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It is an honor to correspond with you today. I have a question and I pray you have time to help me with it.
Why does the Catholic Church reserve the Eucharist Consecration function only for ordained priests?
The CCC does not include an explanation and Canon Law briefly states, what can be understood simply as, because we say so. Other Church leaders, quoting the New Testament, have said that it is for our own good to be in a state of grace before receiving the Blessed Eucharist, but I have not found any place the New Testament where it limits the act of eucharistic consecration at Mass to ordained Priests.
The Catholic Answers website commentary has not been helpful and the best response I've received from Church leaders to date is: because Melchizedek is a Priest. But I ask:
Aren't we (the Baptized) made part of the same Kingship and Priesthood through Jesus?
Most importantly, is missing full Eucharistic participation, through a COVID dispensation, correct?, Or
Should we, the church leaders, properly catechize the Church family to lead and prepare their households in receiving the Body and Blood of our Lord in a safe and holy manner?
Did not each household leader prepare the Paschal Lamb that God consecrated before the Exodus?
Is not the formula given to the disciples in the Gospels sufficient to lead a Eucharist celebration?
Aren't today's faithful, disciples?
The sense of the faithful is that the greater part of our Church Body no longer believes that the Blessed Eucharist is the Body and Blood of our Savior. I believe this rejection stems from the reasoning that Jesus first revealed Himself after His Resurrection, not to the Apostles, but to the laity, as He broke Bread with them in a humble setting. I have confidence that Jesus intends the power of the Eucharist to belong to the faith of the believers. I pray that the Catholic Church returns the Eucharistic focus on the faithful rather than the long-standing focus on tabernacles and monstrances.
I ask this because God turned Golgotha into the holiest of consecrated altars.
Why does the Catholic Church not allow us to catechize the faithful in full Eucharist participation, including consecration in our homes, at least when critically necessary for the families we lead to Christ?
I pray that your works continue to grow for the benefit of many more of God's children. I am excited to hear back from you.
Thank you for this opportunity to write to you,
Vivat Jesus!
Hector Hernandez
San Pedro CA
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Why does the Church reserve the Eucharistic consecration function only for ordained priests? }
Mike replied:
Dear Hector,
Seeing that you referenced both Old Testament priesthoods and New Testament priesthoods, it would probably be best if you read all these issues within their proper context. Below are the appropriate articles and paragraphs from the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
1544 Everything that the priesthood of the Old Covenant prefigured finds its fulfillment in Christ Jesus, the "one mediator between God and men." (2 Timothy 2:5) The Christian tradition considers Melchizedek, "priest of God Most High," as a prefiguration of the priesthood of Christ, the unique "high priest after the order of Melchizedek"; (Hebrews 5:10; cf. Hebrews 6:20; Genesis 14:18) "holy, blameless, unstained," (Hebrews 7:26) "by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified," (Hebrews 10:14) that is, by the unique sacrifice of the cross.
1545 The redemptive sacrifice of Christ is unique, accomplished once for all; yet it is made present in the Eucharistic sacrifice of the Church. The same is true of the one priesthood of Christ; it is made present through the ministerial priesthood without diminishing the uniqueness of Christ's priesthood:
"Only Christ is the true priest, the others being only his ministers." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Hebrews 8, 4)
Two participations in the one priesthood of Christ
1546 Christ, high priest and unique mediator has made of the Church "a kingdom, priests for his God and Father." (Revelation 1:6; cf. Revelation 5:9-10; 1 Peter 2:5, 9) 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." ( Vatican II, Lumen Gentium 10 § 1)
1547 The ministerial or hierarchical priesthood of bishops and priests, and the common priesthood of all the faithful participate, "each in its own proper way, in the one priesthood of Christ." While being "ordered one to another," they differ essentially. (Vatican II, Lumen Gentium 10 § 2) In what sense? While the common priesthood of the faithful is exercised by the unfolding of baptismal grace --a life of faith, hope, and charity, a life according to the Spirit--, the ministerial priesthood is at the service of the common priesthood. It is directed at the unfolding of the baptismal grace of all Christians. The ministerial priesthood is a means by which Christ unceasingly builds up and leads his Church. For this reason, it is transmitted by its own sacrament, the sacrament of Holy Orders.
