ຄໍາສັ່ງສັກສິດ

Holy Orders is a sacrament in which men are approved or “ordained” by the Church to perform the other six ສິນລະລຶກ. The men may be deacons, priests or bishops.

ແນວໃດກໍ່ຕາມ, the sacrament of Holy Orders is performed only by bishops, and that follows directly from the Bible.

There is an established way in Scripture in which God’s call to the ministry is given and received. It flows from God to Jesus, from Jesus to the Apostles, and from the Apostles to their successors (ເບິ່ງ ພຣະກິດຕິຄຸນຂອງລູກາ 10:16 and the ພຣະກິດຕິຄຸນຂອງໂຢຮັນ 13:20; 20:21). ດັ່ງນັ້ນ, the sacrament of Holy Orders can be performed only by an Apostle or only by one on whom apostolic authority has been conferred. For example, Paul writes in his First Letter to Timothy (4:14), “Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophetic utterance when the council of elders laid their hands upon you” (ເບິ່ງ 5:22, his Second Letter to Timothy, 1:6, and his Letter to Titus 1:5). ດັ່ງນັ້ນ, the sacrament follows an unbroken chain from Jesus to today’s newest Catholic priest. (More on this below.)

In the early Church, a hierarchy developed that consisted of bishops, presbyters (or elders), and deacons, which corresponded to Israel’s three-tiered structure of high priest, priests, and Levites (see Paul’s Letter to the Phillipians, 1:1; Saint James’ Epistle, 5:14; The Book of Numbers, 32; The Second Book of Chronicles 31:9-10).¹ ໃນ​ອິດ​ສະ​ຣາ​ເອນ, the priest was seen as God’s unique emissary (ເບິ່ງ ມາລາກີ 2:7), being set apart from the assembly by an anointing and the imposition of hands (ເບິ່ງ ອົບພະຍົບ 30:30 ຫຼື ພຣະບັນຍັດສອງ 34:9).

Given that the Apostles were Jews, the Church adopted these Jewish customs for her rite of ordination.

Aren’t We all Priests?

ບໍ່, but sometimes people are confused by the Bible’s message that all believers are called to share in Christ’s priesthood. For example, Saint Peter’s First Letter (2:9) states, “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people.” These words are a reference back to ອົບພະຍົບ 19:6, “You shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”

Reserving the authority to perform sacraments to a special group of individuals (priests) is known as sacerdotalism.

In the Old Covenant, a smaller, sacerdotal priesthood existed within the larger priestly nation of Israel. As we explain, it is the same in the New Covenant.

The Bible reveals the sacerdotal priesthood to be a kind of spiritual fatherhood, which is why the Catholic Church teaches that priestly ordination is reserved for men alone. For example, in the Old Testament, ໄດ້ Book of Judges (18:19) states: “Come with us, and be to us a father and a priest.”

ເຊັ່ນດຽວກັນ, in the New Testament, Paul writes in his ຈົດໝາຍສະບັບທຳອິດເຖິງຊາວໂກຣິນໂທ (4:15) that “For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the Gospel.” Paul elaborates more on this spiritual fatherhood or sacerdotal priesthood at the start of that same chapter, when he says, “This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God” (4:1).²

At the start of His ministry, Jesus remarked that the crowds resembled “sheep without a shepherd,” ເວົ້າ, “The harvest is plentiful, ແຕ່ຄົນງານມີໜ້ອຍ; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” (ເບິ່ງ ມັດທາຍ 9:36, 37-38). These remarks preface His selection of the Twelve Apostles, whom He empowered and sent out as His vicarious shepherds over the faithful (see the ພຣະກິດຕິຄຸນຂອງໂຢຮັນ 21:15-17; ໄດ້ ກິດຈະການຂອງອັກຄະສາວົກ 20:28; and Peter’s First Letter 5:2). “You did not choose me,” He later reminded them, “but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit” (ຈອນ 15:16). “How can men preach unless they are sent?” writes Paul in his Letter to the Romans, 10:15.

Nowhere in Scripture does a man assume the ministry for himself. “One does not take the honor upon himself, but is called by God, just as Aaron was,” write Paul in his Letter to the Hebrews 5:4 (see his Letter to the Colossians 1:25, ຍັງ). When certain Jewish exorcists attempt to rebuke evil spirits “by the Jesus whom Paul preaches,” the spirits reply, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?” (ກິດຈະການຂອງອັກຄະສາວົກ, 19:13, 15).

ດັ່ງນັ້ນ, a valid call to the ministry ordinarily involves the confirmation of the apostolic hierarchy. For example, ໃນ Act of the Apostles (1:15), Matthias does not stand up and take his ministerial office by his own volition. He is elected according to the authority of Peter and the Apostles, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Neither does Paul, in spite of his dramatic conversion, set off on his own to preach the Gospel, claiming God’s anointing for himself. As mentioned in his Letter to the Galatians (1:18), he goes first to Jerusalem to receive the approval of the Apostles, and later he returns to verify the gospel he is preaching is correct (2:2).

While all Christians are called to evangelize, the Apostles and their successors have the unique call of safeguarding the Deposit of Faith and teaching the faithful. In the ພຣະກິດຕິຄຸນຂອງມັດທາຍ (28:19-20) Jesus says to the Apostles, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, ໃຫ້ບັບຕິສະມາໃຫ້ເຂົາເຈົ້າໃນພຣະນາມຂອງພຣະບິດາ ແລະຂອງພຣະບຸດ ແລະຂອງພຣະວິນຍານບໍລິສຸດ, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”

ເຊັ່ນດຽວກັນ, in his Second Letter to Timothy, Paul instructs: “Guard the truth that has been entrusted to you by the Holy Spirit who dwells within us,… What you have heard from me before many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” (see verses 1:14; 2:2; 1:13; and the ກິດຈະການຂອງອັກຄະສາວົກ 2:42).

Actually, when His ministers teach it is Christ Himself who teaches through them as He said: “He who hears you hears me, and he who rejects you, rejects me, and he who rejects me rejects him who sent me” (ລູກາ 10:16). Elsewhere He declares, “ແທ້ໆ, ແທ້ໆ, ຂ້ອຍເວົ້າກັບເຈົ້າ, he who receives any one whom I send receives me; and he who receives me receives him who sent me” (ຈອນ 13:20; emphasis added).

The Apostles are given the authority of presiding over the Eucharistic celebration. For example, while instituting the Eucharist at the Last Supper, He bids them, “Do this in remembrance of me” (ລູກາ 22:19 and Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, 11:23-24). The Apostles receive a unique share in His priesthood and with it the chief duty of offering the Eucharistic Sacrifice on behalf of the faithful (cf. Heb. 5:1).³

The Apostles also receive from Jesus the power to forgive sins through the gift of the keys given to Peter and the authority to” bind and loose” conferred on them as a group (cf. Matt. 16:19; 18:18). “As the Father has sent me,” the Savior tells them, “ເຖິງແມ່ນວ່າ I send you. … Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained” (ຈອນ 20:21-23; emphasis added).