Part IV.

The Sacraments at the Service of Communion

PART IV: THE SACRAMENTS AT THE SERVICE OF COMMUNION

I. INTRODUCTION

Any person who wishes to a particular way of life—that which best

suits his or her own interests and aspirations—always encounters a certain
feeling of uncertainty inasmuch as nobody really knows what is in the
future. There are specific moments in our life that we need extra care and
discernment whether to pursue a particular path of life.

Christians have that fundamental vocation to a life of holiness and to

the mission of evangelizing the world. Such a vocation finds its roots in the
Sacraments of Christian Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist.
They confer the graces needed for the life according to the Spirit of God. 1
Thus, for every initiated Christian, life’s meaning is living a life according to
God’s designs. Happiness and fulfillment are attained once there is
coherence in one’s way of living to his or her sublime calling. The aim of life
now is not according to one’s own selfish motives but of one’s own genuine
love for God and of the people he or she encounters.

The married life appears to be a common and attractive vocation for

the normal person. To have a stable job, earn a modest pay, and plan for a
family of two or three children seem to be ideal. There are also persons
called to a single life, without an intimate someone to share each other’s
sentiments, riches, sufferings, and love for a lifetime. But there are also
those who are called to a special way of life, which is the priesthood, one
that entails total dedication of one’s life to the Lord. All this is part of the
mysterious reality that we are in—human life.

In any case, Mother Church holds two special vocations, sanctified

through the sacraments, since in them She continues to grow and have its
purpose. These two—Holy Orders and Matrimony—are directed towards the
salvation of others. They confer a particular mission in the Church and
serve to build up the People of God.”2

II. THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY ORDERS

“Taken from among men…appointed for men in the things pertaining to God.” Hebrews
5:1

“But now Christ has come, as the high priest of all the blessings which were to come…and
he has entered the sanctuary once and for all, taking with him not the blood of goats and
bull calves, but his own blood, having won an eternal redemption for us.” Heb 9: 11-12

1
Cf. CCC 1533.
2
Cf. CCC 1534.

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Part IV. The Sacraments at the Service of Communion

“And we have the supreme high priest over all the house of God. So as we go in, let us be
sincere in heart and filled with faith, our minds sprinkled and free from any trace of bad
conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” Heb 10: 21-23

A. Priesthood in the Jewish Tradition

The Catholic tradition of having priests and bishops celebrate the

important Christian Liturgical celebrations today is rooted in the ancient
Jewish tradition, especially when the great Jewish temple was built.3 Of the
twelve tribes that composed Israel, one was specially chosen by God and
was set apart for liturgical services only: the tribe of Levi. There was also a
special rite that consecrated the priests of the Old Testament. For the Jews,
the priest is given the office of the minister of sacrifice (Lv. 21), and the
chosen speakers of the words of faith (Ex.24; Deut.27). Sacrifice was done
by them on behalf of all of Israel’s inhabitants. Moreover, they proclaimed
the Word of God and were instrumental in the restoration of communion of
Israelites with God by sacrifices and prayer. Such was the relevance of the
Jewish priest in the Israelite community of old.
However, all that was anticipated in the Old Covenant now finds its
completion in Jesus Christ, who is the only “mediator between God and
men.” When Jesus Christ came, the Jewish tradition now became obsolete
and introduced a new covenant, thus founding the Church. To all the
Catholic faithful, Jesus Christ is the ultimate model of priesthood. Although
the old Jewish priesthood is no longer being followed, there are still vestiges
found in the Catholic priesthood.4

B. Jesus Christ: the ultimate Priest

In the book of Genesis, the mythical Melchizedek appears only once

throughout the Sacred Scriptures. Christian tradition considers this
mysterious Melchizedek as the prefiguration of Jesus’ priesthood. The letter
to the Hebrews teaches us that Jesus the “high priest after the order of
Melchizedek” (Heb 5:10).
Jesus, like Melchizedek, had only a single sacrificial offering—His
death on the cross. This particularly unique sacrifice is considered the only
“perfected for all time those who are sanctified” (Heb 10:14). The Old
Testament priesthood is now abolished to give way to the new and
definitive priest—Jesus, the true high priest. Jesus, once and for all, restored
the communion with God.

