Theology of Orders
v 17/10/2011
F Theology of Orders
When we
talk of theology of Orders, the question that easily comes to mind is why it
should be called ‘theology of Orders’ and not of ‘Ordination’, since what we
are actually speaking of is the ordination to the priesthood, or episcopate, or
diaconate. What do we intend to say then when we use the term ‘theology of
Orders?
In the
first instance, it is important to remember that the term “Order’ can be used
either in its wider meaning or in the strict sense. When used in its wide
sense, order could mean norms, rules or regulations. Then again we have the
Order of Virgins in the Church. In this sense, the term ‘order’, implies vows,
religious life. As used in LG 12b, orders imply rank, categories. Likewise in
LG 13b.
In the
strict sense, order implies ordination – De Ordinatione. In the church, there
are only three forms of ordinations, Diaconate, Priesthood, and Episcopate. In
the ancient rite though, the orders were more than three. The present
arrangement is that of the Second Vatican Council. In Canon 949 of the 1917
Code, the major orders were: Episcopate, Orders, Priesthood, Diaconate, and
Sub-Diaconate. The minor orders include Acolyte, Lector, Exorcist, and
Doorkeeper. The minor Orders were suppressed by Pope Paul VI with the bull
called Ministerium Quadam
F Principles of Equality and Inequality.
All
Christ’s faithful are equal by virtue of their baptism – they are all priests
sharing in the one priesthood of Christ. Canon 208 puts it this way: “Flowing
from their rebirth in Christ, there is a genuine equality of dignity and action
among all of Christ’s faithful. Because of this equality they all contribute,
each according to his or her own condition and office, to the building up of
the Body of Christ.”
Thus following their rebirth in Christ, they
are all equal, they have genuine equality of dignity, of action and ‘by virtue
of their baptism, they participate in the royal priesthood, the prophetic and
royal mission of Christ.’ LG 9a
F The Principle of Inequality
In LG
10a, we see the two categories of priesthood namely; the common priesthood and
the ministerial priesthood. Though all the faithful participates by virtue of
their baptism in the common priesthood of Christ, there are some by divine
institution who participate in the ministerial priesthood of Christ - Canon
207. Divine Institution in this sense, implies that the ministerial priesthood
belongs to the unchangeable element of the Church. This is how God has ordained
it. It belongs to the ontological structure of the church – divine ordination
is a sacrament.
F Difference between Ministerial and Common priesthood
– LG 10
The
difference between the Ministerial and the Common priesthood lies in the
essence and not in degree. LG 10 says “though they differ in essence, the
ministerial and common priesthood are interrelated and they have a
participation in the priesthood of Christ. By sacred power the ministerial
priesthood teaches, instructs, and sanctifies the people of God. The
ministerial priesthood acts in persona Christi Capitas (the person of Christ,
the head). The difference between the ministerial and common priesthood
therefore lies in their function. Ministerial priesthood plays the role of
mediation between God and man and offers sacrifice to God on their behalf. Christ
functions both in the areas of mediation as well as in offering and the priest
acts in his name, performing the same actions. Through the common priesthood,
the faithful join in the offering – (See Christifideles Laici “the lay members
of Christ’s faithful”, numbers 21 – 22)
F Mediation – Consecration/Ordination
Mediation implies consecration or
ordination. A person becomes a priest by virtue of consecration or ordination.
Through ordination, the candidate becomes a priest, plays the role of
mediation, acquires an indelible character, and expresses an ontological change
and the permanence of such a change – you are a priest forever, in the order of
Melkezedeck. Ministerial priesthood by virtue of consecration or ordination
receives a gift (Munera) or office (Munus). It is the exercise of gift that
result to office – the office of teaching (Docendi), sanctifying
(Sanctificendi) and ruling (Regendi) – Canon 1008 LG 10
Canon 1008 – By divine institution, some
among Christ’s faithful are through the sacrament of Orders marked with an
indelible character and are thus constituted sacred ministers; whereby they are
consecrated and deputed so that each according to his own grade (Degree), they fulfill in the person of Christ the head, the
office of teaching, sanctifying and ruling, so they nourish the people of God.
F Difference between the episcopate,
priesthood and diaconate
The
Bishop and the priest participate by virtue of their ordination, in the one
priesthood of Christ, yet the priest is not a bishop. What then is the
difference between the episcopate and the priesthood? The difference between
the episcopate and the priesthood lies in their degree/grade of participation
and not in essence. LG 28b says that priests collaboratively with their bishop
participate in the priesthood of Christ.
F Superiority of Bishops over the Priest.
Is a
bishop superior to a priest? This question is an ancient question and there
have been attempts to answer it in the past. The Council of Trent addressed
this issue – DS 1777. The bishop is superior to the priest but the superiority
is not from the power of order but from the power of jurisdiction. Power of
jurisdiction is the power a bishop has over the areas or locality he governs.
An Archbishop is superior to a diocesan bishop by power of jurisdiction he
exercises over ecclesiastical province he administers. Both the Pope and every
other Bishop are equal by virtue of their Episcopal ordination (powers of
order).
As a
matter of fact the Pope is referred to as the bishop of Rome, but he is
superior to other bishops by the power of jurisdiction he exercises over the
universal church. Gregory the Great was elected Pope as a deacon and he reigned
as a Deacon-Pope for about 9 months before his consecration as a bishop. During
this period, he even deposed bishops because of the juridical powers he has
over the universal church.
v November 8, 2011
F Principle of Inequality between the
episcopate and the priesthood continued
In
Canon 1008 we read: “By divine institution, some among Christ’s faithful are,
through the sacrament of order, marked with an indelible character and are thus
constituted sacred ministers; thereby they are consecrated and deputed so that,
each according to his own grade, fulfils, in the person of Christ the Head, the
office of teaching, sanctifying and ruling, and so they nourish the people of
God.”
