Bishops & Priests

Details: 27 May 2011

Blessed John Paul

Blessed John Paul II, even before the time of his pontificate, contributed in important ways to the teaching of the Church’s Magisterium in matters pertaining to the priesthood. He was a significant player in bringing into being the Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests of the Second Vatican Council, ("Presbyterorum Ordinis"), participating in that Council as a Bishop and later as Cardinal Karol Woytila. In that role he also was involved in producing the 1971 document on the priesthood of the International Synod of Bishops. Then, as Pope he convened another such International Synod on the priesthood in 1990, and followed this with his Apostolic Exhortation, "I Will Give You Shepherds" ("Pastores Dabo Vobis"), and he later also arranged for the issuance of the "Directory on the Ministry and Life of Priests" in 1994. In addition, on every Holy Thursday during his pontificate (the day when the institution of Holy Orders is especially remembered), he wrote an open letter to all the priests of the world treating the theme of the priesthood itself.

He wrote, "The priesthood is a vocation. ‘No man can take this honor to himself, but only he can take it who is called by God as Aaron was’ (Hebrews 5:4). The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews puts it very clearly when he affirms that the divine vocation to the priesthood does not only concern the ancient Jewish priests of the Old Testament, but first and foremost it concerns Christ Himself, the Son Who is consubstantial with the Father, made a Priest (Mediator between God and men - 1 Timothy 2:5) according to the order of Melchizedek. Jesus is the one Priest forever of the New and Eternal Covenant (Hebrews 4:14). In the divine Son’s vocation to the priesthood a dimension of the Trinitarian mystery is expressed. The Letter to the Hebrews says that a priest is taken from among men and made their representative before God to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins (Hebrews 5:1). This is the best definition of the priest’s identity. Every Catholic priest, according to the gifts bestowed upon him by the Creator, can serve God in various ways and, with his priestly ministry, can reach various sectors of humanity, bringing men and women closer to God. However, as a priest, sharing in the one priesthood of Jesus Christ, he remains and must remain always a man chosen from among others by God and made their representative before Him to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins."

He goes on to say, "The Catholic priesthood is a gift and a mystery. It is the nerve center of the Church’s whole life and mission. It is what makes the Holy Eucharist valid, possible, and real. Blessed John Paul’s successor in the See of Peter, Pope Benedict XVI, says, "The priest, for the Church and in the Church, is a humble but real sign of the one eternal High Priest, Who is Jesus. The priest must proclaim His word, authoritatively renew His acts of pardon and offering, and exercise loving concern in the service of His flock, ever in communion with the Bishops and faithfully docile to the Church’s Magisterium (Teaching Authority)."

No Democratizing

Cardinal Julian Herranz Casado, writing as the President of the Pontifical Council for the Correct Interpretation of Texts, said, "In emphasizing the divine institution of the ministerial priesthood, the accent falls on the divine calling of the priest. He is not, therefore, a delegate of the community before God nor a functionary or employee of the people before God. He is a man chosen by God from among men in order to realize the mystery of salvation in the name of Christ. The notion of a divine vocation is essential to oppose certain overly democratizing notions present and unfortunately influential in some Church circles. These can arise only from a very defective view of the very nature of the Catholic Church. Thankfully, the majority of the faithful have a clear awareness of the distinction between the priests and the laity by reason of the Sacrament of Holy Orders. They do not pose problems with regard to the hierarchical nature of the Church because they well know that Christ willed it so." The Holy See’s Directory for the Ministry and Life of Priests condemns what it called "functionalism, which is an erroneous mentality that reduces the ministerial priesthood to its strictly functional aspects. To merely play the role of a priest, carrying out a few services and ensuring completion of various tasks would make up the entire priestly existence in that view. Such a reductive conception of the identity of the priest risks pushing priests’ lives toward an emptiness which could only be filled by lifestyles not consonant with their very ministry."

Cardinal Herranz remarks, "Although chosen by God to perform priestly functions under official auspices in the name of Christ, priests, according to the Tradition of the Catholic Church and the teaching of the Second Vatican Council, are something much more than mere holders of public office and men who do some sacred exercise in the service of the community of the faithful. The priesthood is essentially and above all a configuration, a mysterious and sacramental transformation of the person, the priest-man, into the Person of Christ Himself, the only Mediator. The conciliar image of the priest is that of a man configured ontologically to Christ, the Head and Shepherd of the Church, in order to perform a specific mission."

First & Foremost

It has been noted that there is what might seem at first glance to be a sort of contradiction in the teaching of the Second Vatican Council about the primary duty of priests. However, the apparent contradiction is only illusory and is basically paradoxical. On the one hand, preaching is primary. The Council says, "The People of God find unity first of all through the word of the living God which is quite properly sought through the lips of priests. Since no one can be saved who has not first believed, ( 1 Timothy 1:9 & 4:11-13; Hebrews 11:6), priests, as co-workers with their Bishops, have as their primary duty the proclamation of the Gospel to all."

On the other hand, the Council tells us that offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is first and foremost among the duties and privileges of ordained priests. However, the Council itself gives us the resolution of the paradox: "The Holy Eucharist shows Itself to be the Source and Summit of the whole work of preaching the Gospel." Although the Council notes that the ministry of preaching the word of God is carried out by priests "in many ways according to the various needs of who hear and the special gifts of those who preach", nevertheless, the preaching that is done in the first part of the Mass, the Liturgy of the Word, has a very special quasi- sacramental aspect and leads inseparably to the proclamation of the death and resurrection of the Lord in the Liturgy of the Eucharist, which is the heart of the sacred liturgy and thus the apex and fountain of all the Church’s work and activity.

The Second Vatican Council notes, "God, Who alone is holy and bestows holiness, willed to raise up for Himself as companions and helpers, men who would humbly dedicate themselves to the work of sanctification. Hence, through the ministry of the Bishops, God consecrates priests so that they can share by a special title in the priesthood of Christ. Thus, in performing sacred functions they can act as ministers of Him Who in the liturgy continually exercises His priestly office to bring about the action of His Holy Spirit."