C. Etymology

The English word bishop is derived from the Greek original episkopos
(ε π ι σ κ ο π ο ς ) which means “watcher, overseer” from epi (over) +
3
This dates back to the time of King Solomon, c. 1000 B.C.E.; see 1 Kings 6:1 ff.
4
Cf. CCC 1539, 1540.

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Part IV. The Sacraments at the Service of Communion

skopos (watcher). The term priest or presbyter is derived from the Greek
term presbyteros ( π ρ ε σ β υ τ ε ρ ο ς ), which literally means “elder”.
Finally, the term deacon comes from the Greek word diakonos
(δ ι α κ ο ν ο ς ), which means “servant”.

D. Nature

The Church says: “through the ordained ministry, especially that of

bishops and priests, the25presence of Christ as head of the Church is made
visible in the midst of the community of believers.”5 Holy Orders is the
sacrament in which is conferred the spiritual power to administer the
sacraments and to discharge properly other spiritual duties. It imprints a
character and establishes in the one receiving it a rank of spiritual
leadership.
There are three types of holy orders: (a) Diaconate, (b) Priesthood,
and (c) Episcopate. Vatican II speaks of these as the exercise of the divinely
instituted ministry “in different degrees by those who even from ancient
times have been called bishops, priests and deacons.”6 They are conferred
by the imposition of hands and the prayer of consecration which the
Liturgical books prescribe for each degree.7

E. The Three Degrees of the Sacrament of Holy Orders

i. Bishop: Episcopal Ordination

Jesus Christ clearly commissioned his disciples to baptize all peoples

and to teach them all that He has taught them. In other words, these
disciples were now sent for a divine mission, which is destined until the end
of the World (Mt 28:20). They were tasked to preach the good news, Jesus
Chris. Hence, they have to be careful in appointing their successors. It must
be according to their proper and enlightened discernment. The successors
to Jesus’ Apostles are properly called the bishops.

1.) Fullness of the Priesthood

The fullness of the Sacrament of Holy Orders is conferred by
Episcopal consecration—or when one becomes a bishop. Each Bishop is
given the power to govern a number of priests and lay people in a local
Church. In the Philippine context, every diocese8 has a ruling bishop or, in
canonical terminology, local ordinary. The bishop is the legitimate
successor of the apostles of Jesus Christ. Hence, the role of the bishops in
the entire Church, especially in her mission to evangelize the world and her
vocation to lave a holy life, is indispensably significant. They are the

5
Cf. CCC 1549.
6
Cf. LG 28, in Flannery, Vatican Council II, 384.
7
Cf. Can. 1009.
8
e.g. Manila, Paranaque, Cebu, etc.

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Part IV. The Sacraments at the Service of Communion

“teachers of doctrine, ministers of sacred worship and holders of office in

government.”9

2.) Pre-eminence of Archbishops

According to Church traditions, the most eminent dioceses were
regarded with special reverence and were called ‘metropolitan sees’ or
archdiocese. Their leaders are called archbishops or patriarchs. They had a
certain degree of authority over the other bishops in their general area. By
the middle of the 5th century, there were five most important dioceses:
Rome, Alexandria, Antioch, Constantinople, and Jerusalem. At present,
there are now a good number of Archdioceses all over the world. Every
Christian locality has an archdiocese in which the start of Catholic religion
spread throughout its neighboring areas, and thus they may properly be
called ‘mother dioceses’.

