One God; One Faith & TWO-priesthoods?

[Patrick Miron]

 

ONE God; One Faith; two priesthoods

 

Not too long ago I was invited to assist a Catholic Answers Forum contact with a new “Christian” site he was having difficulty proving our faith to. I won’t mention the name of it, as many “Christians” there seemed to have missed the primary bible-teaching that Christ was LOVE. The attacks on me personally were frequent; ill-informed, and loaded with a great personal-degree of widely scattered hatred.

While in this site though several of the attackers took the position that they were “PRIEST”; by implication, every-bit as empowered as were the Apostles and today’s Catholic Priest; {by the “catholic definition.}

I knew the reply & the difference, but trying to explain it to fanatical-self identified- “Christians” didn’t seem like the most prudent course of action.

Because these “Christians”; {without Love can anyone truly be termed a “Christian?” I think not. At least not rightly so.} Many of whom seem to have been exporting other people’s hatred; without personal {prayerful} reflection; and clearly being personally uniformed. …. I was reminded of the great need for US to pray regularly for them.

I hasten to point out though that I am in daily contact with many non-Catholic-Christians who would put a great many Catholics to shame in their beliefs, personal piety, and deep love of Jesus and the shared-practice of their faiths. And what a JOY this is.

While there is a sense; and even biblical evidence that we “all – are- priest”; the bible never teaches that we are of the same –priesthood. Indeed the evidence is clear that there are two distinct priesthoods. One of the God-chosen; Ordained and anointed; and then the priesthood of the rest of us.

Exod.28:[1] "Then bring near to you Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the people of Israel, to serve me as priests -- Aaron and Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abi'hu, Elea'zar and Ith'amar.

Exod.29:[28] It shall be for Aaron and his sons as a perpetual due from the people of Israel, for it is the priests' portion to be offered by the people of Israel from their peace offerings; it is their offering to the LORD. …. [44] I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar; Aaron also and his sons I will consecrate, to serve me as priests.

Num.15:[25] And the priest shall make atonement for all the congregation of the people of Israel, and they shall be forgiven; because it was an error, and they have brought their offering, an offering by fire to the LORD, and their sin offering before the LORD, for their error.

Num.16: [40] to be a reminder to the people of Israel, so that no one who is not a priest, who is not of the descendants of Aaron, should draw near to burn incense before the LORD, lest he become as Korah and as his company -- as the LORD said to Elea'zar through Moses.

2Chr.23 [6] Let no one enter the house of the LORD except the priests and ministering Levites; they may enter, for they are holy, but all the people shall keep the charge of the LORD.

Mark.1:[44] and said to him, "See that you say nothing to any one; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to the people."

Heb.7: [11] Now if perfection had been attainable through the Levit'ical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need would there have been for another priest to arise after the order of Melchiz'edek, rather than one named after the order of Aaron?

Acts: 23  [5] And Paul said: I knew not, brethren, that he is the high priest. For it is written: Thou shalt not speak evil of the prince of thy people.

Heb. 5: 1-5 “[1] For every high priest taken from among men, is ordained for men in the things that appertain to God, that he may offer up gifts and sacrifices for sins: [2] Who can have compassion on them that are ignorant and that err: because he himself also is compassed with infirmity. [3] And therefore he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins. [4] Neither doth any man take the honour to himself, but he that is called by God, as Aaron was.  …  

Heb, 7: 11-26[PM1]  “11] If then perfection was by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise according to the order of Melchisedech, and not be called according to the order of Aaron? [12] For the priesthood being translated, it is necessary that a translation also be made of the law. [13] For he, of whom these things are spoken, is of another tribe, of which no one attended on the altar. [14] For it is evident that our Lord sprung out of Juda: in which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priests. [15]And it is yet far more evident: if according to the similitude of Melchisedech there ariseth another priest, …. [16] Who is made not according to the law of a carnal commandment, but according to the power of an indissoluble life: [17] For he testifieth: Thou art a priest forever, according to the order of Melchisedech. [18] There is indeed a setting aside of the former commandment, because of the weakness and unprofitableness thereof: [19](For the law brought nothing to perfection,) but a bringing in of a better hope, by which we draw nigh to God. [20] And inasmuch as it is not without an oath, (for the others indeed were made priests without an oath; [21] But this with an oath, by him that said unto him: The Lord hath sworn, and he will not repent, Thou art a priest forever.) [22] By so much is Jesus made a surety of a better testament. [23] And the others indeed were made many priests, because by reason of death they were not suffered to continue: [24] But this, for that he continueth forever, hath an everlasting priesthood, [25] Whereby he is able also to save forever them that come to God by him; always living to make intercession for us.

