Priestly People

The Catholic Liturgy for the 5^th Sunday of Easter, May 10, 2020. 1 Peter 2:4-9.  Theme: Priestly People

So often the second reading in the Liturgy of the Word gets overlooked when it comes to homilies. I think this happens because, while the first reading and the gospel are intentionally chosen to go together on a common theme, the second reading is simply a random continuous reading of one of the New Testament letters.  But today, in this time of being deprived of our usual church worship and rituals, I think the second reading is extremely relevant and important for us to hear.

This Scripture from St. Peter teaches us that worship is more than what happens in a church building; that priestly service is more than just what an ordained minister does; and that Church does not mean a building but is first and foremost the community of Christians.  And it is in this living Church - not made of physical stones - that the worship of God the Father is carried out by spiritual sacrifices offered by us as, his priestly people. St. Peter repeats this point again at the end of the reading by calling us who have been baptized, “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own.”

I am guessing this all sounds rather strange to some of you. Because if you’re like most Catholic Christians, when you hear the word “Church” you’re probably thinking of a building that has been specially consecrated to God for worship. And when you see the word “priest” it most likely brings to mind a man specially consecrated to God to lead us in worship. And lastly when you hear the phrase “offering spiritual sacrifice as worship”, I am sure your minds go instantly to the celebration of Holy Mass. But here’s the thing. St. Peter is writing about Church before there even were church buildings and he is addressing all the baptized – not just the ministers - when he calls them a royal priesthood, a holy priesthood. Think about that for a moment. Let what he is saying and what it really means sink in.

You see, St. Peter is describing an official Church teaching that is not very well known at all by most Catholics. It rests upon the truth that at baptism, we were each anointed with chrism and consecrated to God to become part of his holy people, the Church. At baptism, we were each anointed with chrism and consecrated to God to offer him spiritual worship, just as a priest is consecrated and anointed at ordination to lead us in sacramental worship.  The first kind of priesthood, the one that all the baptized receive is called the “priesthood of all the faithful” or sometimes just the “universal priesthood.” The second type that comes from Holy Orders is called the ministerial priesthood. Even though they are distinct from each other, they are complementary, and both are necessary expressions of the one high priesthood of Jesus Christ, in whom we all offer praise and worship to the Father in the Holy Spirit.

This teaching of the Bible gives me great hope in these times of coronavirus restrictions in which Masses are suspended and in many places even churches are closed.  It reminds me that the real Church is still open and active throughout the world. No pandemic and no laws can close it and put it in lockdown. Sure, they can cause the doors of church buildings to close, but they cannot hinder the activity of the more important Church, the one built out of Christians who, as St. Peter tells us, are living stones with which Jesus builds his Church. The restrictions and curtailing of religious services cannot block the worship of God because we, his baptismal priests, are still giving him praise and glory in our prayers and by the offering up to him of our daily lives.

Maybe you wondering how you can step up to the plate as a member of the priestly people and take your rightful place in offering spiritual sacrifices as worship to God? It’s really quite easy and simple. There are many ways of doing this, but two in particular have become a special part of Catholic spirituality – the Morning Offering and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. Both prayers are built upon the very teaching St. Peter is talking about in the second reading to “offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 2:5).

If you are familiar with them you might recall that the Morning Offering says, “O my Jesus, I OFFER you all my prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day in union with the holy sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world.” And in the Chaplet of Divine Mercy we repeat several times over, “O Eternal Father, I OFFER you the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of your dearly Beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins…” 

Do you see your priestly worship of offering spiritual sacrifice to God in these prayers? They each are centered around two powerful priestly words: “I OFFER”. What do you offer?  Well, in the Morning Offering you raise up to God every aspect of your life, united to the offering that Jesus made of his own prayers, works, joys and sufferings to the Father when he lived on earth.  And in the chaplet of Divine Mercy, you are lifting up to God the offering that Jesus makes of his Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity in the Eucharist to the Father. You offer all these things for God’s praise and glory and in atonement, in reparation, for sins.

Now if that doesn’t sound like a priestly ministry at work, then I don’t know what does!  For in any religion it is the duty of a priest to offer sacrifice to God.  And there is only one way that this can be officially done and that is by the fact the priest has been consecrated and anointed for this task by the Church. And as we have already have seen…You have been consecrated! You have been anointed! You are a member of God’s priestly people!

