Priestly People

The Catholic Liturgy for the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple, Feb. 2, 2020. Gospel of St. Luke 2:22-40. Theme: Priestly People

Today’s feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple of Jerusalem is an ancient celebration that is full of meaning for us as God’s people. After the Roman Empire stopped persecuting Christians and our ancestors were able to worship openly without fearing for their lives, it quickly became a popular liturgy celebrated with candles and processions. I think this happened because the Presentation of Jesus says something very important, not just about Christ, but about each one of us as well.  

In today’s gospel, we encounter Jesus being brought by Mary and Joseph to a religious ceremony in which he is offered and consecrated to God.  And this is so very similar to what happened to most of us on our baptism day.   Our parents carried us to the parish church where we were consecrated to God by the water that was poured over us in the Name of the Blessed Trinity.  Then, after the pouring of water, our foreheads were anointed with special holy oil, called Chrism, and through this sacred action we were consecrated in Christ as servants of God.  As a matter of fact, this is precisely why we are called Christians which literally means “the Anointed Ones”.

It’s very important to keep in mind that this consecration or dedication was not an empty ritual. It wasn’t just a formal ceremony to be captured in pictures and noted in a sacramental record book. When someone is consecrated to God it means that they are set apart, set aside, as God’s own special possession. They are dedicated to all that is sacred and holy. You see, our baptism makes us a priestly people consecrated for the task of offering God the worship of our lives, lived out of love for him and our neighbor.  We are called to be a prayerful people making intercession to God on behalf of not just ourselves, but the entire human race.

There is a special term that is used to describe this unique baptismal relationship we have with God.  It’s called the “priesthood of the faithful”.  This means that every single baptized Christian is truly a priest, that is, someone who is officially consecrated or dedicated and set apart to offer worship and sacrifice to God.  And it is only because of this baptismal priesthood that some men can later on in life be called to ordination as Priests in the sense that we usually use and understand the word. The two types of priesthood are indeed distinct but they are also very much inter-related.

And this relationship between the two is why your personal presence is so important for every celebration of the Eucharist and why the Church requires Catholics to attend Mass every Sunday. It’s because the Eucharist is to be offered by all of God’s people and not just by those who have received the Sacrament of Holy Orders. Yes, it is true that we need an ordained priest to preside at Mass so that the bread and wine can be transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ. 

But soon after this is transformation takes place during Mass, the ministers at the altar hold up the Host and Chalice, offering them to God in the Name of Jesus.  And have you ever noticed that these sacred items are not put back down on the altar until you, the priestly people, have said Amen to the offering? This is because your Amen means that each one of you, the priestly people, have given your “yes”, your approval, to what has been done. It is such an important “Amen” in the Mass that it is quite often usually sung and not just said.

Many Catholics have never heard about this baptismal priesthood, but it is the solid teaching of the New Testament (see 1 Peter 2:5, Romans 12:1, Revelation 5:10).  It has also always been the solid teaching of the Catholic Church.  But apart from what is done at Mass, the fact that we are a priestly people means that everything we do – everything – can be offered up to God as a sacrifice of praise and worship. Everything and anything we do – prayers, works, joys and sufferings – can become a means for calling down God’s blessings upon us and others in intercession.  This is where we Catholics get the phrase that you may have heard to “offer it up” when we go through tough experiences.

We say this because for the Christian, there is no longer such a thing as “wasted pain” or “senseless suffering”.  All of it can be transformed and made useful, by, with and in Jesus, because of our baptismal priesthood.  By uniting what we must endure in this life with what Jesus endured on the Cross, the “bad news” of suffering can be thus become the “good news” of blessings for others because of the victory and power of Christ’s Resurrection.  All of this can become a reality in our lives and bring us both deep meaning and consoling purpose if we just say “yes” and to our best to live out the baptismal priesthood we received when we, like Jesus, were first presented to God in the temple of our parish church.