Chapter 5: Ministerial priesthood is a vocation

Jesus supports his followers personally through the ordained priesthood.

He appointed twelve Apostles (from the Greek apostolos meaning
one who is sent). He gave them the special spiritual gifts and
responsibilities they needed to lead their fellow Christians. As the
Apostles exercised their responsibilities and spiritual gifts, it would be
Jesus who was leading his Church through them. Jesus taught his
followers whenever the Apostles exercised the special spiritual gifts he
gave them as they went about their work of teaching in his name.
Examples of specific spiritual gifts given to the Apostles by Jesus
included the powers to:
preach and protect the accurate teaching of the Gospel (Matt 28:20)
baptise, making people new members of the Church (Acts 2:41 and
Matt 28:19)
exercise authority within the Church for its good order (Matt 16:18;
18:18)
confirm baptised believers so that they would receive the spiritual
power or strength of the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:17)
celebrate the Eucharist, fulfilling the command of Jesus: Do this in
remembrance of me (Luke 22:19)
forgive sins through the Sacrament of Penance (John 20:23)
anoint the sick (Mark 6:13; James 5:1415).

Jesus Christ is our High Priest who

unites earth with Heaven, 1993 (oil
on panel)
by Wang, Elizabeth
(Contemporary Artist)

Jesus instituted the Sacrament of Holy Orders

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 - it is the sacrament of apostolic ministry. It includes three
degrees or grades: bishop, priest, and deacon.
Bishop:
Today those who have inherited the spiritual gifts and responsibilities that Jesus first gave the Apostles, are
called bishops. The Church restricts the term Apostle, as in the twelve Apostles, to those who had actually
seen the Risen Jesus. The spiritual gifts and responsibilities bishops receive, through which Jesus
personally leads the Church, have been passed down the generations over the past two thousand years.
This is called the apostolic succession.
Jesus appointed Peter the head of the Apostles. Jesus gave him the name Peter (meaning rock),
changing it from Simon, to make it clear to his first followers that Peters role was to serve as the rock upon
which his Church was founded (Matthew 16:18). Today, the successor to Peter is called the Pope. The
Pope continues to fulfil his responsibilities as Bishop of Rome. As the line of bishops stretches back over
the past two thousand years to the Apostles, so the line of Popes stretches back to Peter, the first of the
Popes.
Priest:
Special ministers were ordained to serve the spiritual needs of the people in each new Christian community.
These leaders, who became known as priests, serve their communities by:
being with others in a personal, loving way that gave witness to Jesus presence
leading the believing community
celebrating Christs presence in the sacraments
celebrating the Eucharistic sacrifice of the Mass
preaching the word of God.
At some stage in their life every person is faced with the question What is the meaning and purpose of my
life? Some may feel called to be a priest or deacon. People called to the vocations of priest or deacon find
happiness, fulfilment and other spiritual rewards from Christ by performing the work these vocations
involve.

Deacon:
Deacon comes from the Greek word diakonia meaning service. Deacons are called to serve the Church
through a ministry of liturgy, word and charity. They do this by assisting a bishop or priest with his
responsibility of teaching, sanctifying and governing the Church. They can assist with sacramental
celebrations by:
assisting a priest or bishop as he celebrates the Eucharist
preaching the word of God
administering Baptism
blessing marriages
administering Viaticum to the dying
presiding at funerals
leading community prayer gatherings.
Bishops and priests govern by serving the Church community for which they are responsible. The deacons
role is particularly concerned with works of charity. Married men may be ordained as permanent deacons.

The call to follow God is personal

There are several Gospel stories of Jesus calling his Apostles personally to join in his work (Matt 4:1822;
Mark 1:1620; Luke 5:111; John 1:3542). In this way, they discovered through Jesus, the answer
assumed to the question: What is the meaning and purpose of my life? God also called Old Testament
leaders personally. The activities or work their calling involved only became clearer as their lives went on.
Abraham Yahweh said to Abram, Leave your country, your kindred and your fathers house for a country
which I shall show you; and I shall make you a great nation, I shall bless you and make your name famous;
you are to be a blessing! (Genesis 12:12)

