Au In the beginning was the Word
 

1.- The Holy Orders is the sacrament of the ecclesial minister. Clerical ordination is the act that incorporates a Christian to the church’s service. Nevertheless, it is necessary to assume some interrogations. Is the figure of the church’s minister in crisis?. Which are the most important questions raised to day?. Is the ecclesial service perceived like a Lord’s grace?.

2.- Let us examine some data: in 1769 there was in Spain 65.875 priests (1 x 141 inhabitants). In 1859 there was 38.563 (1x 401 inhabitants. In 1957 there was 23.327 (1 x 1.264 inhabitants). In 1982 there was 22.592 (1 x 1.171 inhabitants). The number of religious in 1963 was of 35.912; in 1984, 29,162. In 15 years, 6.570 religious less.

3.- The figure of church’s minister, such as it has reached us (priest, monk or friar, celibate, man), is under crisis. This is shown by some facts: a strong decrease of vocations number, a large amount of abandonments, a progressive oldness of the clergy and diverse inquiries. Besides, the religious services requested by the society (upon all, of sacramental type) fall over the shoulders of a continuously decreasing number of priests. It is necessary to go back to the original fountains of the ecclesial service to find an evangelic answer to the crisis.

4.- There are a diversity of services in the first communities, between them that of leadership or presidency (1 Thes 5,12; 1 P 5,1-2), but the leaders are never known as priests. These are those who announce the Gospel. The priests (jews or gentiles) are the ministers of the temple or the altar (1 Co 9, 13-14). In some sense, all Christians are priests (1 P 2,5.9) Besides, the uselessness of the Old Testament’s worship is denounced (Hb 9,5.9). First Christians keep their identity: they do not believe in the gods that the Greeks have as such, and they do not follow the Jews superstition either (I,1), like it is expressed in the letter to Diogneto, about century II. During the first centuries, the Church does not present the proper features of an established religion: priests, temples, images, altars. Due to these, the Christians are accused of impiety. They are pursued under the scream of death to the atheists!. About the year 300, Arnobio writes: You accuse us, upon all, of impiety, because we neither build temples nor raise divine images nor dispose altars.

5.- If we follow Jesus of Nazareth’s steps, everything is understood. . He is a priest forever in the priestly order of Melchisedek (Hb 7,17), according to the Scriptures: You did not desire and offerings… here I am, I will do your will (Hb 10,5.7). Hi is not a levitical priest, he is a secular prophet (Mt 21,23-27; Lk 24,19), normally dressed (Jn 19,23). The prophetic hopes are accomplished in him: And the man of God will tell us our way. (1 S 9,8). And also: Over them I will put a shepherd who will pasture them (Ezk 34,23). Between the many disciples who follow them, he chooses twelve to stay with him and to send them to predicate (Mk 3, 14-15). A brand new God’s people is raising (Mt 19,28). Jesus shares his own mission with them (10,8); he sends them in pairs (Mk 6,7); when they come back, they are known like apostles, id est, legates (6,30). They are not the only ones. There are also the seventy two (Lk 10,1.20) and the women that accompany Jesus (8, 2-3).

6.- In the group of the twelve, Peter has a special place: he is the rock, he has the Kingdom’s keys, he can bind and unbind (Mt 16,18-19; see Jn 21, 15-17 and Mt 18,18). The twelve collaborate with Jesus in the loaves multiplication (Mk 6,35-44; 8,1-9); they must follow his example, not looking to be served but to serve (10,45); they celebrate with him the last supper (14,12-24); they receive the tradition of the Lord’s supper (Lk 22,19). Nevertheless, the women are those who announce Jesus resurrection to the eleven (Judas is missing) and to the rest (Lk 24,10;Jn 20,18). The eleven receive from the resurrected Lord the mission of forsaking or retaining the sins (Jn 20,23) and the mission to announce the Gospel to all nations (Mt 28,19).

7, -      The first Christian communities have their leaders: apostles and presbyters (elders) (Acts 15,23), prophets and teachers (13,1; 2 P 3,2), bishops and deacons (Phil 1,1). Evangelists and pastors are also cited (Eph 4,11). Terms are not fixed yet nor correspond to the terms used today. The different services appear little by little, according to the places and the needs. There are also female prophets (Acts 21,9) and deaconesses (Rom 16,1). The twelve appear in the initial Christian community like a special group; they guarantee the continuity of Jesus mission and organize the community’s life (Acts 2,42; 8,14,17). In Mathew election, Peter establishes the conditions that the apostle must posses: To have accompanied Jesus from the beginning and to be a witness of his resurrection (Acts 1,21-22).