3.) The Pope: Christ’s vicar and Peter’s successor

The bishop of the Archdiocese of Rome is, at the same time, the head
of all bishops. He is called the Roman Pontiff, or the Pope. The role of the
Bishop of Rome, or simply the Pope, can be traced back when Jesus Christ
entrusted the ‘keys of heaven’ to His disciple Peter, the Rock (Mt 16:18). It
was first elaborated by Pope Leo the Great, 5th century, who mentioned that
the pope was heir and successor to Peter. Peter enjoyed the merit in
recognizing the true reality of Christ, who in turn, conferred the primacy
upon him. The papacy was seen as a monarchic institution, where the sum
total of powers was in the hands of the Pope. Ordinary bishops or patriarchs
did not participate in the papal plenitude of power.
Other than being the head of all bishops, he is considered the Vicar of
Christ, the pastor of the entire Church, and has full, supreme and universal
power over the whole Church, which he can always exercise without
restraint.10 The bishops, united as one body or college, has authority only
inasmuch as they are united with the Pope who, like Peter, is their head.
The Pope enjoys infallibility when he teaches doctrines of faith and morals.
This infallibility means, by virtue of his exercise his office as supreme pastor
and teacher of all the faithful, he does not commit any substantial error
when preaching about Church doctrines because the Holy Spirit faithfully
guides him. In all his proclamations of truths of faith and morals, he does
need any form of approval or scrutiny insofar as the Holy Spirit
unswervingly assures their conformity to the revealed truths found in
Sacred Scriptures and in the Church’s Traditions.

ii. Priest: Presbyteral or Priestly ordination11

The priests are both co-workers and assistants of the bishops. In

recent times, the apostolic mission entrusted by Jesus Christ to his Apostles
cannot be fulfilled by the bishops alone—mainly because there are just too
9
Cf. LG 20, in Flannery, Vatican Council II, 372.
10
Cf. LG 22, in Flannery, Vatican Council II, 374.
11
Cf. Presbyterorum Ordinis, in Flannery, Vatican Council II, 863 – 902.

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Part IV. The Sacraments at the Service of Communion

many of Christ’s faithful who need leaders and good shepherds who can
lead them to the right path of life. Hence, in a subordinate degree, the
function of the bishops’ ministry was hander over to the priests. Once an
able person is ordained as a priest by a bishop, he now has that special
character so that he can now act in the person of Christ (in Persona Christi).

1.) Task of the priest

The main task of the priest, together with the bishop, is the
“procuring of the glory of God the Father in Christ.”12 The priest can only
obtain God’s glory by evangelizing all persons and make them believe in
Jesus Christ as the Son of God who is our Redeemer. It is therefore an
impetus for every Catholic priest to devote their lives to “prayer, adoration,
or preach the Word, or offer the Eucharistic sacrifice and administer the
other sacraments, or exercise other services for the benefit of men.”13

2.) Diocesan and Religious

A priest can either be diocesan or religious. In terms of their
immediate superiors, the former is directly under the authority of a bishop,
while the latter a Provincial superior inasmuch as he must always belong to
a certain province or territory. Each is also under the Supreme Pontiff who
is the official pastor and caretaker of all the baptized Catholics.14 Each
diocesan priest takes al oath of obedience of to his bishop and promises the
ecclesiastical discipline of perfect continence and celibacy. A religious
priest, on the other hand, has vows on chastity, poverty, and obedience
according to the evangelical counsels. He also takes into serious
consideration his congregation’s laws or ordinances, which is often called
constitutions.
For practical reason, one can easily distinguish a diocesan from a religious
priest by simply looking at how they write their full name. For example: (a)
Diocesan: Fr. Carlo Dela Cruz, (b) Religious: Fr. John Mercado, SDB. From
this given example, Fr. Dela Cruz does not have any initials because he is
diocesan. Fr. Mercado, on the other hand, has the additional initials SDB,
which signifies that he belongs to a certain religious institute.

