The Sacrament of Holy Orders: God’s gift to inspire and sanctify us

“Holy Orders is the sacrament through which the mission entrusted by Christ to the apostles continues to be exercised in the Church until the end of time…” (CCC 1536).

This definition from the Catechism of the Catholic Church should fill us with wonder and awe. We realize that Jesus did not intend that his ministry for the salvation and sanctification of souls should end with his Ascension into heaven. He surely could have distributed heavenly graces without enlisting ministers and mediators, but he left the apostles with the commission and power to distribute his grace to the faithful in all parts of the world until he returns in glory. Our hearts are filled with gratitude at the plan of providence to provide men of flesh and blood, that we can see, hear, and speak to, as ministers of his grace and truth.

The Church speaks of two distinct ways of sharing in the one priesthood of Jesus Christ. First, the baptismal—or interior—priesthood is shared by all the baptized. Through Baptism, we are washed in the blood of the lamb, given his spirit, and made members of the high priest, Jesus Christ. Thus, we are able to offer to the Father spiritual sacrifices, pleasing to him because of our union with his son. The writings of the New Testament affirm this truth (Rev. 1:5-6; 1 Pet. 2:5; Rom. 12:1). So all the faithful become spiritually fruitful by offering sacrifice with Christ in atonement for sin and as a plea for God’s blessings.

However, the true essence of the sacrament of Holy Orders consists in the call of certain men from the body of the faithful to be consecrated for ministry for the sanctification of souls. Through the ritual of ordination, a man is united to Christ to offer sacrifice and administer the sacraments, for the good of the faithful. We could say that all the sacraments depend on this one in that they require an ordained minister to provide them or to adorn them with sacred ritual. The Church speaks of different degrees within the Sacrament of Orders, such as deacon, priest, and bishop.

However, I will focus specifically on the priesthood, simply because we are spiritually impacted most by the priests who weekly and daily provide the sacraments we need for salvation, especially the Mass and confession.
A priest does not choose this sacrament for himself but responds to the call of God. He should not choose the priesthood out of selfish motives, be he seeking honors, material sustenance, or other human motives. Holy Orders confers special graces of sanctification upon the priest if he is open to this grace and corresponds with it. These gifts are specifically given to him so that he can inspire and sanctify those he serves. Holy Orders also confers a special power in reference to the Blessed Sacrament, for only a priest may confect the Sacrament of the Altar, and absolve sinners that they may receive the Sacrament worthily.

The sacrament also imposes a special spiritual character—like in Baptism and Confirmation—on the soul of the priest. This marks him forever as a priest, and it cannot be erased. Thus, the sacrament can never be repeated, and even if a priest loses the clerical state, he always remains a priest in his soul, even into an eternity of heaven or hell. This spiritual mark confers the sacred power to offer divine worship as a priest, as the character of Baptism and Confirmation allow the faithful to offer their spiritual sacrifices.

St. John Vianney, the patron saint of priests, said that if a priest is a saint, his people will be good, if a priest is good, his people will be mediocre, if a priest is mediocre, his people will be lost. We know that the degree of holiness of a priest impacts his ability to be a channel of grace, and the ability of his people to be disposed to receive grace from his hands. So the faithful must pray for the sanctification of their priests. Pray for your priest as you prepare for Sunday or daily Mass, and pray for your priest before you meet him in confession. Pray that God would give him the grace to be a courageous and loving spiritual father to you and your family.

We also need to pray for more priests. That the number of priests has declined over the past several decades is no secret, and those left continue to age. Surely the Lord wants to provide the Church with good, holy priests, and will do so in answer to our prayers. Let’s continue to beg the “…Lord of the harvest, that he send forth laborers into his harvest” (Matt. 9:38).