The Eternal High Priest

By Fr. Conor Donnelly

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In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

My Lord and my God, I firmly believe that you are here, that you see me, that you hear me. I adore you with profound reverence. I ask your pardon for my sins and grace to make this time of prayer fruitful. My Immaculate Mother, Saint Joseph, my father and lord, my guardian angel, intercede for me.

We're told in the Old Testament, in the Psalms, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek” (Ps. 110:4).

The whole Church participates in the mission of Christ the Priest. Through the sacraments of Christian initiation, the lay faithful participate in Christ's priesthood and are rendered capable of sanctifying the world through secular affairs.

This is what the Second Vatican Council has called the common or universal priesthood of the faithful (Vatican II, Lumen gentium, Point 10, November 21, 1964; Catechism of the Catholic Church, Point 1647).

Priests, ordained ministers, in a way that is different in essence and not just in degree, also participate in Christ's priesthood and are constituted as mediators between God and man, especially through the Sacrifice of the Mass, which they carry out in the person of Christ.

Jesus Christ is High Priest forever. The Epistle to the Hebrews gives us a precise definition of the priesthood when it tells us that “every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins” (Heb. 5:1).

The priest, who is a mediator between God and man, is intimately connected with the sacrifice he offers; this is the principal act of worship whereby man adores his Creator.

The Old Testament sacrifices were offerings made to God in recognition of His sovereignty and in thanksgiving for favors received.

The act of total or partial destruction of the victim on the altar was a symbol and image of the authentic sacrifice which, in the fullness of time, Christ was to offer on Calvary.

Jesus, being made High Priest forever, offered himself to God as a most pleasing victim of infinite value. He willed to be at one and the same time “the Priest, the Altar, and the [Lamb of sacrifice]” (Roman Missal, Easter Preface V).

On Calvary, Jesus the High Priest made a most acceptable offering of praise and thanksgiving to God: “it was so perfect that none greater can be thought of” (Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, Part III, Question 48).

That sacrifice was also a supreme act of atonement for our sins. St. Thomas liked to say that one drop of Christ's Blood would have been sufficient to redeem all the sins of mankind (Thomas Aquinas, Prayer, Adoro te Devote).

Christ's petition on the Cross was heard most readily by His Father. Now, in heaven, “He always lives to make intercession for them,” as we're told in the Letter to the Hebrews (Heb. 7:25).

Pope Pius XII, in his very beautiful encyclical Mediator Dei, has said, “Christ is priest indeed, but he is priest for us, not for himself. It is in the name of the whole human race that he offers prayers and acts of religious homage to the Eternal Father.

“He is likewise victim; but victim for us, since he substitutes himself for guilty mankind. The Apostle’s exhortation, ‘Have this mind among yourselves, which was in Christ Jesus’ (Phil. 2:5), requires all Christians, so far as human power allows, to reproduce in themselves the sentiments that Christ had when He was offering himself in sacrifice—sentiments of humility, of adoration, praise, and thanksgiving to the divine Majesty.

“It requires them also,” he says, “to become victims, as it were; cultivating a spirit of self-denial according to the precepts of the Gospel, willingly doing works of penance, detesting and atoning for their sins” (Pius XII, Encyclical, Mediator Dei, Point 81, November 20, 1947).

What Pope Pius XII explains here, really, is what's called the virtue of priestly soul, which means having the same sentiments as Christ on the Cross when we do our daily work, when we fulfill our family obligations, when we're resting or playing sport, or when some challenge or contradiction or cross or difficulty comes along. Sentiments of humility, of adoration, of thanksgiving.

The Second Vatican Council has liked to say that all Christians have a priestly soul (cf. Vatican II, Lumen gentium, Point 31, November 21, 1964).

Blessed Álvaro del Portillo has said the whole Church participates in the redemptive mission of Christ the priest, “which is entrusted to all the members of the people of God, who, through the sacraments of initiation, have been made sharers in the priesthood of Christ, to offer to God a spiritual sacrifice and bear witness to Christ before man” (Álvaro del Portillo, On Priesthood).