3.) Total obedience to the immediate superior

In the case of a diocesan priest, he must always be associated with
and obedient to his bishop. The priest can only exercise his ministry in full
communion with his appropriate bishop and must be dependent upon him.
Once the bishop ordains the priest, the latter will now promise full
obedience, trust and confidence to his immediate superior and must
therefore be ready to work at the service of the bishop.
A religious priest, by virtue of the vow of obedience, is directly under
his Provincial superior, who in turn is answerable to the General superior. If
a religious priest belongs to an institute that requires him to stay in a
community, then he is answerable both to the Rector of his community, and
12
Cf. PO 2, in Flannery, Vatican Council II, 866.
13
Cf. PO 2, in Flannery, Vatican Council II, 866.
14
See above

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Part IV. The Sacraments at the Service of Communion

to the Provincial superior. The Rector is the main animator of any given
religious community. Therefore, any priest under his care is directly under
his care. However, in the wider scope of animation, it is the Provincial
superior who takes care of every priest under his province or territory.

4.) Ordination and consecration

Only a bishop can ordain a male person suitable to become a priest.
Priests are set apart in some way from the people of God and must be
consecrated to certain tasks proper to their identity as priests of Christ.
Priests are conformed to things that are not of the world (Rom 12:2) but
spiritual things. They do live among people, but they do live according to
the standards of the people in the world. In fact, they are to be witnesses of
Christ and must counter the pervading ‘evil’ culture that might exist in their
particular contexts. Hence, they are obliged to cultivate certain virtues that
can equip them such that they can be treated in high esteem, that is, well-
respected especially as they do their best to spread Jesus Christ to the
world. These virtues can be the following: goodness of heart, sincerity,
strength and constancy of mind, careful attention to justice, courtesy and
many others.

iii. Deacon: Diaconal ordination

The deacons are, in some way, in a level lower than that of priests as
far as the Church hierarchy is concerned. They are directly under the
authority of the bishops and his body of priests especially “in the service of
the liturgy, of the Gospel and of works of charity.”15 This means they are
allowed only to administer some of the sacraments. In summary, they do
only the following tasks, provided they are assigned by the competent
authority, in accordance to those mentioned in by Vatican II:

• administer • instruct and

Baptism exhort the people
• distribute the • preside over the
Eucharist worship and the prayer of
• assist at and bless the faithful
marriages • administer
• bring Viaticum to sacramentals
the dying • officiate at funeral
• read the sacred and burial services
scripture to the faithful

F. Varying levels of power to administer the Sacraments

We have already encountered that the bishop possesses the fullness

of priesthood. The priests are the co-workers of the bishops but definitely
do not possess yet the full power of the priesthood. The deacons belong to
15
Cf. LG 29, in Flannery, Vatican Council II, 387.

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Part IV. The Sacraments at the Service of Communion

a level that is certainly lower than both bishops and priests in the Church
2nd LEVEL:
Only Five
1ST LEVEL: Sacraments:
Baptism only - Baptism
- Eucharist
- Penance
- Anointing
of the Sick 3rd LEVEL:
PRIEST - Matrimony All Seven
Sacraments:
- Baptism
DEACON - Confirmation
- Eucharist
- Penance
- Anointing of
BISHOP the Sick
- Holy Orders
- Matrimony

hierarchy. The power to celebrate the sacraments is dependent upon the

level of ordination or Holy Order of the minister. Hence, we need to have in
mind that in administering the sacraments, those in the lowest level (1 st
Level) cannot fulfill what those in the higher levels (2nd and 3rd Levels) can
do. Here is a practical illustration for a better understanding:

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Part IV. The Sacraments at the Service of Communion

G. Preliminary Considerations Before Ordination16

This part includes the main considerations before the diaconal,

priestly, or Episcopal ordinations. It is important to take note of these
requisites or qualifications; otherwise the ordination might be rightfully
revoked.

i. Sacraments of Christian Initiation and Mature Faith

Before anyone can be ordained to any of the holy orders, it is of

utmost importance that the male person must have received already all the
sacraments of Christian Initiation.17 Aside from securing the Christian
upbringing and education of the candidate to the Holy Orders, it is
understood that must be mature already when it comes to defending his
faith and upholding his dignity and identity as a Christian. This is definitely
a necessary quality since he will become a future minister of the Word of
God, the good news of Salvation, mainly the name of Jesus Christ. This is
also to ensure that he is truly part of the Catholic Church and is ready to
live and die as a member of this Church, which is founded by Jesus Christ.

ii. Necessary Human Qualities

Among the most important considerations before imparting the

permanent sacramental seal of the Holy Orders are the human qualities
that the candidates possess.