1548 In the ecclesial service of the ordained minister, it is Christ himself who is present to his Church as Head of his Body, Shepherd of his flock, high priest of the redemptive sacrifice, Teacher of Truth. This is what the Church means by saying that the priest, by virtue of the sacrament of Holy Orders, acts in persona Christi Capitis: (cf. Vatican II, Lumen Gentium 10; 28; Vatican II, Sacrosanctum concilium 33; Vatican II, Christus Dominus 11; Vatican II, Presbyterorum Ordinis 2; 6)
It is the same priest, Christ Jesus, whose sacred person his minister truly represents. Now the minister, by reason of the sacerdotal consecration which he has received, is truly made like to the high priest and possesses the authority to act in the power and place of the person of Christ himself (virtute ac persona ipsius Christi).
Christ is the source of all priesthood: the priest of the old law was a figure of Christ, and the priest of the new law acts in the person of Christ. (St. Thomas Aquinas, STh III,22,4c)
1549 Through the ordained ministry, especially that of bishops and priests, the presence of Christ as head of the Church is made visible in the midst of the community of believers. (cf. Vatican II, Lumen Gentium 21) In the beautiful expression of St. Ignatius of Antioch, the bishop is typos tou Patros: he is like the living image of God the Father. (St. Ignatius of Antioch, Ad Trallians 3,1: SCh 10,96; cf. Ad Magnesians 6,1: SCh 10, 82-84)
1550 This presence of Christ in the minister is not to be understood as if the latter were preserved from all human weaknesses, the spirit of domination, error, even sin. The power of the Holy Spirit does not guarantee all acts of ministers in the same way. While this guarantee extends to the sacraments, so that even the minister's sin cannot impede the fruit of grace, in many other acts the minister leaves human traces that are not always signs of fidelity to the Gospel and consequently can harm the apostolic fruitfulness of the Church.
1551 This priesthood is ministerial. "That office . . . which the Lord committed to the pastors of his people, is in the strict sense of the term a service. (Vatican II, Lumen Gentium 24) It is entirely related to Christ and to men. It depends entirely on Christ and on his unique priesthood; it has been instituted for the good of men and the communion of the Church. The sacrament of Holy Orders communicates a sacred power which is none other than that of Christ. The exercise of this authority must therefore be measured against the model of Christ, who by love made himself the least and the servant of all. (cf. Mark 10:43-45; 1 Peter 5:3)
"The Lord said clearly that concern for his flock was proof of love for him." (St. John Chrysostom, De sac. 2, 4: J.P. Migne, ed., Patroligia Greaca 48, 636; cf. John 21:15-17)
If you are interested in the Church's general view of Holy Orders and the Old Testament priesthood CCC paragraphs 1536-1543 from Article 6 should cover that pretty well.
That said, Jesus established (7) seven sacraments before His Ascension into Heaven. One of them was the male ministerial priesthood. For those called, the ministerial priesthood is an extension of our baptismal priesthood; one where, through this sacrament, the priest's word and actions are in the person of Christ. Because Jesus was a man, only a man can receive this sacrament.
Yes, as a lay Catholic, you do have a priesthood and you should be offering all your prayers, good works, and sufferings up with the Lord's for others and for the Body of Christ but it was Jesus' desire to establish a priesthood through which He would impart sacramental graces to others in the Church.
As to our current COVID 19 culture, the local (cardinals/bishops, and priests) should be striving to make decisions that are for the spiritual well-being of the Catholic community without being brainwashed by the mass media, both locally and nationally, and by poorly catechized Governors and Congressmen.
You said: The sense of the faithful is that the greater part of our Church Body no longer believes that the Blessed Eucharist is the Body and Blood of our Savior. I believe this rejection stems from the reasoning that Jesus first revealed Himself after His Resurrection, not to the Apostles, but to the laity, as He broke Bread with them in a humble setting. I have confidence that Jesus intends the power of the Eucharist to belong to the faith of the believers.