We share in that mission of Christ the Priest because of our Baptism. We're marked with a seal, a seal that gives us a participation in that priesthood (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, Points 1268, 1273).

All the lay faithful participate in Christ's priesthood, although in a manner which is different from that of priests, not only in degree, but essentially.

With a truly priestly soul, they sanctify the world through the perfect exercise of their secular activities, seeking in everything the glory of God.

The mother who clears away the breakfast table or goes upstairs to make beds, or plans her family activities; or the father who drives his kids to school; or the student who does his homework or fulfills some obligation in class—all these things can be part of living out that priestly virtue—the housewife, through her domestic duties; or an army officer, by demonstrating his patriotism, principally through the cultivation of the military virtues; or the businessman improving his company's situation and promoting social justice.

In this way, all of them, offering their lives and their work through the Mass, make daily atonement for the sins of the world.

The document of the Council about priests, Presbyterorum ordinis, said that priests and bishops have been expressly called by God, “not in order that they should be separated from the people or from any man, but that they should be completely consecrated to the task ‘for which God chooses them’ (cf. Acts 13:2).

“They could not be the servants of Christ unless they were witnesses to, and dispensers of, a life other than that of this earth. On the other hand, they would be powerless to serve men if they remained aloof from their life and circumstances” (Vatican II, Presbyterorum ordinis, Point 3).

The priest has been chosen from among men to be invested with a dignity that astounds even the angels, and then sent back to men to serve them in relation to God with a unique and special salvific mission.

The priest repeatedly takes the place of Christ on earth: he has received Christ's power to forgive sins, he teaches men the way to heaven, and above all, he lends his hands and his voice to Christ in the most sublime moment of the Mass.

In the Sacrifice of the Altar, he consecrates in the person of Christ, taking Christ's place. There is no dignity comparable to that of the priest. “Only the divine maternity of Mary is superior to this divine ministry” (Réginald Garrigou-Lagrange, The Priest in Union with Christ).

The priesthood is a marvelous gift which God has given to His Church. St. Josemaría, in a homily called In Love with the Church, says, “The priest is a direct and daily instrument of the saving grace which God has won for us.”

That’s one of the reasons why we have to pray for priests. St. Josemaría indicated three specific days in the course of the year when we could particularly pray for all the priests of the world: on Holy Thursday, the institution of the priesthood; on June 25, the anniversary of the ordination of the first three priests of Opus Dei; and on August 4, the Feast of the Curé of Ars, St. Jean Mary Vianney, who is the patron saint of all parish priests.

“If we think about these ideas in our prayer, then we'll never think of the priesthood in terms of renunciation. It is a gain, an incalculable gain. Our Mother Mary, the holiest of creatures—only God is holier—brought Jesus Christ into the world just once; priests bring him on earth, to our soul and body, every day. Christ comes to be our food, to give us life, to be, even now, a pledge, a promise, of future life” (cf. Josemaría Escrivá, In Love with the Church, Point 39).

It's a good time in our prayer to thank Our Lord for this great gift. Thank you, Lord, for the invitations to the priesthood that you constantly issue to men.

On our part, we could make the resolution of dealing with priests ever more lovingly and reverently, seeing them as Christ who is passing by, and who bring us the most marvelous gifts we can desire. What they bring us ultimately is eternal life.

St. John Chrysostom in his homilies on the priesthood was very conscious of the dignity and responsibility of the priesthood.

He at first resisted the idea of being ordained, and justified his behavior, saying, “If the captain of a great ship, with a big crew full of oarsmen and laden with precious merchandise, ordered me to take the tiller and cross the Aegean or the Tyrrhenian Sea, my first reaction would be to resist. If I were asked why, I would immediately reply: because I don't want the vessel to sink” (John Chrysostom, On Priesthood).

But, as the saint appreciated well, Christ is always close to the priest, close to the ship. And it's His will that priests would continually feel supported by the esteem and the prayer of all the Church's faithful.