Samuel Now, the boy Samuel was serving Yahweh in the presence of Eli; in those days it was rare for
Yahweh to speak;
visions were uncommon. One day, it happened that Eli was lying down in his room.
His eyes were beginning to grow dim; he could no longer see. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and
Samuel was lying in Yahwehs sanctuary, where the ark of God was, when Yahweh called, Samuel! Samuel!
He answered, Here I am, and, running to Eli, he said, Here I am, as you called me. Eli said, I did not call.
Go back and lie down. So he went and lay down. And again Yahweh called, Samuel! Samuel! He got up and
went to Eli and said, Here I am, as you called me. He replied, I did not call, my son; go back and lie down.
As yet, Samuel had no knowledge of Yahweh and the word of Yahweh had not yet been revealed to him.
Again Yahweh called, the third time. He got up and went to Eli and said, Here I am, as you called me. Eli
then understood that Yahweh was calling the child, and he said to Samuel, Go and lie down and, if someone
calls say, Speak, Yahweh; for your servant is listening. So Samuel went and lay down in his place. Yahweh
then came and stood by, calling as he had done before, Samuel! Samuel! Samuel answered, Speak,
Yahweh; for your servant is listening. (1 Samuel 3:110)

Jeremiah The word of Yahweh came to me, saying: Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before
you came to birth I consecrated you; I appointed you as prophet to the nations. I then said, Ah, ah, ah, Lord
Yahweh; you see, I do not know how to speak: I am only a child! But Yahweh replied, Do not say, I am only
a child. for you must go to all to whom I send you and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of
confronting them, for I am with you to rescue you, Yahweh declare. (Jeremiah 1:48)

As the baptised person grows, the Holy Spirit stirs thoughts and feelings that point to a
call for some to become a priest or deacon. To recognise the Spirits action, it is
necessary to pray daily, receive Holy Communion, draw on the gifts the Sacrament of
Confirmation which all relate to providing guidance, and grow in understanding of the
teachings of Jesus. Young men today may be called to a vocation to the ordained
ministry, but if they fail to recognise the Spirits action they may never recognise their
calling so may never find their true vocations.

The priestly vocation is a call to serve

In his role as a priest, Father Joe finds that dealing with peoples
grief
takes considerable energy and is one of the most
important aspects
of his role of a priest. (Read his
story on pgs 71-72 of the Come Follow Me book)

Priests serve those around them by teaching the gospel, sanctifying believers and guiding the community.

The priestly vocation is a call to celibate love

Those called to the priesthood are called by Jesus to be available to respond to the needs of all people at
all times by living a life of celibate love. The call to celibate love is not for everyone, but there have always
been those people whom Jesus called to love in this special way.
Many people today do not understand celibate love. This leaves them with the idea that it is self-denial of
marriage and a family. For a priest to think of celibacy simply as self-denial would not be sufficient to live
this calling. Just as a couple who are getting married are not thinking about giving up all the other people
they might have married, those responding to celibate love are not thinking in terms of giving up anything.
Like married love, as celibate love grows stronger, the priest is able to resist temptations to be unfaithful to
his calling.

JOURNAL ACTIVITIES:
1) REFLECTION
In your journal, reflect on the following questions:
What have I learned about ordained ministers (priests, deacons and bishops) that is new to me?
Do I have a clearer understanding of the priests commitment to celibate love , the nature of their
work and their vocation?
What do I find most interesting, encouraging and/or challenging in what I have learned?
What has this learning taught me about myself? Am I attracted to explore and understand this
vocation
further? Do I see the need to take more seriously the process of discerning my own vocation?
2) Activity #8
Jesus gave these Apostles his special spiritual gifts and responsibilities so that through them he could
continue to support his followers. What examples of Jesus supporting his followers today, through the
special spiritual gifts and responsibilities that have been handed on to Bishops, priest
and deacons can you describe?

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3) Activity #9
Find out more about your diocesan Bishop by developing a profile of who he is and how he continues to
use the spiritual gifts and responsibilities Jesus first gave the Apostles. You can choose to present your
profile in any interesting and creative format. Some interesting facts you might include in your profile are:
where he was born
where he went to school and studied for the priesthood
information regarding his ordination as priest and bishop
his interests
how he lives out his role as bishop supporting all followers of Jesus in his diocese and the wider Church
what he sees as the role of the Church into the future

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