Jesus first broke Bread with the Apostles.
Who gave you any other idea?
You said: I pray that the Catholic Church returns the Eucharistic focus on the faithful rather than the long-standing focus on tabernacles and monstrances.
I think you have a misunderstanding about the Eucharist. The Eucharist is not about focusing on the faithful. The Eucharist IS the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus under the appearance of unleavened Bread. The focus is solely on Our Lord, Jesus!
We adore the Lord in the tabernacles and monstrances in each Catholic parish.
Sorry, it took a while to get back to you,
Hope this helps,
Mike
Mike followed-up:
Hi Hector,
I forgot to share some Bible passages from the Scriptures that defend Catholic Teachings:
He took the bread, said the blessing, broke it and said to the Apostles, Do this in memory of me.
(The bishops are the successors of the Apostles. Priests partake in the bishops work.)
"As the Father sent me, so am I sending you. After saying
this he breathed on them and said: Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone's
sins, they are forgiven; if you retain anyone's sins, they are retained."
Those are not to be accepted who have married again after the death of their first wife lest this should prove an occasion for criticism. Celibacy as a law for the clergy was of later ecclesiastical institution, although as a counsel it was urged by St. Paul, himself.
1 Timothy 4:1-3 — The Spirit has explicitly said that during the last times some will desert the faith and pay attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines that come from devils, seduced by the hypocrisy of liars whose consciences are branded as though with a red hot iron: they forbid marriage and prohibit foods which God created to be accepted with thanksgiving by all who believe and who know the truth.
St. Paul objects to these prohibitions when they are the outcome of false principles which would regard marriage and certain foods as impure, but he has no objection to abstaining from marriage when properly understood and based on sound principles.
Just a couple more thoughts. Peter tells us in his First Epistle:
9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
3 And Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, "Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: 4 'You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself. 5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. 6 And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel."
So all of Israel was considered a Nation of Priests yet, the Lord chose the Levites to serve in the Temple, and descendents of Aaron to priests that offered Sacrifice, so in the Old Testament we see a general priesthood for the people of Israel.
Likewise we say under the New Covenant a general priesthood of believers, in which we all partake in the Priesthood of Christ to intercede for each other and for non-believers but we also see an ordained Priesthood.
We see in Acts Chapter 1, (Acts 1:15-26), when the Apostles were gathered before Pentecost, they chose someone to replace Judas and they laid hands on Mathias. This was an ordination. Likewise they ordained Deacons in Acts 6:1-7.
In the New Testament, the word for priest is actually the Greek word Presbyter . . . most often translated Elder, where Bishops is Episcopal, sometimes translated bishop, other times overseer and for the first decades these words were somewhat used interchangeably. That's because, frankly, they were ordaining everyone Bishops . . . in which the fullness of Priesthood resides. The only Sacrament that requires a Bishop is Ordination, also known as Holy Orders. A Deacon, on the other hand, can only baptize (although anyone can baptize in emergency).
In Acts Chapter 8 (Acts 8:4-13) we read that Philip (the deacon) went to Samaria, preached the Gospel, and baptized but he didn't crismate or confirm them, meaning lay on hands on them to receive the Holy Spirit. Rather, John and Peter (the Apostles and therefore priests) went from Jerusalem to administer that sacrament. (Acts 8:14-17)
I hope this helps.
John DiMascio
Hector replied:
Gentlemen,
Peace to you brothers, and thank you for writing back.
Your references and helpful explanations make great sense. I do agree that we owe the utmost reverence to the Holy Eucharist but I still can't see how God could find any wrong in a layman leading his family in Sunday prayer, breaking bread, sharing Jesus, and remembering Jesus at home.
If so, I am guilty of not waiting for the Bishops, (not waiting for man) to remove the obliged dispensation from receiving our Lord?