The Second Vatican Council says, “They should treat them with filial love as being their fathers and pastors. They should share also their priests’ anxieties and help them as far as possible by prayer and active work so that they may be better able to overcome difficulties and carry out their duties with greater success” (Vatican II, Presbyterorum ordinis, Point 9).

What the faithful require of their priests is that they would be always exemplary and base their efficacy on prayer, that they would celebrate the Holy Mass lovingly, and that they would care for God's holy things with the consideration and respect that they deserve, that they would visit the sick and attach great importance to catechesis, that they would always retain the joy which is born of self-surrender, and which is so helpful even to those who are separated from God.

Our Lord, who is present among us in many ways, is particularly present in the person of the priest. Each priest is a gift of God to the world. He is Jesus who goes about doing good. He cures illnesses. He brings peace and joy to men's minds.

The Second Vatican Council says he is the “living instrument of Christ in the world” (Ibid., Point 12).

He offers Our Lord “his voice, his hands, his whole being” (J. Escrivá, In Love with the Church, Point 39). At Mass, he renews in the person of Christ the redemptive Sacrifice of Calvary itself. He makes Christ's Redemption present and effective within history.

Pope St. John Paul, when speaking to the clergy of Brazil, said, “Jesus identifies himself with us in such a way in carrying out the powers he conferred upon us, that it is as if our personality disappears before his, since it is he himself who acts through us. … ‘It is Christ who…changes the substance of bread and wine into his Body and Blood at Mass’ (J. Escrivá, In Love with the Church, Point 39). And it is Jesus himself who, in the sacrament of Penance, utters the authoritative and fatherly words: ‘Your sins are forgiven’ (Matt. 9:2).

“It is he who speaks when the priest, carrying out his ministry in the name and in the spirit of the Church, announces the Word of God.

“It is Christ himself who cares for the sick, for children and sinners, when he enfolds them with the love and pastoral care of the sacred ministries” (John Paul II, Homily, July 2, 1980).

That's one of the reasons why we also have to pray constantly for the holiness of priests, helping them and sustaining them with our prayer and affection, and seeing Christ Himself in them.

Our Lord selected the apostles, not only as messengers, prophets, and witnesses, but also as His own representatives. Their new identity to act in the person of Christ needs to be expressed in a life which is simple and austere, a holiness which inspires a wholehearted dedication to the welfare of others.

Our Lord told them to take a staff for their journey, but nothing else: “no bread, no haversack, no money in their wallets” (cf. Mark 6:8).

God takes possession of the man He calls to the priesthood and consecrates him to the service of his fellow men, and bestows upon him a new personality.

Once he has been chosen and consecrated to the service of God and others, he's not just a priest at certain moments only, like when he's carrying out sacred functions.

“He is a priest always and at every moment,” says one author, “whether he is performing the highest and most sublime office or the most vulgar and humble action of his ordinary life.

“Just as a Christian cannot leave aside the fact that he is a new man, that Baptism has given him a particular character, and act ‘as if’ he were just a man purely and simply, neither can the priest leave aside his priestly character and behave ‘as if’ he were not a priest.

“Whatever he does, whatever attitude he adopts, whether he likes it or not, it will always be the action or the attitude of a priest, because he is a priest always and at all times down to the very depths of his being, whatever he may do or whatever he may think” (Federico Suarez, About Being a Priest).

The priest is a messenger from God to the world, sent to announce to mankind its salvation, and is constituted a steward of the mysteries of God (1 Cor. 4:1).

These mysteries include the Body and Blood of Christ, which he offers the faithful at Mass and at Holy Communion; the grace of God in the sacraments; and the divine Word which he utters in preaching, in catechesis, and in Confession.

To the priest has been confided the most divine of divine works, the salvation of souls. He has been made an ambassador and a mediator between God and men.

In the Preface of the Mass of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Eternal High Priest, it says, “In him the Father has been well pleased from before all time. As Mediator between God and human beings, fulfilling his Father's will, he sacrificed himself once on the altar of the Cross as a saving victim for the whole world.

