My dear Parishioners,

Peace! While the “Year for Priests” has ended it is still timely to go over the various In Brief passages in the Catechism of the Catholic Church regarding Holy Orders. We will then resume with Article Two (2) of the Creed. 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 1598.

The Seven Sacraments are God’s gift to the Church. These gifts are “packed” with grace, which is God’s power and presence and more all at the same time. While we all like to receive gifts, the nice thing about receiving a gift is the gratuity of it. There is no “right” to be ordained to the diaconate, presbyterate, or episcopate on the part of the man who is ordained. The sacrament is given, not only for the salvation of the one being ordained but also for the unbuilding of Mother Church that all might be saved.

While there are many of the sure and certain teachings of Mother Church which cause some perturbation, the “all male priesthood” is counter cultural in our day and age. Pope John Paul II, in continuity with 2,000 years of sacred Tradition, following the example of the early Church before the Greek(AD 1054) or Western Schisms (circa AD 1600) has reaffirmed the teaching of Christ that the choice of Christ is normative not only in the use of water for Baptism, or bread and wine for Holy Mass, or Marriage being between one man and one woman, but likewise Holy Orders is conferred only upon some “baptized men (viris)” (Ordinatio Sacerdotalis, 1994). This is not to say that men or boys are holier or better than women or girls. Manfred Hauke’s doctoral dissertation (over 400 pages) Women in the Priesthood? (Ignatius, 1988) on the subject is very informative on this issue which he addresses on theological, anthropological, and historical grounds. Similarly, Aime Georges Martimort, of happy memory gives us further insight to this aspect of our saving faith in his Deaconesses (Ignatius, 1986).

Aptitude for ministry is not only the supernatural gift of faith but also applied reason as well as a humaneness which allows for qualitative interpersonal relations with the people of God.

When the Catechism points out the “right and responsibility” of the “authority of the Church” to call whichever baptized men to Orders it is an affirmation of the liberty of the Church. When various regimes have attempted to thwart the liberty of Mother Church they have sought to appoint clergy of their own choosing, imposing them on the faithful. The authority of the Church in the case of the call of Bishops ultimately rests with the Holy Father the Pope, while for the lower grades of Holy Orders, Priests and Deacons, the local Bishop is the human agent who makes the call on behalf of God.

Let us be sure to pray to the Lord of the harvest for an abundance of laborers in His vineyard which is the Church in the World.

God bless you!

Father John Arthur Orr