8.- In Jerusalem community, with the apostles, James, Lords brother, appears like the great leader, surrounded by an elders (presbyters) council, according to the model of the jewish synagogues (Acts 15,13,22). Between the greek language Christians (Phil 1,1;1Tim 3,1,8) terms of current use are employed: inspectors (bishops) and servers (deacons). In Jerusalem community the seven are also elected, to take care of the greek sector of the community (Acts 6,2). To this group belongs Esteban, the first martyr, accused to talk against the saint place and the law (6,13). Antioch’s community is also born from this group, catechised by Barnabas and Paul (11,25-26).

9.- The apostles acknowledge the grace granted to Paul (Ga 2,9). Christ himself has confided him the ministerial service  (1Tm 1,12). Paul has the responsibility upon the communities that he raises. He places Timothy in charge of Ephesus  (1Tm 1,3) and Titus of Crete (Tt 1,5). The leaders of the local communities are distinguished from Paul’s personal collaborators, that he chooses himself (Phil 2,19-24). Together with the large communities, like Jerusalem or Antioch, there are small communities (1Co 16,19), which leadership could be assigned to the family´s head, man or woman (Rom 16,3-5;Col 4,15). In Philippi, the community begins with a group of women  (Acts 16,12); they have a predominant role (Acts 16,15; Phil 4,1).

10.- In the pastoral letters, through the laying of hands of an elders´ council and the prophet’s word, some christians, in whom the community has seen a Lord’s grace, are included between the ministers or leaders (1Tm 4,14; Acts 14,23). Originally, hands laying means to elect someone raising the hand. Some election criteria are given: it is considered normal that these leaders were married, family´s parents who have given proof a good leadership at home and in the children education (1 Tm 3,1-13; Tit 1,5-9). Paul renounces to a marital life with freedom and in the Gospel’s service, without criticizing to anybody. Every one has his grace; some in one way, others in other way (1 Co 7,7.25;9,5).

11.- At the end of the Ist century, Saint Clement Roman in his first letter to the Corinthians writes that the apostles while announcing in places and cities the good news and baptizing to those who obeyed God’s design, they were establishing like bishops and deacons for the future believers, to those who were principals between them (42,4). The document called Apostles doctrine, perhaps written in the Ist century already, talks about prophets and teachers. It says about the prophets: They are your High Priests (13,3). It also says: Choose bishops and teachers (15,1). In the letters that Saint Ignatius of Antioch writes in his way to the martyrdom (about year 107), a bishop appears in every community, assisted by elders (presbyters) and deacons. As far as the Eucharist is concerned, he says that it only can be considered valid that celebrated by the bishop or by someone with his authorisation (Esm. 8,1).

12.- Although the subject raises polemics (1Tim 2,11-14; 1Co 11,1-16), it looks like during the two first centuries, women bishops cases cannot be excluded, whenever the Church met at the home ambit (private). In the roman basilica dedicated to Saint Praxedes, with that dedicated to Saint Pudenciana, there is a mosaic in which four feminine figures appear: both saints, Mary and a fourth woman with a veil covering the hair and with a square halo around her head (this indicates that she is still alive). Mary and the two mentioned saints are very easily identified. An inscription identifies the face of the fourth like corresponding to Theodora Episcopa, but the two last letters of the name have been erased.

13.- In the old Church, every community participates in their leaders election.  Cyprian claims this right even in front of pope Stephan: A non-desired by a nation bishop must not be imposed  (Ep. 4,5). Saint Lion Magnus says: everybody must elect who is to preside over everybody. An also: No bishop should be consecrated against the Christians´ desire and without a previous and specific consultation (Ad Anastasium). Parish were not known in the initial christhianity. Every bishop had his community and every community had his bishop.

14.- Let us see the election of Saint Polycarp (+ 155, martyr, 86 years old) like Smyrna’s bishop. Without any delay, having been called the neighbouring cities´ bishops, a large crowd from cities and villages congregated too: It was the reading of the letters of Saint Paul to Timothy and Titus, in which the apostle says how the bishop must be, and the writing fitted so well to him, that everybody agreed that Polycarp did not missed any of the specifications that Paul required from that who is to have the Church under his care. After the reading and the exhortation of the bishops and the homily of the presbyters, the deacons were sent to the people to ask who was the desired by them, and they unanimously answered: Polycarp be our shepherd and teacher. Being that agreed by all the ecclesial assembly, they raised him to the bishop dignity, over his supplications and his desire to renounce. (Ap. 22-23). According to Saint Ireneo, Polycarp narrated his treat with John and the rest who have seen the Lord (Letter to Florin, c.II).