“Thus, instituting the pattern of an everlasting sacrifice, with a brother's kindness he chose, from among the children of Adam, men to augment the priesthood, so that, from the sacrifice continually renewed in the Church, streams of divine power might flow, whereby a new heaven and a new earth might be made, and throughout the whole universe there would be perfected what no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the human heart.”

We can turn to Our Lady, who gave birth to the Eternal High Priest; she, who is the Mother of Priests.

We could ask her to give strength to all priests, and that the words of the Psalm might be always on our lips: “How can I repay the Lord for his goodness to me? The cup of salvation I will raise; I will call on the Lord's name” (Ps. 116:12-13).

The tree of the Cross is full with fruits. Suffering can help us to become more detached from the things of this earth, such as physical health.

Trials and tribulations offer us a chance to make reparation for our past faults and sins. St. Augustine teaches that on such occasions, Our Lord, the Eternal High Priest, comes to us like a physician to heal the wounds left by our sins. Tribulation is the divine medicine (St. Augustine, Commentary on the Psalms).

Suffering can move us to have recourse to the divine mercy. Our Lord said through the lips of the prophet Hosea: “Come, let us return to the Lord; for he has torn, that he may heal us” (Hos 6:1).

Our Lord Himself invites us and urges us to rely on Him in times of trial: “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28).

Truly Christ, the Eternal High Priest, is “our refuge and our strength”—words taken from the Psalms (Ps 46:1). In the midst of life's tempests, Christ is our one safe harbor.

Contradictions, sickness, and pain challenge us to acquire and live many virtues such as faith, fortitude, cheerfulness, humility, docility to the divine Will.

Countering these problems allows us to earn a great deal of supernatural merit, all merit coming ultimately from the Eternal High Priest.

St. Josemaría in the Furrow, Point 997, says, “When you think of all the things in your life which remain worthless for not having been offered to God, you should act like a miser, anxious to get hold of every opportunity you can and to make use of every suffering. —For if suffering is always there for us poor creatures, what can it be but stupidity to waste it?”

There may be times in our life when there is no shortage of such opportunities. But Christ the High Priest gives us the opportunity to convert all those things into spiritual goods.

Sorrow that is borne with a Christian spirit is a wonderful road to holiness. Our interior life virtually needs contradictions and obstacles if it is to prosper.

St. Alphonsus stated that just as a fire needs contact with air, so does the soul require tribulation if it is to be perfected (Alphonsus Liguori, Abbreviated Sermons).

Even temptations can serve to renew our love for the Lord.

St. Paul in the Letter to the Corinthians says, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your strength, but with the temptation will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it” (1 Cor. 10:13). Any trial that is borne with the Lord's help will bring us added blessings.

Whenever we are beset with difficulties we can look to Jesus, the High Priest on the Cross. The Psalmist says, “In my distress, I cry to the Lord, that he may answer me (Ps. 120:1).

“For we are powerless against this great multitude that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you” (2 Chron. 20:12).

We'll always find peace and strength in the merciful Heart of Christ. Let us not be the ones to hear that tender rebuke of the Master: “O man of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matt 14:31).

St. Teresa of Ávila once said, “O God! What little power has the strongest opposition when you, Lord, are pleased to bestow courage” (Teresa of Ávila, Foundations).

We can ask Our Lord for that courage when we are brought up against suffering and trial. Our Lady will teach us how to bring fruit from difficulty.

“Cor Mariae perdolentis, miserere nobis!” we’re told in Furrow, Point 258. “Invoke the heart of Holy Mary with the purpose and determination of uniting yourself to her sorrow,”—her priestly soul beside the priestly soul of the Eternal High Priest—"in reparation for your sins and the sins of men of all times.

“And pray to her,” St. Josemaría says, “—for every soul—that her sorrow may increase in us our aversion to sin, and that we may be able to love the physical or moral contradictions of each day as a means of expiation.”

I thank you, my God, for the good resolutions, affections, and inspirations that you have communicated to me during this meditation. I ask your help to put them into practice. My Immaculate Mother, Saint Joseph, my father and lord, my guardian angel, intercede for me.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

UI