1.) Absolute freedom, full knowledge, right

intention

All candidates must receive the holy orders with absolute freedom
and full knowledge, and right intention. Otherwise, the conferment of the
sacrament is invalid. Understandably, anyone who is ignorant or erroneous
of certain facts about what he is doing or receiving cannot be fully
responsible of his action. Knowing that holy orders are neither simple nor
ordinary presupposes the absence of error or ignorance on the part of the
candidates. They should be fully aware that priesthood is a lifetime
commitment. Once the ordination takes place, there is never a turning back
to the former life as a lay person. This means, one is aware of the
16
Cf. Can. 375–380, 1024–1039.
17
See above, chapter II.

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Part IV. The Sacraments at the Service of Communion

implications of priesthood in his life—continence and celibacy, apostolate,

life or prayer, perfect commitment with the Lord, obedience to his direct
superior, etc. Moreover, they cannot be given to anyone who is merely
deceived or who is coerced by any external factor. The holy orders
absolutely cannot be given to those who are motivated by any selfish or evil
intent.

2.) Good moral character

Logic tells us that any person who is not living according to the civil or
Church precepts, or according to his own conscience, cannot possibly fulfill
the duty of leading the people of God, or the Church, towards a holy
Christian life—in other words, salvation. Hence, it is important that any
candidate must enjoy a good reputation, predisposed at upholding the
moral dignity of persons, and should possess virtues appropriate for a
minister of Jesus Christ. There must no irregularities in his relationships with
his fellow human persons; these might impede his ordination.

3.) Sound Attributes

Taking into account the great responsibility of the deacons, priests
and Bishops, any candidate should have a sound physical, intellectual,
emotional or psychological make-up such that they are able to fulfill without
enormous trouble the ministries that may be assigned to them in the future.
He does not necessary have to be a highly gifted individual in all human
aspects—physical attributes, eccentric musician, genius mind, etc. As long
as he is physically, emotionally, intellectually, and psychology able to
perform any given task of a Church minister then he may possibly be
admitted to the order.

iii. Appropriate Preparation

Candidates to the holy orders must be prepared well by competent

authorities or formators. One of the main objectives is to train them for
their future ministry, which is not so simple at all in that the salvation of
souls is at stake. Therefore any deacon, priest or bishop must truly be
careful in his ministerial duties. If ill-equipped, he might prove to be
detrimental to those who are supposed to receive the fruits of his pastoral
duties like administering the sacraments, rendering a homily, edifying the
laity by his examples and others. In other words, becoming a deacon or
priest is not a joke. It entails genuine vocation, motivation, studies,
sacrifice, pastoral skills and many other aspects to lead the people of God
towards holiness of life and, ultimately, to God.

iv. Age Of Ordination

One can be ordained a deacon if he has already completed his

twenty-third (23rd) year of age.18 In the case of the priesthood, one can only

18
That is, 23 years and 1 day old.

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Part IV. The Sacraments at the Service of Communion

be ordained if he has completed his twenty-fifth (25th) year of age19 and at

six (6) months as an ordained deacon. In an Episcopal ordination, the
candidate must be at least 35 years old, and ordained as a priest for at
least five (5) years.

v. Educational Attainment

A candidate’s educational attainment determines his capability to

accomplish his ministry appropriately and competently. For the diaconal
ordination, one needs to have at least two (2) years of philosophical studies
and three (3) years of theology. For a priest to be ordained a bishop, he
must be well versed in the fields of Sacred Scripture, Theology, Canon Law,
or other institutes approved by the Apostolic See.