I'm not contesting what you've shared but I would like to add that the Baltimore Catechism was the one doctrine we followed, now it's the CCC — man's view and understandings grow and change.
To focus on Apostleship would mean that God chose the men ordained today such as Cardinal McCarrick and the many others like him that all consecrate the Host.
Would God choose wolves in sheep's clothing to consecrate?
My home, my mini church is part of the less than 30% of Catholics that believe that Jesus is present in the Eucharist that we share, at Mass at church, and Mass at home. I also believe that God has bigger fish to fry than laymen teaching their families to adore Jesus.
I thank you again for taking the time to share your insightful direction but my heart hears Jesus talking to me when I read the commands of the Last Supper.
Vivat Jesus!
Hector
John replied:
Hector,
First, let's address something you said about the Catechisms:
There is no doctrinal contradiction between older Catechisms and newer ones.
You mentioned the Baltimore Catechism. That was a very limited explanation of Catholic Doctrine, meant to be used in the United States. The last official Church-wide Catechism, before the current CCC, was that of the Council of Trent; it was 500 years old but nothing in the new Catechism, contradicts the prior ones. It simply explains the same doctrines in more contemporary or different ways and speaks to the practical application of Church Teaching in current times.
Returning to Eucharist. You or I cannot consecrate the Eucharist. Period! The Eucharist is not just the breaking of Bread. You can say all the prayers you want over the bread and wine and when you're done, it will still be bread and wine and not the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus, sacramentally and really present in what appears to be Bread and Wine. You are simply deceiving yourself.
As for the personal holiness of priests, your question actually proves the point. The confecting of the sacraments is dependent on the Promise of Christ to work through the ordained minister — a priest or bishop, regardless of their personal holiness. Ordination configures the man's soul to Christ in a unique way so that it is Christ and not the man who is acting. That only comes with Ordination to the Priesthood. When it comes to administering the sacraments of Penance, the Eucharist, Confirmation, and the Anointing of the Sick, It takes a Bishop (to ordain either a priest of deacon).
In the Sacrament of Matrimony, the couple themselves are the ministers and the priest or deacon are simply witnesses. Baptism can be done by anyone.
This is just a theological fact.
We've given you plenty of Scripture. If you want to study further, start with the Earliest Church Fathers: Ignatius of Antioch, Justin Martyr, etc.
What I mean regarding doctrinal contradictions between catechisms is that we have moved toward the CCC for reasons, more than antiquated views, and more than just contemporary explanations.
Our first catechism originated as a knee jerk reaction to Martin Luther's catechism and now our Catechism has evolved into the (less than 30-year-old) CCC which has already included revisions by the Pope.
Yes, rationalizing Bible views with extra biblical teachings can be a good way to direct people, but we know that even the Doctors of the Church disagree on doctrine. Doctrine and dogmas may have been established with good intentions but they are not always right and not always true.
As you've stated, I will continue to deceive myself, (or not) clearly knowing that persona Cristi exists where two or more are gathered in His name.
And I ask, are you being deceived by today's Church hierarchy?
The scales will fall from our eyes soon enough, then we will all know what Jesus meant in His Teachings without further examination. Until then, I know that if our hearts are right, we can all baptize and the same applies to Eucharist consecration.
I love our Catholic Church, and I will continue to do what is in my God-given power to grow and protect her.
I wish you a wonderful day Brother.
Vivat Jesus!
Hector
Mike replied:
Dear Hector,
The first three paragraphs of your reply are totally ignoring the development of doctrine as the Church grew from generation to generation.
Whether you are talking about Catechisms or Doctors of the Church, you have to look at each time period the document of person (lived in|existed). With each generation there can be a better understanding of a Church teaching and, when needed, a Church council can clarify a specific official teaching for the faithful.
You said: As you've stated, I will continue to deceive myself, (or not) clearly knowing that persona Cristi exists where two or more are gathered in His name.
Your personal belief contradicts the faith of the Church you say you believe in.
Read the Catechism, Paragraphs 1546-1551 (above) in my initial reply again.
Mike
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