DOUAY EXPLANATION: [23] "Many priests": The apostle notes this difference between the high priests of the law, and our high priest Jesus Christ; that they being removed by death, made way for their successors; whereas our Lord Jesus is a priest for ever, and hath no successor; but liveth and concurreth for ever with his ministers, the priests of the new testament, in all their functions. Also, that no one priest of the law, nor all of them together, could offer that absolute sacrifice of everlasting redemption, which our one high priest Jesus Christ has offered once, and for ever.

DOUAY EXPLANATION:[25] "Make intercession": Christ, as man, continually maketh intercession for us, by re-presenting his passion to his Father.

Heb. 8:3 [3] For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is necessary that he also should have something to offer.

Heb. 10:21-23 “21] and a high priest over the house of God: [22] Let us draw near with a true heart in fullness of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with clean water. [23] Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering (for he is faithful that hath promised),

1Pet.2: [9] But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, that you may declare the wonderful deeds of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. {By OUR Live’s examples.}

Haydock’s Commentary: Verse 9 
“You are....a purchased people, whom Christ purchased, bought and redeemed with the price of his precious blood. --- That you may declare his ⁽⁴⁾ virtues; i.e. the excellencies and perfections of God, who hath called you, and now made you his people, which you were not, at least in this matter before, neither you that were Jews, nor especially you that were Gentiles.”

Rev.5: [10] and hast made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on earth."

Haydock’s Commentary Verse 10 
“And hast made us to our God, &c. See 1 Peter ii. 5, 9. (Witham) --- All Christians may justly be styled kings and priests of God, by the spiritual empire they possess over their passions and the world; and by the continual offering they make on the altar of their hearts, by means of the prayers they daily offer up to God. (Origen) --- Thus they say, we shall reign on the earth by the empire we shall exercise over our passions; and by the union we shall have with Jesus Christ and his Church, triumph over all who have persecuted us. (Estius; Andræas.)”

John.15:
“[16] You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide; so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you”

“There is also another type of priesthood in the New Testament, besides the aforementioned ministerial priesthood. And that is the priesthood of the baptized. That's right, each one of us who are baptized are priests!  But not ministerial priests.  Rather, the sacrifice we offer to God daily is OURSELVES!  Our daily sacrifices we make for our family and friends is what we offer to God, and it is united to the sacrificial priesthood of the priests and to the eternal high priesthood of Jesus Christ at each and every Mass!

Romans 6:3-6: Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?  We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.  For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.  We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the sinful body might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin.

1Pet.1:15-16 but as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct;  since it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy."

1 Peter 2:4-9: “Come to him, to that living stone, rejected by men but in God's sight chosen and precious; and like living stones be yourselves built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in scripture: "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and he who believes in him will not be put to shame." To you therefore who believe, he is precious, but for those who do not believe, "The very stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner," and "A stone that will make men stumble, a rock that will make them fall"; for they stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, that you may declare the wonderful deeds of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light”

 Let's take a closer look at certain words in the New Testament. For instance, the word "presbyter," or "elder" in some translations. "Presbyter" is the English version of the Greek word "presbuteros," and means "Priest." 

Presbyters are NOT Presbyterians!  That branch of Christianity didn't get invented by man until the 16th Century.  These priests in the New Testament were ordained by the laying on of hands with prophetic utterances, which the bible talks about in

1 Timothy 4:14:  Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophetic utterance when the council of elders laid their hands upon you.

James 5:14-15: Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord;   and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

Another word in the New Testament that Paul mentions is the word "reconciliation."

2 Corinthians 5;18-19: All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

Here we see that priests like Paul have the ministry of reconciliation, or the forgiveness of sins done in Christ's name. This sacramental power was first granted to the apostles by Jesus Christ himself in

John 20:21-23: Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you."   And when he had said this, he breathed ON THEM whose sins YOU forgive are forgiven; if YOU retain the sins of any, they are retained.