15.- Canon 6 of the Caledonian council (year 451), in force in the Western till century XII, translates in juridical terms the conception and the practice of the ministerial consecration in the initial Church: It declares null and invalid the absolute ordination, id est, the ordination of a bishop disentailed from a community: Nobody can be consecrated neither like priest nor like deacon…. if a local community in the city or in the country is not assigned to him, in a martirium (sepulchre of a venerated martyr) or a monastery (PG 104, 558).

16.- From the century III on, the Church starts talking about ordination to indicate the incorporation of a christian to the holy orders. In the roman world this term was used for the nomination of the imperial functionaries. With the Milan’s edict, Constantine decrees the tolerance of the christian cult. The christian priests are equated to the pagan priests; the Administration provides economic help for them; Sunday becomes the resting day for the whole society. With the Thessalonica’s edict (380), Theodosius proclaims the christianism like the State’s official religion. The emperor intervenes and interferes in the Church’s business. The bishops obtain the rank of functionaries with the included privileges. Liturgy assume things repugnant in the pass, since they recalled the pagan cult: incense’s use, candles instead of oil lamps, altar instead of a table, temples instead of meeting rooms, liturgical vestures instead a normal dress. The bishops are high priests; the presbyters, second order priests or simply priests (centuries IV – V).

17.- The main tension now is not established between the Church and the world (Rom 12,2), but between the clergy and the laics. The Church is conceived like an institution invested with power (hierarchy) in front of the christian people reduced to a mass with no competences. Pope Gelasius (492 – 496) defines the situation with his doctrine of the two powers: the priesthood and the empire. In the Western world, under the pressure of the Nordic invasions, the Church is the only institution that survives. The clergy monopolizes education and culture. With these facts, the laic more and more lacks education, he does not even understand Latin and, so, he cannot already follow the liturgy, assuming the role of silent listener. The clericalism is underway.

18.- In the century IV already appears, like a reaction to the current paganism, the ascetic tradition of the monachal status, also called holy orders. The organizers of this way of life were in the Eastern the Egyptian Pacomius (346) and Basil of Caesarea (379); in the Western, Ambrosia (379), Agustin (430) and, upon all, Benito of Nursia (about 560). The typically Christian way of life of the initial Church, to be a member of the Church, is not taken into account. What now is taken into account is the liberation of the world, the ground possessions and the marriage. The clergy distance from the normal life and form their own life status with their immunity, their privileges and their own dressing. According with the Graciano´s decree (1142), the first class of the two states of the Church is formed by the priests and the monks; the second, the laics.

19.- In 1179, the old Chalcedony’s conception is broken and what counts is the benefit: Nobody can be ordered if his subsistence is not ensured. (Third Letran council, canon 5). The society feudal organization conditions the figure of the ministry. The ecclesial entailment of the priest becomes feudal lord, ecclesiastic or civil, dependency, what insures the benefit. At the same time, the new conceptions of the law carry with them a distinction, according to which any people who has received the holy orders personally possesses the sacerdotal function (ordinance powers), even in the case that a Christian community is not assigned to him (jurisdiction power).

20.- Unimaginable practices in the old Church are gradually imposing: for instance, the private mass, without community. The priest dedicates himself almost exclusively to celebrate masses. Altars are multiplied in the churches, The Old Testament laws upon the priesthood and the monachal tradition determines the medieval figure of the ministry. The distinctive sign of the priesthood is his relationship with the cult. The priest is someone separated from the world, even the Christians. Celibacy could be the adequate expression of that separation. The priest, and not the community, is the mediator between God and men.

21.- The law of celibacy was promulgated in the Latin Church, in a explicit way, in the canons 6 and 7 of the II Letran Council (1139). Such a law was the result of a long story (from the end of the IV century), in which there was only one continence law for the married priest (letter of pope Siricius, 385; DS 185). According with an old practice, it was forbidden the social relationship before receiving the Eucharist. At the end of the IV century, when the western Churches began to celebrate daily the Eucharist, the continence demanded to the married priests became a permanent

22.- The Trent council, reacting to the reformers critics, defends the existing ecclesiastic ordaining. The Church ministry is the priest, that is, upon all, the man of the sacraments. (DS 957). The holy orders is an efficient sign that introduces into the ecclesial hierarchy: grants the grace (DS 959) and impresses character 8ds 960). The bishops, Apostles successors, are superior to the priests (DS960). Deaconship is only a step towards the priesthood. Seminaries institution is decreed. In a very ritualistic epoch, the need of a Christ priesthood according with Melchisedec ordinance is recalled, since is not possible to reach perfection due to the uselessness of the levitic priesthood  (D 938).

