Holy orders – page 1 of 4

 

With the Help of God

description of ordination ceremony

 

“Most who attend a Roman Catholic ordination ceremony are usually impressed by two moments: the Litany of the Saints, when those to be ordained prostrate themselves while the congregation prays for them, and the Laying on of Hands by the bishops and priests.

 

During these moments those being ordained are essentially passive—letting the grace of God do its work over, for, around, and through them. This, however, is essentially what the priests are called to be: conduits of the grace of God. In his remarks to the ordinands after the Gospel, the bishop usually emphasizes the service of the people of God, the preaching of the Gospel, the sustenance of the people of God, and the celebration of the Eucharist.

 

The bishop explains to everybody the tasks that these men will assume, and then he asks the ordinands:

 

“Are you resolved to consecrate your life to God for the salvation of his people and to unite yourself more closely every day to Christ the High Priest, who offered himself for us to the Father as a perfect sacrifice?

 

Their answer is “I am, with the help of God.”

 

Above quoted  from COMPANY magazine, summer 2008 and authored by Fr. Richard Vande Velde, S.J.

 

Some inspiration and advice for the ordained priest

 

v From St. Peter: “Tend the flock of God in your midst, overseeing not by constraint but willingly, as God would have it, not for shameful profit but eagerly. Do not lord it over those assigned to you, but be examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd is revealed, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.” I Pet. 5, 2-4

 

v From Jesus: “I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. . . I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd. Jn10, 11, 14-16

 

v From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:  “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 (bishop), presbyterate (priest), and diaconate.”

 

v “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.”

 

v “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 the responsibility with him for the particular Church. They receive from the bishop the charge of a parish community or a determinate ecclesial office.”

 

v Prayer from the ordination in the Byzantine rite: “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.”                                                                        

                                                   

Quotations and materials taken from Catechism of the Catholic Church, pp 383, 397-399

 

Imagine you are now on a four hour drive to your favorite vacation place.

 

The road takes you through some interesting scenery that reminds you of the journey of your priesthood. You turn off the car radio and imagine the Lord as your passenger. You talk to Him as you drive along. Some of the above quotations have touched your heart. You wonder what are the best qualities for a pastor to minister to his people. You start talking this over with your passenger.

 

It strikes you that a compassionate heart is best suited for the life of a shepherd tending the parish flock. You ask Jesus how this is to be done. What advice would He give you? Drive slowly and give your passenger time to share His view of priesthood with you.

 

“Are you ready to consecrate your life to God?” “I am, with the help of God.”

Everyone is asking where you go for your vacation. What do priests do for relaxing, resting, renewing one’s whole being? Do you go with other priests or family members or former college classmates?

Do you prefer to be alone? Do you take in sport activities, culture events, travel to new places every day?

 

Below were some places people thought you probably ended up at after hearing you say you were about to go on vacation:

Many put you on a golf course – just about every day.

Some put you on an island knowing your desire for privacy and quiet for reading.

Some figured you went away

 to watch your favorite sport.

Some thought your fondness for the Pope took you to Rome for a personal chat.

Some were sure you sent to Fatima not only out of your devotion to Mary but also because you were in search of some sort of healing.

 

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