My dear Parishioners,

Peace! During these last weeks of the “Year of the Priest” I thought it would be timely to go over the various In Brief passages in the Catechism of the Catholic Church regarding Holy Orders. There are eleven (11) of these passages which will help us to appreciate this sign of grace entrusted to the Church by Christ Himself, the Great High Priest. The following is a reflection on article 1590.

There are some people who say ‘The Bible never mentions Holy Orders.” While literally that is true, the term “Holy Orders” is not found in the Sacred Text, the reality permeates the Word of God. This is so, primarily, because the Scriptures are primarily about Jesus Christ who is the Great High Priest (Hebrews 9:11, 25). Saint Augustine’s axiom: ‘In the Old the New lies hidden, in the New the Old is fulfilled’ is very applicable here.

Mother Church directs our attention to three (3) passages of Sacred Scripture which are instructive about Holy Orders, even if they are not exhaustive (2 Timothy 1:6; 1 Timothy 3:1; Titus 1:5). The passages come from the inspired pen of Saint Paul, two written to Timothy and one written to Titus. Here we see a spiritual and paternal bond between Apostle (whose successors are the Bishops) and disciples (Timothy and Titus specifically). There are at least four (4) things which these three passages of Holy Writ teach us about Holy Orders: the rite, the reality, two grades, apostolic origins.
While not an exhaustive blow by blow of the Rite of Ordination by any means, one of the significant gestures from the Ordination Rite is made explicit in 2 Timothy 1:6, namely, the imposition of hands. This ancient gesture signifies the transmission of the grace of the sacrament. Another technical term for it is ‘epecletic’ calling down the Holy Spirit. We see such a gesture in all of the Sacraments and throughout the Scriptures (cf. Exodus 9:29, 33; 17:11; 29:10-19; Numbers 27:23; 1 Kings 19:19).

The reality of Holy Orders, like all of the Sacraments, is that they are God’s gift. God gives His grace, which is His powerful presence, in His Sacraments. While there is a natural right to Holy Baptism and Marriage for those who are properly disposed, no one has a right to Holy Orders and in this sense it is further a gift.

By mentioning ‘Bishop’ (1 Timothy 3:1) and ‘Presbyters’ (Titus 1:5) Saint Paul identifies two (2) of the three grades of the Sacrament of Holy Orders. If we remember the Martyrdom of Saint Stephen, Saint Paul was familiar with the Deaconate as well (cf. Acts 6:5; 7:58-59)

That the Apostle to the Gentiles gave ‘instructions’ regarding these things serves to remind us of the apostolic origins of the Sacrament of Holy Orders which Christ first conferred upon them at the Last Supper.

God bless you!
Father John Arthur Orr