The catechism, in CCC 1546, tells us that we are all participants in the one priesthood of Christ. All of us are ambassadors of Christ. The universal call to holiness is a corollary of this priesthood. The presbytery in the New Testament is not called a priesthood. The presbytery is for those who are already priests prior to Holy Orders. We are all priests of the order of Melchizedek. Views that were prevalent prior to Vatican II die hard.
May God bless you! There are two types of priesthood: the universal priesthood by which we participate through Baptism and the ordained priesthood by which men receive the authority to administer the sacraments. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains this difference in paragraph 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. 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.”
Thus, the universal or common priesthood of the faithful is different in its very essence from the ordained priesthood. Without the Sacrament of Holy Orders, members of the faithful—even if they have been baptized—cannot consecrate bread and wine into Christ’s Body and Blood or forgive sins. We can forgive others insofar as we will their good (that is, love them with a true Christ-like charity) and do not harbor resentment despite their wronging us. However, we cannot sacramentally remit sins in the souls of other members of the Church Militant, which is reserved only for those ordained to the ministerial priesthood.
The distinction between the ordained/ministerial priesthood and the universal priesthood is an intrinsic part of our Catholic Faith. Vatican II was not a rupture with the preceding 1900 years of our Roman Catholic heritage but rather a pastoral study of the best ways to bring the Faith to the modern world, as Pope St. John XXIII explicitly stated. In the words of Pope Benedict XVI, “What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too, and it cannot be all of a sudden entirely forbidden or even considered harmful” (Summorum pontificum). Dogmas and beliefs firmly held by the Church throughout her first two millennia of existence cannot be dismissed, as the Holy Spirit preserves the Church from error. What the Church has believed for millennia cannot be changed, for it is part of the deposit of faith that the Church is divinely ordered to pass down to every generation, as Pope St. John Paul II emphasized (Fidei depositum).
Holy Orders is the sacrament for building up and leading in the Church. Those who are under Holy Orders also need the unfolding of baptismal grace for a life of faith, hope, and charity, a life according to the Spirit. Without personal faith, there is no grace for anyone. The sacraments presuppose faith; and faith for grace can be there before sacraments are administered (cf. Acts 10:44-48). I think that the Holy Orders functions are part of the sacrament itself rather than a separate priesthood. I see no need to view the one priesthood of Christ in two or many parts. The New Testament speaks of only one priesthood for all believers.
The catechism, in CCC 1546, tells us that we are all participants in the one priesthood of Christ. All of us are ambassadors of Christ. The universal call to holiness is a corollary of this priesthood. The presbytery in the New Testament is not called a priesthood. The presbytery is for those who are already priests prior to Holy Orders. We are all priests of the order of Melchizedek. Views that were prevalent prior to Vatican II die hard.
May God bless you! There are two types of priesthood: the universal priesthood by which we participate through Baptism and the ordained priesthood by which men receive the authority to administer the sacraments. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains this difference in paragraph 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. 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.”
Thus, the universal or common priesthood of the faithful is different in its very essence from the ordained priesthood. Without the Sacrament of Holy Orders, members of the faithful—even if they have been baptized—cannot consecrate bread and wine into Christ’s Body and Blood or forgive sins. We can forgive others insofar as we will their good (that is, love them with a true Christ-like charity) and do not harbor resentment despite their wronging us. However, we cannot sacramentally remit sins in the souls of other members of the Church Militant, which is reserved only for those ordained to the ministerial priesthood.
The distinction between the ordained/ministerial priesthood and the universal priesthood is an intrinsic part of our Catholic Faith. Vatican II was not a rupture with the preceding 1900 years of our Roman Catholic heritage but rather a pastoral study of the best ways to bring the Faith to the modern world, as Pope St. John XXIII explicitly stated. In the words of Pope Benedict XVI, “What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too, and it cannot be all of a sudden entirely forbidden or even considered harmful” (Summorum pontificum). Dogmas and beliefs firmly held by the Church throughout her first two millennia of existence cannot be dismissed, as the Holy Spirit preserves the Church from error. What the Church has believed for millennia cannot be changed, for it is part of the deposit of faith that the Church is divinely ordered to pass down to every generation, as Pope St. John Paul II emphasized (Fidei depositum).
Holy Orders is the sacrament for building up and leading in the Church. Those who are under Holy Orders also need the unfolding of baptismal grace for a life of faith, hope, and charity, a life according to the Spirit. Without personal faith, there is no grace for anyone. The sacraments presuppose faith; and faith for grace can be there before sacraments are administered (cf. Acts 10:44-48). I think that the Holy Orders functions are part of the sacrament itself rather than a separate priesthood. I see no need to view the one priesthood of Christ in two or many parts. The New Testament speaks of only one priesthood for all believers.