| In considering priesthood, there are three dimensions that present themselves. There is, first and foremost, the priesthood of Christ Jesus. There is the priesthood of all believers that is the chief heritage of Baptism. And there is the ordained priesthood of Holy Orders.
The Priesthood of the Christ. Paul in Hebrews 7:23-28 focuses specifically on the priesthood of Jesus the Christ. Both the person of the Christ as high priest and the Christ's offering of self in sacrifice effect the liberation of humankind. We need no other priest to offer sacrifice for us. We need no other act of sacrifice. We need no other sacrificial victim. Christ is it!
We need no other priest to offer sacrifice for us. "Jesus, because he lives forever, has a priesthood that does not pass away."
We need no other act of sacrifice. "He has no need to offer sacrifice day after day ... He did that once and for all."
We need no other sacrificial victim. "He offered Himself."
The Ordained Priesthood. A person claiming priesthood through the oils of the Sacrament of Holy Orders is called by the community to officially represent that community in prayer and sacrament. In no way does he (or she?) stand in place of either Christ or the community.
The liturgical act of remembrance of the Eucharist and washing of feet in the Holy Thursday liturgy describes the qualities of the priestly community. The following qualities then apply to ordained priest, who strives to embody them both officially and, more to the point, spiritually:
The Priesthood of Christ is Service to a Pilgrim People
One theme that is hidden in the liturgy is that of travelling. The food that is to be prepared in Exodus is to be eaten “with your loins girt, sandals on your feet, and your staff in hand, you shall eat like those in flight” (Exodus 12). If someone is on the road, then the washing of the feet is more than a ritual, it is an important part of hygiene.
The priesthood of Christ is a ministry to those on a journey. As we travel to liberation, the priesthood of Christ provides us with food for the journey, the unleavened bread of the Eucharist. To add leaven to the bread would mean a time of waiting for it to rise. As we travel to liberation, the priesthood of Christ is the staff held high to guide us on our way. It is a service for a pilgrim community.
The Priesthood of Christ Is Intimate Response to Human Need.
The most basic elements of intimate human interaction, that are so evident in the relationship of a parent and an infant, are – nurturing and cleaning. The infant needs to be fed and to be cleaned and kept warm, and then it is happy. On Holy Thursday, Jesus of Nazareth sanctifies and personalizes these basic elements of intimate human interaction, feeding and cleaning, by giving food to his followers and washing their feet. There is a level of intimacy in the priesthood of Christ that resonates with our deepest needs. The word “Communion”, that we use interchangeably with “Eucharist”, itself expressed an intimate relationship.
Priesthood of All Believers
The priestly action is extending the self for the service of the other. At the close of the Holy Thursday action, Jesus says that as he washes the feet of his followers, so we must wash one another’s feet. Service of the needs of our brothers and sisters freely given is the basic vocation of our Baptism
Heart of Priesthood Is Love
The Gospels recount a meeting between a Scribe and Jesus of Nazareth, that give a radical new direction to priesthood in particular and the priesthood of believers we all share. The Scribe responds Jesus's law of love with an evaluation that proves to Jesus that the Scribe is "not far from the kindgom of God": "To love ... is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."
The action bringing the Scribe closer to the kindgom of God than the classical priestly action of “burnt offerings and sacrifices” is what then can be described as a new priesthood of love.
In the final analysis, the heart of priesthood is love. The actions of Christ remembered in the liturgy are all manifestations of a tremendous love of a tremendous lover. And we are called to leave ourChurch buildings to extend this love to all who hunger, and are dirty, and are on the road.
Just as the sacrifice of God's Son was a priestly extension of God's tremendous and salvific love for God's people, the meaning of priesthood is to be lived out in love.
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