Lesson 32
Should I Attend A Priestly Ordination?
Welcome back to our Lenten Lessons on the Sacraments. Today we continue with Holy Orders, and since there are three degrees – bishop, priest, deacon – but only a limited amount of time, I think it will be most useful for this audience if I only focus on the Ordination of Priests. So, let’s discuss who is the Minister of Holy Orders, what is the Matter and Form, and then a few words about the beautiful and timeless ceremony.
Ordination of priests is a big deal, and for that reason the Catechism of the Catholic Church points out:
1572 Given the importance that the ordination of … a priest … has for the life of the particular Church, its celebration calls for as many of the faithful as possible to take part. It should take place preferably on Sunday, in the cathedral, with solemnity appropriate to the occasion… (The) proper place is within the Eucharistic liturgy.
The Minister of Holy Orders is a bishop, and usually the bishop of the diocese where the Ordination is taking place, although it could be a different bishop for men being ordained for religious orders or other institutions serving the Church.
The Matter or essential rite is the “imposition of the hands of the bishop on the head of the ordinand” and the Form of the essential rite are the “words of consecration that the Bishop prays asking God to pour out the Holy Spirit upon the Ordinand.”
Hear us, we beseech you, Lord our God,
and pour out on this servant of yours
the blessing of the Holy Spirit and the power of priestly grace,
that this man, whom in the sight of your mercy
we offer to be consecrated,
may be surrounded by your rich and unfailing gifts.
Through Christ our Lord.
After the imposition of hands and the prayer of consecration, there is a long and beautiful Prayer of Ordination that the Bishop prays or sings with arms extended:
With the elect kneeling before him, the Bishop, with hands extended, sings the Prayer of Ordination.
This magnificent prayer, which is ten paragraphs long, is equivalent in majesty to the Nuptial Blessing that the Priest prays or sings at Wedding Masses, because the occasion is so solemn. I would like to cite two of the paragraphs from the Prayer of Ordination, because they are profound:
Lord, send forth upon them the Holy Spirit, that they may be strengthened by the gift of your sevenfold grace to carry out faithfully the work of the ministry.
May they excel in every virtue: in love that is sincere, in concern for the sick and the poor, in unassuming authority, in self-discipline, and in holiness of life. May their conduct exemplify your commandments and lead your people to imitate their purity of life. May they remain strong and steadfast in Christ, giving to the world the witness of a pure conscience. May they in this life imitate your Son, who came, not to be served but to serve, and one day reign with him in heaven. We ask this through Christ Our Lord.
Isn’t that beautiful? As I was researching and writing this I thought I should read and reflect on that prayer at least once a week to remind myself what I have been called to as a priest. It can serve as a healthy examination of conscience.
So tune in every day of Lent to learn more about your Catholic faith, because if you Learn it, then you can Live it; and if you Live it, you will Love it; and if you Love it, you will never Leave it!
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