H. Challenges of Modern-day Priesthood

19
That is, 25 years and 1 day old.

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Part IV. The Sacraments at the Service of Communion

There has never been a more challenging era for the proclamation of God’s
Word than in the recent times. For more than two millennia, the Catholic
Church, ever since Christ founded it, has stood tall and strong. However,
inasmuch as it is an institution that relies not on facts but on faith as the
framework where we scientifically study20 about God and the truths about
our religion, there have been so many developments, both in quantity and
quality. Quantity here means the number of Catholics, which has
dramatically increased from a simple community of twelve disciples to more
than a billion believers. Growth in quality pertains to the deepening of our
understanding of God through faith.

There has been a gradual development in the Church leading to the present
time after the liberation of the Church from persecutions. Part of this is the
emergence of ecumenical councils, which were vital to many decision-
makings, formulations of certain universal Church doctrines, and many
other religious purposes. The first of these councils is the First Council of
Nicaea, which was convoked in the year 325 by Emperor Constantine. The
last one is the Second Vatican Council, which was convoked in 25 January
1959 by Pope John XXIII. There were varying circumstances surrounding the
different ecumenical councils. Each of them was convoked for a specific
purpose in respect to the present context. Knowing these distinctions can
help us understand that, indeed, the Church is part of history that slowly
unfolds itself in time. This is a heritage which makes us appreciate more the
value of our being part of the entire picture, i.e. of the history-in-the-making
within the context of our Church.
However, the flight of human inquiry seemed to get too high every
second towards the twentieth century. This ultimately brought a deluge of
anxiety, disbelief, apostasy, doubt, and confusion. Different ideals appeared
to create more havoc. Such extreme ideals were Atheism, or disbelief in the
existence of the Divine, and Rationalism, or the exaltation of the human
reason. These dangerous ideals fundamentally disregarded faith and
religiosity and has crept into the realm of Christian life. Liberalism was also
very much part of this It would be a great relief if Christians would have a
solid foundation of its faith vis-à-vis these novel ideas. Renewal, synthesis,
and upgrading of our Christian doctrines, as well as unity among the
dividing Churches were essential in creating a formidable shield against
these perils. Not only revolutionary ideals came to fore but also some
extreme socio-economic factors. Among these were unarguably the two
deadliest wars the world has ever known: the First and Second World Wars.
Primarily catapulted by the prodigious growth of technology when it comes
to warfare, these world wars were the costliest and had the most number of
casualties. The First World War was followed by the second only few
decades after.

Another relevant aspect to consider is the rapid adherence to the

sciences and technology. The advancement of empirical human knowledge
Cf. Rene Latourelle and Rino Fishichella, editors, Dictionary of Fundamental
20

Theology (1994), English-language edition, s.v. “Theology”

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Part IV. The Sacraments at the Service of Communion

is part of the great achievements in the latter centuries. Empirical

knowledge has never been that important since these discoveries and
inventions were done. Knowledge acquired only by experimentation and
introspection is very vital for those who devote themselves in the sciences.
Hence, the tendency of Rationalizing things in all perspectives was
becoming popular. With regard to Church matters, human beings began to
question the doctrines and dogmas more intensely than ever. Some
manipulated the power of human reasoning and made it a very strong
weapon against Christian faith. A rationalist can simply ask, “Why do I need
God when I have Science to explain the world to me?”

With the advent of such rational and technological advancements,

certain difficulties and doubt in terms of faith, vocation and identity are
inevitable. These are serious possibilities that must be countered by the
present day priest. And so, how will he live up to these colossal demands?
The answer can be a radical renewal on the part of the Church. The Second
Vatican Council has already started this revitalization. It is now up to the
Church’s priests to re-echo such views of rejuvenation with the right
attitude and Christian faith—one that is fundamentally rooted in Jesus
Christ. Otherwise, the world will truly devour them. Indeed, the real
challenge is out there for every priest, deacon or bishop to face, and listen
to St. Paul’s timeless words:
“…let us be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and
love and the helmet that is hope for salvation… Pray
without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this
is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench
the Spirit. Do not despise prophetic utterances. Test
everything; retain what is good. Refrain from every kind
of evil.”
1 Thessalonians 5: 8, 17-22

34