Luke 4:21-30
“No prophet is accepted in his own native place” because a prophet usually speaks the truth. He comforts the afflicted and afflicts the comfortable.
Jesus was a prophet and much more. We recognize Him as Our High Priest. There were other prophets who came before Him, like Moses, who ordained his brother Aaron by the laying on of hands. Priest in the Hebrew Scriptures sacrificed animals to God. Jesus offered Himself as the Lamb of Sacrifice, once and for all for the forgiveness of sins. By His death and resurrection heaven was opened and death no longer has power over us. Holy Mass is the continual remembrance of the Last Supper. Therefore every priest after Christ acts in the Person of Christ--In Persona Chirsti. Every priest is chosen from the community. He is a sinner trying to follow Christ. Within the Sacrament of Holy Orders there are three “callings”: the Order of Deacons, the Order of Presbyters and the Order of Bishops. We believe that the first Apostles were ordained to the priesthood by Christ. Judas betrayed Christ and was replaced by St. Matthias. The Apostles thought that they had to keep the number to the original twelve. Soon after, they discovered that the work was demanding and that they would have to ordain more. Widows and orphans needed special attention. The Apostles found that much of their time was taken preparing tables and other mundane things. So deacons were ordained to assist and give the Apostles more time for prayer.
As the communities grew so did the need for ministers. Presbyters were ordained to celebrate the Lord’s Supper and bring the real presence of Christ to the communities. Both Presbyters and deacons are an extension of the Bishop.
In the Sacrament of Holy Orders there are three levels: deacons, priests and bishops. A deacon is not a small priest nor is a priest a small bishop. Each is a different calling within the same Sacrament. On the way to priestly ordination a man is ordained a deacon, which is called transitory deaconate. The permanent deaconate is exactly what is means—deacon until death. If a man is married and is called to the diaconate he may not marry again if his wife dies. (Most wives are happy about that.) If he has never married, he must vow celibacy at ordination. A bishop ordains both a presbyter and a deacon. Three bishops are required to ordain a bishop. Only a bishop has the fullness of the priesthood. The Papal Nuncio sends out inquiries where a bishop is needed. He asks the bishops of the area, the priests, deacons, religious and laity about certain possibilities. From the feedback the three most likely names of candidates are sent to Rome. The Roman office usually approves the first selection. A phone call is made to the candidate for his acceptance. “The Holy Father has chosen you to be the next bishop of the Diocese of Philenthopia.” If a auxiliary bishop is names he gets a diocese that’s under water or no longer exists. But every bishop has to have a Diocese. When a bishop will replace one who is already the ordinary, he is called a coadjutor. One he accepts the call a Papal Bull is written to that effect and is proclaimed at the ordination or installation. The Pope is the Bishop of Rome and therefore Pope of the Catholic Church. His cathedral is St. John Lateran, not St. Peter’s Basilica. That’s the reason that we have a day in the Church calendar dedicated to St. John Lateran—the mother of all Churches.
We all participate in the priesthood of Jesus Christ. However, some are called for special sacred duties to serve the Church. We pray that the Lord will send many more labors from our Diocese of Brownsville to bring people to Christ, the One and only priest.
“No prophet is accepted in his own native place” because a prophet usually speaks the truth. He comforts the afflicted and afflicts the comfortable.
Jesus was a prophet and much more. We recognize Him as Our High Priest. There were other prophets who came before Him, like Moses, who ordained his brother Aaron by the laying on of hands. Priest in the Hebrew Scriptures sacrificed animals to God. Jesus offered Himself as the Lamb of Sacrifice, once and for all for the forgiveness of sins. By His death and resurrection heaven was opened and death no longer has power over us. Holy Mass is the continual remembrance of the Last Supper. Therefore every priest after Christ acts in the Person of Christ--In Persona Chirsti. Every priest is chosen from the community. He is a sinner trying to follow Christ. Within the Sacrament of Holy Orders there are three “callings”: the Order of Deacons, the Order of Presbyters and the Order of Bishops. We believe that the first Apostles were ordained to the priesthood by Christ. Judas betrayed Christ and was replaced by St. Matthias. The Apostles thought that they had to keep the number to the original twelve. Soon after, they discovered that the work was demanding and that they would have to ordain more. Widows and orphans needed special attention. The Apostles found that much of their time was taken preparing tables and other mundane things. So deacons were ordained to assist and give the Apostles more time for prayer.
As the communities grew so did the need for ministers. Presbyters were ordained to celebrate the Lord’s Supper and bring the real presence of Christ to the communities. Both Presbyters and deacons are an extension of the Bishop.
In the Sacrament of Holy Orders there are three levels: deacons, priests and bishops. A deacon is not a small priest nor is a priest a small bishop. Each is a different calling within the same Sacrament. On the way to priestly ordination a man is ordained a deacon, which is called transitory deaconate. The permanent deaconate is exactly what is means—deacon until death. If a man is married and is called to the diaconate he may not marry again if his wife dies. (Most wives are happy about that.) If he has never married, he must vow celibacy at ordination. A bishop ordains both a presbyter and a deacon. Three bishops are required to ordain a bishop. Only a bishop has the fullness of the priesthood. The Papal Nuncio sends out inquiries where a bishop is needed. He asks the bishops of the area, the priests, deacons, religious and laity about certain possibilities. From the feedback the three most likely names of candidates are sent to Rome. The Roman office usually approves the first selection. A phone call is made to the candidate for his acceptance. “The Holy Father has chosen you to be the next bishop of the Diocese of Philenthopia.” If a auxiliary bishop is names he gets a diocese that’s under water or no longer exists. But every bishop has to have a Diocese. When a bishop will replace one who is already the ordinary, he is called a coadjutor. One he accepts the call a Papal Bull is written to that effect and is proclaimed at the ordination or installation. The Pope is the Bishop of Rome and therefore Pope of the Catholic Church. His cathedral is St. John Lateran, not St. Peter’s Basilica. That’s the reason that we have a day in the Church calendar dedicated to St. John Lateran—the mother of all Churches.
We all participate in the priesthood of Jesus Christ. However, some are called for special sacred duties to serve the Church. We pray that the Lord will send many more labors from our Diocese of Brownsville to bring people to Christ, the One and only priest.
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