Poloaiga Paia

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

Peitai, 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 (vaai Evagelia a Luka 10:16 ma le Tala Lelei a Ioane 13:20; 20:21). O lea, the sacrament of Holy Orders can be performed only by an Apostle or only by one on whom apostolic authority has been conferred. Faataitaiga, Paul writes in his Tusi Muamua ia Timoteo (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” (vaai 5:22, his Tusi Lona Lua ia Timoteo, 1:6, and his Letter to Titus 1:5). O lea, 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, ositaulaga, ma sa Levī (vaai ia Paulo Letter to the Phillipians, 1:1; Saint James’ Tusi, 5:14; The Book of Numbers, 32; The Second Book of Chronicles 31:9-10).¹ In Israel, the priest was seen as God’s unique emissary (vaai Malaki 2:7), being set apart from the assembly by an anointing and the imposition of hands (vaai Esoto 30:30 pe Teuteronome 34:9).

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

Aren’t We all Priests?

Leai, but sometimes people are confused by the Bible’s message that all believers are called to share in Christ’s priesthood. Faataitaiga, Saint Peter’s First Letter (2:9) setete, “You are a chosen race, o se ositaulaga tupu, o se nuu paia, God’s own people.” These words are a reference back to Esoto 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 (ositaulaga) is known as sacerdotalism.

In the Old Covenant, a smaller, sacerdotal priesthood existed within the larger priestly nation of Israel. E pei ona matou faamatalaina, 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. Faataitaiga, in the Old Testament, o le Book of Judges (18:19) setete: “Come with us, and be to us a father and a priest.”

E faapena foi, in the New Testament, Paul writes in his Muamua Tusi i Korinito (4:15) lena “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,” fai mai, “The harvest is plentiful, a e toaitiiti le au faigaluega; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” (vaai Mataio 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 (vaai i le Tala Lelei a Ioane 21:15-17; o le Galuega a le Au Aposetolo 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” (Ioane 15:16). “How can men preach unless they are sent?” writes Paul in his Tusi i Roma, 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, e pei o Arona,” write Paul in his Tusi i Eperu 5:4 (see his Tusi i Kolose 1:25, foi). When certain Jewish exorcists attempt to rebuke evil spirits “by the Jesus whom Paul preaches,” the spirits reply, “Jesus I know, ma Paulo ou te iloa; but who are you?” (Galuega a le Au Aposetolo, 19:13, 15).

O lea, a valid call to the ministry ordinarily involves the confirmation of the apostolic hierarchy. Faataitaiga, i le 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. I le Tala Lelei a Mataio (28:19-20) Jesus says to the Apostles, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, ma papatiso atu ia te i latou i le suafa o le Tamā, ma le Atalii, ma le Agaga Paia, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”

E faapena foi, i lona Tusi Lona Lua ia Timoteo, 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; ma le Galuega a le Au Aposetolo 2:42).

O le mea moni, 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” (Luka 10:16). Elsewhere He declares, “E moni lava, moni lava, Ou te fai atu ia te outou, he who receives any one whom I send talia a'u; and he who receives me receives him who sent me” (Ioane 13:20; faaopoopo le faamamafa).

The Apostles are given the authority of presiding over the Eucharistic celebration. Faataitaiga, while instituting the Eucharist at the Last Supper, He bids them, “Do this in remembrance of me” (Luka 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. Epe. 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. Mata. 16:19; 18:18). “Faapei ona auina mai o au e le Tama,” the Savior tells them, “e faapea lava 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” (Ioane 20:21-23; faaopoopo le faamamafa).