Wednesday, December 19, 2012

The Priesthood requires Personal Holiness


All Christian Tradition, based on Sacred Scripture, speaks of the priest as a "man of God," a man consecrated to God. Homo Dei: this definition is valid for every Christian, but St. Paul refers it especially to Bishop Timothy, his disciple, when he recommends the use of Sacred Scripture to him (cf. 2 Tim 3:16). It is appropriate to the presbyter as well as to the bishop, by reason of his special consecration to God. In truth, a person already receives a first, basic consecration in Baptism, with deliverance from evil and entry into a special state of belonging ontologically and psychologically to God [1] . Priestly ordination confirms and deepens this state of consecration, as the 1971 Synod of Bishops recalled when it referred to the priesthood of Christ shared by the presbyter through the anointing of the Holy Spirit [2] .

Continued in my new blog on the Priesthood here:  The Catholic Priesthood Blog

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