the ordinand the graces of
the Holy Spirit required for his ministry. Ordination imprints an indelible sacramental
character.
1598
The Church confers the sacrament of Holy Orders only on baptized men (viri),
whose suitability for the exercise of the ministry has been duly recognized.
Church authority alone has the responsibility and right to call someone to
receive the sacrament of Holy Orders.
1599
In the Latin Church the sacrament of Holy Orders for the presbyterate is
normally conferred only on candidates who are ready to embrace celibacy freely
and who publicly manifest their intention of staying celibate for the love of
God's kingdom and the service of men.
1600
It is bishops who confer the sacrament of Holy Orders in the three degrees.
GO TO:
CHAPTER THREE THE SACRAMENTS AT THE SERVICE OF COMMUNION
CHAPTER TWO THE SACRAMENTS OF HEALING
PART TWO: THE CELEBRATION OF THE CHRISTIAN MYSTERY
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