There is no place in the entire New Testament that says we should confess our sins directly to God, like some people mistakenly think. There are numerous instances of people confessing their sins to God's ministers, however:

 Matthew 3:6: and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

Mark 1:5: And there went out to him all the country of Judea, and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

Acts.19:18: Many also of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices.

1 Timothy 6:12:  Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

 James 5:16:  Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects.

But what about the concept of priests offering sacrifice for the sins of the people, like the Old Testament priests did? Where is THAT in the New Testament?

Well, we need look no farther than that famous event in the Gospels called "The Last Supper," more appropriately named "The First Eucharist."  The Jewish Passover meal is to be celebrated forever, according to Exodus 12:24.  The Passover LITURGY, or Rite, saved the firstborn children of the Israelites from death. This liturgy consisted of slaughtering an unblemished lamb, putting its blood over their door outside, and eating the lamb with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.  Jesus Christ celebrated this Passover liturgy right before He died, changing forever its meaning. NOW, Jesus is the sacrificed spotless lamb that is to be sacrificed and consumed in the form of unleavened bread, now known as the Communion Host. NOW we are saved from the death of sin, rather than from physical death like our ancestors the Israelites in Egypt. 

He told His apostles to "Do THIS in His remembrance," thus ordaining them forever as his priests.  So many people miss the word "THIS" and mistakenly translate the word "remembrance" into the word "symbolic." The word "THIS" means "THIS is my body which IS given for you, and  "THIS cup which is poured out for you IS the new covenant in my blood."  We know from the Passover celebration of the Jews that each generation sees itself as participating in the original passover celebration and exodus from Egypt. 

There are other New Testament passages which indicate that the apostles were the first priests. The washing of the feet of the apostles in John 13:5 recalls the Old Testament dictate that priests had to wash their feet as well, in Exodus 30:19; Jesus reminding the Pharisees that his apostles could pluck grain and eat it on the Sabbath, while telling the story of David and his priests eating the Bread of the Presence (why tell this story if Jesus is not comparing David's priests to  his apostles, who  are also exempt from the strict dictates of the law?) in Matthew 12, are other references to the New Testament Priesthood.

The priesthood of the laity, or baptized, is a complementary priesthood to the ministerial priesthood. The priesthood of the laity is like the body of Christ, whereas the ministerial priesthood is like the head of Christ. In the Mass, the body of Christ is united with its head, Jesus Christ, in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

From the New Translation of the Mass:

Pray, brethren (brothers and sisters), that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God, the almighty Father.

From the Blog of Father  John Zuhlsdorf: 

 The Second Vatican Council in its Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen gentium 10 defined that the priesthood given in baptism is a true participation in the priesthood of Christ, but that it differs qualitatively from the ministerial priesthood conferred by the sacrament of Holy Orders.  The ordained don’t merely receive more priesthood.  They receive a priesthood different from that which they already had from baptism.

 These two modes of priesthood, distinct but sharing a common source, relate to each other as a single person’s head does with the body. 

 In the Council’s the Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests we read that, by Holy Orders, priests are configured in their being to Christ the Priest so that they are able to act in the person of Christ who is the Head of the Body, the Church (cf.Presbyterorum ordinis 2). Priests are ordained for their own sake (to help them save their own souls by doing God’s will) and for all the faithful (who must be directed to God through teaching, governance and sanctification).

 Priests offer gifts and sacrifice to God for the people (cf. Hebrews 5).

o   Lay people, with the priesthood of the baptized, are the vanguard of the Church’s mission in the world.

Priests, set apart by ordination, concern themselves mainly with that which is sacred.

o   Lay people are primarily concerned with the secular.
 

o   Priests form and inform, nourish and strengthen, heal and guide lay people for their indispensable work.

 o   Lay people do what no priest can: through deeds and words they bring Christ to every sphere of daily life in the world.

St. Augustine of Hippo (d 430), speaking of his role as bishop, described his relationship with his flock in the best way when he said, “I am a bishop for you, but a Christian with you” (s. 46.2).

Were ten thousand baptized men, women and children to pronounce the words of consecration over their bread and wine, the offerings would remain bread and wine.  One priest, alone or with a congregation, by God’s power changes the people’s bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ.  The baptized unite their way of offering sacrifice to his way.” AMEN! END QUOTES

Patrick

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 [PM1]