Recently ordained priests–like all priests–are priests because the bishop–and all the members of the presbyterate–laid hands on them, thus leaving them “fit into the body of bishops,”[1] made into “successors of the Apostles in the priesthood” through the power to “consecrate, offer, and administer the Body and Blood of the Lord.”[2] The laying on of […]
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The Most Holy Virgin Mary is the mother of the Eternal High Priest, Jesus Christ, of whom the prophets announced: Like Melchizedek you are a priest forever (Ps 110:4). Why do these words of Sacred Scripture, Like Melchizedek you are a priest forever, (Ps 110:4) appear as a reference to Jesus Christ and, by prolongation,
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A. Institution of the Diaconate in the Church The diaconate is a divine-apostolic institution, and not merely ecclesiastical; the order of the diaconate exists in the Church by the will of Jesus Christ, and deacons exist by apostolic institution, as the Second Vatican Council teaches: “The divinely established ecclesiastical ministry is exercised on different levels
There is an institution that appears in every era, wherever there have been men: it is the priesthood. The priesthood comes to give priests who fulfill one of humanity’s most fundamental needs: the need for someone to be a mediator between God and men, especially by means of that classic task that we call sacrifice:
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[1] John Paul II has convoked the 10th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, which will take place around the time of Jubilee in the year 2000. The theme will be: The Bishop: Servant of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the Hope of the World. This Synod, writes Cardinal Jan P. Shötte,
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The Imitation of Christ teaches that a “good peaceable man turns all things to good.”[1]The Church has always worked in the same way; when errors arose, she delved more profoundly into Revelation. Each of us should work in the same way, taking advantage of all different circumstances in order to know Our Lord more profoundly
Only one true Priesthood Read More »
[1] Interest in the Biblical foundation of the evangelical counsels is not something exclusive to the modern era. Nevertheless, it is certain that with the renewal of religious life promoted by the Second Vatican Council this interest has become the subject of much theological speculation. Many progressive theologians insist on denying the doctrine and practice
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Currently there are many terrible attacks against the religious life. In a document by the Spanish Conference of Bishops about theology and secularization, a paragraph was dedicated to this topic, and the bishops made it clear how some people, even religious, seek to destroy the consecrated life: “Consecrated life is a form of sequela et
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There are two meanings of the word mystery: the first, and more common, refers merely to something that is unknown, to something hidden. In this sense we say, for example, “a mystery movie.” The other meaning refers to the things that God reveals, indicating that the fullness of something is too vast for man to
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*The Spanish word used is yerra, meaning the mark that is left after branding an animal; the Spanish footnote reads: Real Academia Española, Diccionario de la Real Academia Española (Madrid, 1992) 1502, vocablo «Yerra»: «R. de la Plata. Hierra, acción de marcar con hierro los ganados». I As we know, there are three sacraments that
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