So yes, for a while longer our public worship led by an ordained priest and expressed through the Eucharistic Offering of Jesus at Mass may continue to be curtailed. BUT that in no way means that true worship of God through the sacrificial offerings of his baptismal priests is hindered in any way. So, take up your rightful place before the Lord and offer him the spiritual sacrifices of your daily life. Intercede for the needs of others, pray in atonement for the sins of the world and present your petitions with confidence to God in these trying times.  

If we do this, then God will continue to be praised and glorified and worshiped by his priestly people, the Church built of living stones, day in and day out, and long after the coronoavirus with all its’ panic and its restrictions has come and gone.

NOTE: I usually do not post explanatory notes to accompany the reflection but this time I did for a very important reason.  ThIS reflection contains a core Biblical and Catholic teaching that many are sadly unfamiliar with and so I wanted to share the backstory as to why many are unfamiliar with it.

The teaching on the baptismal priesthood of the faithful can seem novel because it has been rarely mentioned. Allow me to give you a bit of the historical backstory as to why. 

In the early Church it was well known and taught for many centuries. Besides the New Testament, the writings of many Fathers of the Church also attest to it.  In addition to 1 Peter 2:4-9, this doctrine can also be found in the Paul's Letter to the Romans (12:1) and the Book of Revelation (5:10) as well as other passages. It was (and still is) the teaching of Scripture and the Church that the ONE high priesthood of Jesus Christ is shared and lived out by his disciples in TWO different but complementary ways: ministerial priesthood and baptismal priesthood.

But at the time of the Protestant Reformation this teaching suddenly seemed to all but disappear.  What I mean is, it never disappeared from official Church documents, but it was definitely downplayed. Why? Because the baptismal priesthood of all the Christian peoplel became a rallying point for Martin Luther, John Calvin and other Protestant leaders.  They particularly used it in rebelling against the extremely widespread corruption among the clergy of their day.  They did not want what they were experiencing: entitled religious leaders with special positions of power.  So they rejected the ordained priesthood in favor of keeping only the universal priesthood bestowed by baptism . But in trying to get rid of the very real dirty corruption they “threw the baby out with the bath water” as the old saying goes and denied that Jesus wanted specially ordained priests in the first place. They chose an "either/or" position as opposed to the ancient Catholic "both/and" position on priesthood.  

In the 400 year period following the Reformation you will hardly find the Catholic teaching of the universal priesthood of the baptized mentioned or written about. Some were afraid that this teaching would weaken their position of authority, while others were afraid that it would lead to more divisions in the Church.  This teaching was yet another victim of the Cold War of Religion between Catholic and Protestant bodies that generally lasted well into the mid-20th century.

But Pope St. John XXIII (and thankfully all of the popes after him) sought to bring an end to the Cold War and to this attitude on the universal priesthood. The teaching was revived and proclaimed as a major theme of the Second Vatican Council when it taught on the nature of the Church and the role of all the baptized.  Once more, after so many centuries, the apostolic teaching on the spiritual ministry of God's priestly people came to its rightful place in the Catholic Church. 

Here is an excerpt from the official teaching of the pope and bishops of Vatican II on this topic:  

The baptized, by regeneration and the anointing of the Holy Spirit, are consecrated as a spiritual house and a holy priesthood, in order that through all those works which are those of the Christian man they may offer spiritual sacrifices and proclaim the power of Him who has called them out of darkness into His marvelous light. Therefore all the disciples of Christ, persevering in prayer and praising God, should present themselves as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. Everywhere on earth they must bear witness to Christ and give an answer to those who seek an account of that hope of eternal life which is in them. (Lumen Gentium #10)

And here is a passage form he official present day Catechism:

 

Christ, high priest and unique mediator, has made of the Church "a kingdom, priests for his God and Father." The whole community of believers is, as such, priestly. The faithful exercise their baptismal priesthood through their participation, each according to his own vocation, in Christ's mission as priest, prophet, and king. Through the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation the faithful are "consecrated to be . . . a holy priesthood.(Catechism of the Catholic Church #1546)

So take up your rightful baptismal priestly role and by prayer, sacrifice, and the witness of your life live out your vocation as a member of God's priestly people!

TWO EXPRESSION OF THE ONE HIGH PRIESTHOOD OF JESUS CHRST

Becoming a consecrated baptismal priest through Baptism

Becoming a ministerial priest through HolyOrders