What is the role of a priest?

October 27, 2024

The second reading today, from the Letter to the Hebrews, highlights a theme that is one of the important themes of this letter - namely the priesthood of Jesus.  However, over the centuries, these passages have been understood to apply to the priests we have in the Catholic Church today.

But is that interpretation valid?  What really is the understanding of ‘priesthood’ in Christianity?

Recently, a couple came home to invite us for their daughter’s wedding, and in the course of the conversation shared with us the difficulties they experienced with getting permissions from the local parish priest.  During that conversation I quickly realised that the priest had told them things that indicated he was playing fast and loose with the truth.  For instance he told them that if their daughter wanted to get married in the Catholic Church to someone who was not a Catholic, BOTH partners would have to sign a document saying they would bring up their children as Catholic.  The actual Canonical rule, however, is that the non-Catholic partner has to sign nothing, and only the Catholic party must sign a document, and that too only saying he/she will ‘try his/her best to bring up the children as Catholic.  And when I pointed this and other ‘discrepancies’ to them, as they  complained about the priest, their response was that they did not want to question the priest because the clergy were men of faith, holy men.

And that is the kind of understanding of priests, among most people of most religions, including among the majority of Catholics. The priest according to them is an expert on all religious matters, the one who has  a sacred power to perform rituals that ordinary adherents of that religion do not have, and functions as a mediator between human beings and God.  

However, the Letter to the Hebrews, from where today’s second reading is taken, declares the end of this kind of priesthood. It declares clearly that Jesus, though not a priest in the official Jewish sense, brings in a new kind of priesthood, in which instead of offering some other animal as sacrifice, he offers a once-and-for-all sacrifice of himself, so that no other sacrifices are any more ever needed.  Hence the Letter clearly declares that there is no more need for that kind of priest  who has the sacred power to offer sacrifices on the altar on our behalf or mediates between God and human beings.  This is confirmed also in the first letter to Timothy: “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people”.(1 Tim 2:5-6), and also in the letter of Peter (1 Pet.2: 4-5 and 1 Pet.2:9) when he clearly declares that ALL Christians are priests, because all Christians share in Christ’s priesthood.

However, most of us Catholics  today still believe that priests are mediators between God and human beings,  and that it is only they who have the sacral power that ensures that the bread and wine is infused with the presence of Jesus (body and  blood) during the Eucharist. Now we do know that, right from the beginning, the “breaking of bread”, (the Lord’s Supper or Eucharist) was a very important aspect of the coming together of the Christian community. Yet never once in the entire New Testament is there any reference to celebrating the Eucharist (breaking of bread), that ties up with a reference to the elders or “presbyters” (from which the word ‘priest’ derives) in the Church.    Nor is offering of the Eucharist ever listed anywhere in the New Testament as a duty of any presbyter or anybody else for that matter, nor as a special gift given by God only to some (Romans 12:6-8, 1 Cor 12:28ff and Eph. 4:11ff).  Instead what is clearly found in the New Testament is that all those who chose to be followers of Jesus, once they were baptised, “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and fellowship, and to the breaking of bread, and prayers”, and to ‘attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes’  (Acts 2:41-46). It is therefore not surprising to note that the German Bishops “freely admit that leading in Eucharistic worship was not, in the New Testament, confined to those holding office, even to those holding apostolic office.” (Concilium, Volume 10, Number 8,, pg 142).

The practice of priests being the only ones who could lead the Eucharistic celebration  developed primarily from the 12th century onwards, and the reasons for this were largely non-theological.  It was primarily in response to an intense struggle between the power of the secular rulers and the Papacy, that four Church Councils in the 11th and 12th centuries (Lateran Councils), pushed by the Gregorian reformers, fostered a strong distinction between clergy and laity.  These Councils also abolished clerical marriage (even though marriage was the norm for most clergy till then),  partly because they wanted to ensure that Church property did not get parcelled out and to prevent a dynastic priesthood that could make it easier for children of priests to take over  parishes and the Church properties attached.

So how can we understand the Christian meaning of ‘priesthood”?  Christians believe that God has given each of us some particular gifts, which in Christian terminology are known as charisms.  And we are each called to use our own specific charism(s) to help to build up the community and usher in the kingdom of heaven. However, it is often the case that sometimes, in the particular real-life situation of a community, there are some charisms that are needed more than others. For instance, if there is a community where a lot of people are suffering from mental disturbance issues, there may be a significant  need to have people who have the charism of counselling to be appointed to service this need on a regular basis.  Thus, while all have charisms, and all are called to exercise them for the building up of the community, there are some who are called  to “exercise their charisms on a more stable basis and in response to the community’s call”, and these persons are called Ministers according to the Federation of Asian Bishops (FABC, 1977).  Thus there are charisms given to all, and ministries given to some. This is why, particularly since Vatican 2, we speak of many different ministries in the Church.

The priesthood is one such Ministry.  And what is this Ministry for?  It is clear that there is one common need in any human community, namely the need for some who will bring the community together, who will help to reconcile and heal differences, who will lead the community to remain focused on the Christian mission that Jesus has called all his disciples to. This is the priestly ministry. In fact, summarising the practice of the early church, Schillebeeckx, an expert at Vatican 2 explains, “It is not the possessor of ‘power of ordination’ who may lead the community and therefore also lead in the celebration of the Eucharist, but the leader who, by being accredited by, and to, a definite community, received all the necessary powers for the leadership of a Christian community”  Furthermore he explains that if such a person, for any reason, ceased to be this kind of leader, he became a layman again. (Concilium vol. 133).  So, the role of the priest as the FABC (Federation of Asian Bishops, 1977) says is “to inspire, to encourage, to foster initiatives and to help charisms to develop.” That is the role of the priestly ministry - not to mediate between God and us, not necessarily even as the best source of religious knowledge, and not even as the most holy person in the community. The role of the priest is to bring the community together and keep it on the path of Christ with the help of the different charisms and other ministries that may be required in the community. And yes, since this person is the link person between all the people in the community, it is natural that people would ask him/her to lead the Eucharistic celebration.  In the New Testament church these were the house-church leaders and they were both men and women.  So, it is not the priestly ordination that gives him that privilege to lead, but rather the will of the people in that community  for as Jesus said, and the New Testament church understood very well, “where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there among them” (Matthew 18:20).

First Reading: Jeremiah 31: 7-9

This is what the Lord says: “Sing with joy for Jacob; shout for the foremost of the nations. Make your praises heard, and say,   ‘Lord, save your people, the remnant of Israel.’ See, I will bring them from the land of the north, and gather them from the ends of the earth. Among them will be the blind and the lame, expectant mothers and women in labor;  a great throng will return. They will come with weeping; they will pray as I bring them back. I will lead them beside streams of water on a level path where they will not stumble, because I am Israel’s father, and Ephraim is my firstborn son.

 

Second Reading: Hebrews 5: 1-6

 

Every high priest is selected from among the people and is appointed to represent the people in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.  He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people. And no one takes this honor on himself, but he receives it when called by God, just as Aaron was.  In the same way, Christ did not take on himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father.” And he says in another place, “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”

 

Gospel: Mark 10: 46-52

 

Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging.  When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.” “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.”  Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.