ORDINATION TO THE PRIESTHOOD

Christians live their faith in a local church with Christ as their leader and 'overseer' (1 Peter 2:25). We are a people intimately 'at one' with Christ, a royal, priestly and prophetic community anointed with the Spirit to be the Lord's instrument in the world. The risen Jesus is Servant Lord of the Church, and lives among us as our one and only Good Shepherd and High Priest, the Head of his Body, gathering us together, feeding and guiding us, bringing us back when we stray.

How does the Lord make his invisible leadership visibly present and effective? He works in many ways, using the gifts of different people to care, teach and lead, but it is above all through those set aside by the sacrament of ordination that Jesus exercises his role as our Shepherd and Leader.

The priest is the personal living sign in the midst of his pilgrim community that the Lord is there as our High Priest offering himself to the Father, our Head uniting his Body with himself in his sacrifice, our Shepherd nourishing his flock with the gift of himself and gathering them together as one. The priest is not someone 'between' Christ and his people; he makes Christ present, 're-presenting' him, specifically in his pastoral leadership of his disciples.

The priest presides at the Eucharist, absolves sinners, anoints the sick, proclaims and explains the Good News with authority, blesses the people and generally leads the whole faith-life of his community. He does these things because of what he became at his ordination, the living sign and instrument, the living icon of Jesus as he continues his own ministry among us. Jesus leads the Church through the visible service of his priests.

The priest serves as one of the people, yet one set apart. His vocation enables every member of the Church to live his or her own vocation to the full. The priest is a visible centre of unity, and has the task of helping people to discover and use their gifts in the service of Christ, so that the Church can be what it is called to be, the living sign and instrument of Christ in the world. The priest is essential for the full life of the Church. There is a real need for more people to offer themselves for this vital ministry of pastoral leadership in the name of the Lord.