23.- The II Vatican council, places the ecclesial ministry in the frame of the community. It is a service to shepherd God’s people and to increase always (LG 18). Ecclesial ministry is carried out in several aspects by those that already from ancient times are known like bishops, presbyters and deacons (LG 28). There is an essential difference and not only gradual (LG 32) between the priesthood minister and the common priesthood, although a real equality exists between all those baptized (LG 32). Protestants have rejected that the ecclesial ministry were something constitutive of the Church: it would be merely functional. Nevertheless, in the ecumenical dialogue this potion is gradually less strong. (see the Lima’s document 8, 1982).

24.- Bishops are the apostles´ successors (CD 2), they have the plenitude of the holy orders sacrament (LG 21), they have received the community´s ministry with their collaborators, the presbyters and the deacons (LG 20), and altogether with the Pope, Peter’s successor, they form a single apostolic college. The presbyters are Episcopal order collaborators (CD 28), shepherds of God’s people, and they act like in persons with Christ’s head (PO2). Their mission is not limited only to take care individually of the faithful, but it extends also to form a genuine Christian community (PO6); any priestly ministry participates of the same universal amplitude of the mission assigned to the Apostles by Christ (PO 10). Deacons are ordered not for the priesthood, by for the ministry (LG 29). Deaconate is re-established like hierarchy’s own and permanent grade for the liturgy, the Word and the charity service. 

25.- The II Vatican council appreciates the priestly celibacy like particular fountain of spiritual fecundity; it acknowledges that it is not an exigency of the priesthood nature itself, like it appears in the initial Church practice and in the tradition of the Eastern Churches; nevertheless, it confirms the legislation in force in the Latin Church (PO 16). The celibacy (assumed like Christ’s imitation and pursuance) is, certainly, a radical option by which the disciples become fully disposable at the Gospel service (Mt 19,12). But, if Christ confided the apostolic ministry to married (and not married) men, and the apostles, in his turn, made the same, in that same manner may and must act the Church. Saint Paul says, even making clear his personal option and preference: As far as the celibacy is concerned, I have no commandment from the Lord (1 Co 7,25). In any case, it is fundamental for the option to be a grace’s fruit (and not of the law) and clearly free. It is certain the proverb: Freedom fills with light everything. And also: Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is the freedom (2 Co 3,17).

26.- According to the Canonical Law (1983), only the baptized man receives validly the Holy Orders (c. 1024). Catholic Church Catechism explain it in this way: Jesus the Lord elected men to form the college of the twelve apostles and the apostles made the same when they elected their collaborators. (n. 1577). Nevertheless, in the ecumenical dialogue is more and more affirmed that there is no theological reason to exclude the woman from the ordinate ministry, from the common human and chiristian dignity: in Christ there is no longer any difference between Jew and Greek, or between slave and freedman, or between man and woman (Gal 3, 28). In 1972 The Anglican Church approved the ordination or women. The Presbyterians made the same in the fifties, and the Lutherans in the seventies. One question: Is a clericalization of the woman coming up?.

27.- Finally, during the post council (at some level at least) a hopeful blossoming of communities has been raising, communities in which the Gospel experience is lived in the frame of a fraternal relationship. Nevertheless, if the Church is (by definition) community, the most grave and worrying matter is not the scarcity of priesthood vocations, but (in a large scale) the alarming absence of living communities in which a sufficient diversity of ministries and services can take place. Like at the beginning.

            For the personal and grouped reflection:

The figure of the Church’s minister is in crisis
It is not clear what is the meaning of being a priest
For many people is the man that delivers the sacraments
Perhaps still a State functionary
There is a difference between the roll carried out and the one desired
Clericalism is a non-overcome ballast
The problem is the Church’s model
It is necessary to go back to the first communities model
The ministry is a Lord’s grace perceived by the other people
Celibacy must be a free option
There is no reason to exclude the woman from the holy orders
The community should participate in the election of its leaders
The crisis can be over overcome.