Multitude of services

GOD WILLING, BACK IN ABOUT FOUR WEEKS

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Celibacy

The  Holy  Scriptures  recommend  several times avoiding marriage "for the sake of the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 19,10/12). From this recommendation, the practice developed in the Roman Catholic Church -  not  the entire Catholic Church - to ordain only men who intended to stay celibate. In this way, they would be  able to be  completely  absorbed  by and tied  to the  service of the community.  This  strong link between  priesthood and  celibacy is a Church law and, therefore, can be annulled.

The office of Saint Peter

One man clearly stands out in the  community of the apostles: Simon. He is later given the name Peter (Greek: petra = rock). In the Gospels, in 114 cases, his name is mentioned ahead of the names of all others, and he is at the top of every  apostle  list.  He is  usually  their  spokesman.  His  priority was not contested  by  the  other  apostles,  although  he was not  the  eldest nor the "favorite disciple". This preeminence becomes very evident after the Ascension of Jesus.

In Matthew 16,16, we find a decisive text. Christ asks the apostles: "Who do men say that the Son of man is?" Peter replies for all of them: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God". Jesus confirms this answer and then swaps roles,  telling Peter who he is now, who he should be.  There is an interesting play of words in the Aramaic language: "You are Peter (Aramaic = kepha = rock), and on  this  rock  (kepha)  I will  build  my Church, and the powers of death shall not  prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven,  and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven".

In Peter, the Church of Jesus is built on a foundation of rock. Obviously, the real, invisible foundation remains Christ Himself (1 Cor 10,4). But Jesus also wanted to give His Church a visible foundation which would represent Him after He was gone. Therefore, Saint Paul could  rightly say that the Church was built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets (Eph 2,20). But here, Peter is mentioned as a single rock, the foundation of the Church. Elsewhere, Jesus said to Peter: "Feed my lambs, tend my sheep". (John 21, 15). Kings are often called "shepherds of the peoples" in the Scriptures. Christ wanted Peter to lead His people in His place. And he was to do this by strengthening the faith and unity of all brothers through his service. (See Lk 22,32).

Do we need a Pope?

The assembly of  apostles was succeeded by that of bishops. But the Catholic Church is convinced that it is right to have one person among the bishops, the successor of Peter, commissioned with the service of unity for the entire Church.

Multitude of services

|

In a specific, threefold Sacrament - the ordination of bishops, priests, and  deacons - individuals  chosen from the people according to the Bible and  tradition receive authority to serve the community  (Hebr 5,1).  It is not the private initiative of the individual, nor the call of the leaders of the Church or the  people  that  underpins  this  mission  and  office, but Christ in the sacrament.

|

Consecration  takes place through prayer and laying on of hands, as in the age of the apostles.  Saint  Paul  writes  to  his  pupil and successor, bishop Thimothy: "Rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands"  (2 Tim 1,6)  This is  considerably  more than a solemn introduction into an office.  In  the  Catholic  Church, this ordination is a sacrament that puts a person in the service of Jesus Christ.

|

Here the question arises why women cannot become priests. In the Anglican Church and several other denominations, this is permitted. Women have even been ordained  bishops. The Catholic Church, however, continues to disapprove of this.

|

Certain functions in the Church cannot be claimed on the basis of gender equality, which the Church recognizes, nor on general equality established through baptism. Right from the beginning, the unequivocal tradition was that women were never  ordained to a priestly service, and the Catholic Church feels herself tied to this tradition. The same applies to the Orthodox Church.

|

Christ did not call any woman to be among the twelve, although He deviated from the  social norms of that time by  His positive conduct  toward women. The apostles  also  acted  accordingly.  As a  successor of  Judas,  they chose the (unknown)  Matthew,  not Mary.  On Pentecost, she was present at the sending of the Spirit, but only the twelve raised their voice to proclaim the message of Jesus. When proclaiming the faith in pagan territory, the apostles had to break with many important  (Jewish)  traditions.

|

In the  gentile  environment, women priests  played an  important  role.  But,  going by the example of  Jesus, the apostles  felt  obliged,  to  not  put  women in charge of a  priestly office, although women occupied important positions during the time of the proclamation and spreading of the Gospel. The most important reason for the Church's position on this matter is probably the fact that the priest acts "in the place of Christ",  he  "represents"  Christ, especially during the celebration of the Eucharist.

|

The  Roman  Congregation for the  Teaching of the  Faith admits that these arguments do not have the  character  of  "proof" for the faithful, but they do have the force of conviction.

Multitude of services

|

All Christians are  called by  God to give witness to the faith, even without official instructions to do so. Those especially designated to proclaim the  Gospel  do it with  full authority,  which also guarantees the unity of the Church.

|

Sanctification  is  another of these services:  the sacrament of forgiving sins and the Eucharist. And finally, there is the service to lead the community,  (the office of the shepherd).  These three services are intended to make  the  faith of  apostolic  times secure and for this reason,  can never be  omitted in the Church.

|

... until the end of the world

Increasing  numbers of  faithful  and  the  constant  establishment of new communities  created  various offices which gradually turned into institutions. In the beginning, this development was not uniform. It depended on whether the new Christian communities were of Jewish or pagan origin. But the basic structure was the same: there were always men responsible for the offices of proclamation, administration and sanctification who knew that they received the call of Christ through the apostles.

|

In some Christian communities, the successors of the apostles were called "episcopoi" (overseer), the origin of the word "bishop". In other communities, their title was "presbyteroi" (elder), from which our word "priest"  developed. They  were  assisted  by  deacons.  Over time,  the three offices of the Church emerged:  bishops,  priests,  and  deacons. In the  Catholic  Church, this has remained.  We  know,  for instance,  that around  the year 100 AD there was a Bishop  Ignatius  leading the community of  Antioch and his letters reveal that there were also bishops in other cities.

|

For the Christians of  the first centuries, the succession from the apostles  was  their guarantee of conformity with apostolic teaching. In the Creeds of all churches, it says: "I believe in the ... apostolic Church". In the  Catholic  Church, this means that in addition to fidelity to the teachings and faith of the apostles, apostolic succession is important.

|

Priesthood and the office of the bishop are considered not only human, but divine  institutions  by  Catholics.  That  is  why, in addition to the general priesthood of all  faithful  we  find this special  priesthood with  the above mentioned tasks in the Catholic Church.

|

This is evident in the celebration of the Eucharist, where the priest celebrates Jesus' Last Supper among the people, for and with the community, but at the same time, faces them as the one who is acting in the name of Christ, not as a "higher-level Christian" but as one who is appointed to serve.