On The Dignity of The Sacrament and the Priestly State

In honor of the Ordination of a friend to the Priesthood, I wanted to place the full reflection in front of you, without comment (at this time, however, please look at the image below and meditate on that image and pray for vocations and the recently ordained).  And so I will return to Ch 2 of Bk 1 later, but for now am skipping to Book 4, Ch 5: On The Dignity of The Sacrament and the Priestly State

CHAPTER 5: Of the dignity of this Sacrament, and of the office of the priest

The Voice of Christ: If you had the purity of an angel and the holiness of St. John the Baptist, you would not be worthy to receive or to minister The Blessed Sacrament. For this is not deserved by merit of man that a man should consecrate and minister the Sacrament of Christ, and take for food the bread of Angels. (Ps 78:22-25 (see below)).

Great is the mystery, and great is the dignity of the priests, to whom is given what is not
granted to Angels.



Great is the mystery, and great the dignity of priests to whom that is given which is not granted to angels.
illustration by Ariel Agemian, K.S.G.



For priests only, rightly ordained in the Church, have the power of consecrating and celebrating the Body of Christ.



The priest indeed is the minister of God, using the Word of God by God's command and institution; nevertheless God is there the principal Author and invisible Worker, that to Whom all that He wills is subject, and to all He commands is obedient.

2. Therefore you must give more credit to Almighty God in everything related to this most excellent Sacrament, than to your own senses or any visible sign. And therefore you are to approach this work with fear and reverence.

Take heed to yourself (1 Tim 4:16), and see what kind of ministry is committed to you as priest by the laying on of the Bishop's hands.

Behold! you are made a priest and are consecrated to celebrate Holy Mass; see now that you do it before God faithfully and devoutly in due time, and show yourself without blame or reproof.

You have not lightened your burden, but are now bound with a stricter bond of discipline, and are pledged to a higher degree of holiness.
A priest ought to be adorned with all virtues and to afford to others an example of good life.  (Titus 2:7)

His conversation must not be with the popular and common ways of men, but with Angels in Heaven or with perfect men on earth.(Phil 3:20)
3. A priest clad in holy vestments is Christ's vice regent in that he may pray unto God with all supplication and humility for himself and for the whole people.

He has before him and behind him  the sign of the cross of the Lord that he may always remember the Passion of Christ.

He bears the cross before him on his vestments that he may diligently look upon Christ's footsteps and fervently endeavour to follow them.

He is marked with the cross behind that he may mildly suffer, for God's sake, whatsoever adversities are brought upon him by others.

He wears the cross before him that he may mourn for his own sins; behind him that through compassion, he may lament the sins of others, and know that he is placed as a mediator between God and the sinner. He should not grow careless of prayer and holy oblation, until he prevails to obtain the grace and mercy for which he implores God.

When the priest celebrates Mass, he honours God, gives rejoices with the Angels, builds up the Church, helps the living, has obtains rest for the dead, and makes himself a partaker of all good things.

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Thank you for reading and praying along with me. 'Til next time, be Imitators of Christ!


tim


Psalm 78: 22 For they did not believe in God, did not trust in his saving power. 23 So he commanded the skies above; the doors of heaven he opened. 24 God rained manna upon them for food; bread from heaven he gave them. 25 All ate a meal fit for heroes; food he sent in abundance.