Called to be a priestly people
Scripture
writers have referred to Jesus as a priest in the order of Melchizedek.
He is the one who is chosen to lead his people to recognize the
transcendant one and to lead them to worship the one true God, who is
father and mother of all. Jesus is the one who will lead us to
reconciliation with the Father, the source of all love, and he will
lead us to reconciliation with all others whom we are called to love as
God loves us.
During
these next two years Bishop Legatt has
asked us to reflect on the mystery of Christ the Priest, and what this
means to us, those who have been called through our baptism to follow
Jesus. Through our baptism we are called to "put on Christ," to be
Christ. Therefore, through our baptism we are each called to be Prophet, Shepherd
King, and Priest. We have reflected on our roles as prophet, and shepherd king.
Now, we must discover what it means to be priest.
In his book Hope Against Darkness Richard Rohr, OFM defines priest as "the one who makes connection between the trascendent world and this world." He continues, "If you make that connection, you're a priest. This is the priesthood that all Christians are called to by virtue of their being baptized as 'priest, prophet, and king' or 'priestess, prophetess, and queen.'"
As baptized Catholics we are all called to the universal priesthood of Christ. We are called to a personal relationship with Christ, a relationship that automatically connects us to a loving and forgiving Father. Through this relationship we will learn all that we need to know about what it means to be a Son or Daughter of God. Through this relationship with Christ we will learn how we are to conduct ourselves in our relationships with our brothers and sisters who share that same relationship with the cosmic Christ.
Through our baptism we are called to be priest and priestess in our families. We are called to lead our children into a personal relationship with Christ. We are to lead them in worship of the loving God who has created us and sustains us in every minute of our lives. By being faithful to our baptismal commitment we create our own little domestic church. In this domestic church we will find the way to pass on our faith, and the way to interact with our God and with all people who become part of our everyday lives.
This is a huge responsibility, but it is to what we are called. It is this way, and I believe the only way, that the larger church will be renewed. No number of directives from on high, no reorganization of universal and diocesan church structures, no amount of new programs and incentives will renew the church. It is when our own vibrant and faith-filled domestic church gathers with other faith-filled domestic churches to worship jointly the God who is father and mother of all, that the larger church will be renewed.
This is our baptismal call to be Priest. Are we up for the challenge?
In his book Hope Against Darkness Richard Rohr, OFM defines priest as "the one who makes connection between the trascendent world and this world." He continues, "If you make that connection, you're a priest. This is the priesthood that all Christians are called to by virtue of their being baptized as 'priest, prophet, and king' or 'priestess, prophetess, and queen.'"
As baptized Catholics we are all called to the universal priesthood of Christ. We are called to a personal relationship with Christ, a relationship that automatically connects us to a loving and forgiving Father. Through this relationship we will learn all that we need to know about what it means to be a Son or Daughter of God. Through this relationship with Christ we will learn how we are to conduct ourselves in our relationships with our brothers and sisters who share that same relationship with the cosmic Christ.
Through our baptism we are called to be priest and priestess in our families. We are called to lead our children into a personal relationship with Christ. We are to lead them in worship of the loving God who has created us and sustains us in every minute of our lives. By being faithful to our baptismal commitment we create our own little domestic church. In this domestic church we will find the way to pass on our faith, and the way to interact with our God and with all people who become part of our everyday lives.
This is a huge responsibility, but it is to what we are called. It is this way, and I believe the only way, that the larger church will be renewed. No number of directives from on high, no reorganization of universal and diocesan church structures, no amount of new programs and incentives will renew the church. It is when our own vibrant and faith-filled domestic church gathers with other faith-filled domestic churches to worship jointly the God who is father and mother of all, that the larger church will be renewed.
This is our baptismal call to be Priest. Are we up for the challenge?