The
phrase, “”by divine institution”, implies that the sacrament of orders belong
to the unchanging character or nature of the church. According to their grades, the bishop and
priest possess the three gifts (Munera) of docendi, (the office of teaching)
sanctificendi (the office of sanctifying) and regendi (the office of ruling).
The question now is, what about the deacon? Yes, a deacon can teach, and rule
the people of God but can he sanctify? We noted earlier in this course that
there is a problem with this canon when it comes to the issues pertaining to the
deacons.
This
canon does not represent the mind of the church properly consequently Pope
Benedict XIV has come up with a promulgation or law (MOTU PROPRIO) “Omnium in Mentem” concerning this
issue – see a copy for the proper interpretation of this canon.
Munera (Munus)
Bishops and priests from the above diagram
share in the one priesthood of Christ. Yet there is a difference between the
priest and the bishop. The power of sacramental order confers both on the
bishop and the priest the three gift of teaching, ruling and sanctifying the
people of God. The distinction between the bishop and the priest lies on the
various functions they perfume and it is rather a juridical matter and has
nothing to do with regards to the essence of their priestly ordination.
The Vatican Document Presbyterorum Ordinis
number 7 maintains that “all priests share with the bishops the one identical
priesthood and ministry of Christ”. In number 8a, it says that “all
priests, who constituted in the order of priesthood by the sacrament of Orders,
are bound together by an intimate sacramental brotherhood; but in a special way
they form one priestly body in the diocese to which they are attached under
their own bishop. For even though they may be assigned different duties, yet
they fulfill the one priestly service for the people”. The distinction between
the episcopate and the priesthood is only a matter of disciplinary measures and
not in their sacramental life. This was the position of St. Jerome
v November 15, 2011
Dionysius
the Areopagte however, maintained that there is a real distinction between the
episcopate and the priesthood. He tried to use the image of the Holy Trinity to
illustrate his point. This position however has long been discarded. St. Thomas
Aquinas, St. Bonaventure, St. Albert the Great all followed the teachings of
St. Jerome on this matter by maintaining that there is no real distinction in
the essence of the priesthood (sacramentality), but only a matter of
disciplinary measure. The Council of Trent however, anathamatised anyone who
holds that the episcopacy is not superior to the priesthood but did not clarify
in what ways they episcopacy is superior to the priesthood.
F Lumen Gentium number 28a: The
Degree of Participation
Lumen
Gentium number 28a clearly stated that the Bishops are the successors of the
Apostles. The bishops as successors of the Apostles are entrusted with the
fullness of Apostolic succession. They are visible principle and foundation of
unity in particular churches. The priests even though they are not direct
successors of the Apostles, are found on the same descending line of Apostles.
They do not participate fully in the Munus ministerial Apostolici.
Diagrammatic
illustration
During
the Council in Canterbury in which 400 Anglican bishops were present, Monsignor
Cohen Debby while addressing the assembly asserted that the Catholic Church’s
position is firm and strong enough concerning the issue of women’s ordination.
In their response to this assertion, the Anglican bishops maintained that the
Catholic Church has no sufficient proof for her position and that they were not
of divine law. Out of the 400 bishops that have gathered for the meeting
however, 316 voted in favour of the ordination of women while 37 voted against
it and 17 abstained. In 1988, the
Anglican Bishops met again for a reconsideration of this issue, 525 bishops
were present. 432 voted in favour of women’s ordination, 38 voted against and
19 abstained.
F
Canon
1024
In
Canon 1024, it is stated clearly that only a baptized man can validly receive
sacred ordination. The term “man” as used here does not imply the generic term
of man. The actual word used in the Latin text of the Code is “vir”
which means the male sex. In the light of this canon law, the first required
for a valid ordination to the priesthood therefore is baptism. An unbaptised
person cannot therefore be ordained to the priesthood. Even if he is ordained
without this fact being known, the ordination is invalid and once the
ordination is invalid, all the sacraments he had administered becomes invalid.
For
a baptism to be valid water and the Trinitarian formula must be present
– these are known as the matter for the baptism. The implication is that for a
person to be ordained to the priesthood, he must be a baptized male.
F
Can
a woman who changes her sex organ to that of a man be ordained?
No!
Ontologically the law of nature has been violated in this case. By nature she
is a woman; the fact that she has mutilated her sex organ so as to look like a
man does not in any way changes her nature from a woman to a man. She had
tempered with her nature as a woman and so she cannot be ordained. This applies
also to a man who changes his male sex organ into that of a woman. By nature he
is created as a man.
F
What
about hermaphrodites?
In
the case of hermaphrodites, what is considered is the dominant trait that they
exhibit. One may display more masculine character than that of feminine
character or vice versa. The dominant hormone in them determines the actual
state of life to which they belong and it is in this light that they may be
helped to make a choice concerning the particular way of life that they intend
to embrace.
F
Baptism
can only be administered with water and the Trinitarian Formula.
What happens in the absence of water? Suppose
there is a bottle of beer around? Can that be used in place of water? What
about the use of spittle? Can a baptism be administered with any other liquid
other than water? Would such a baptism be considered valid? Questions such as
the above had been addressed to the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith at
one time or other in the history of the Church.
In reply, the Congregation maintained that such baptisms are invalid.
Even when a person is at the point of death, nothing can substitute water for baptism.
It is therefore better to die with the desire to receive baptism than to confer
an invalid baptism. Without water and the Trinitarian formula, any baptism is
considered to be invalid.
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