28/03/2024
_*🌹†FEAST OF THE DAY†🌹*_
_*HOLY THURSDAY IS THE THURSDAY OF THE PRIESTHOOD*_
*"Greet a priest: HAPPY PRIEST DAY!"*
_The Institution and Continuation of the Priesthood_
The Council of Trent declares that at the same time as Christ instituted the Blessed Sacrament he also instituted the priesthood of the New Law (Luke 22:24) by the words spoken after the consecration of the bread and wine "Do this for a commemoration of me" . By theses words Christ ordained the Apostles to the priesthood for offering the sacrifice of the Mass. The Church affirms this because with the command to do something also comes the power to do it.
After his resurrection, Christ also gave the apostles the power of forgiving sin when he breathed upon them saying "Receive the Holy Ghost; who soever's sins you forgive they are forgiven, who soever's sins you retain, they are retained" (20:21-23). So now the Priest forgives sins not in his own name but in the name of Christ.
While the word “priest” is continuously used throughout the Old and the New Testament, it still nevertheless contended by some that the word is not found in the bible. The problem with such an argument is that it often indicates ignorance of any real biblical theology since the word “Priest” in the English is derived from the Greek, the word for elder; “presbuteros” which is used throughout the New Testament . In Latin, the word is “presbyter”, which in English became shortened to the word “priest”. That's why you never hear about "Catholic elders." It is because Catholic priests are Catholics elders. Any standard dictionary confirms this fact.
Since Our Lord instituted the sacrament of Sacred Orders as the means to communicate the reality of His incarnation and redemption. The Apostles in obedience to that call simply continued the rite of ordination by mean of the laying on of Hands and praying over the candidate, which is what we read in St. Paul letter to Timothy as he states : "Neglect not the grace that is in thee , which was given thee by prophecy, with imposition of the hands of priesthood" (I Tim. 4:14). We notice here how the Holy Spirit was given: "...with imposition of the hands of the priesthood."
The “imposition of hands” which St. Paul refers to is today seen as indispensable for conferring valid orders since it is not enough to merely be appointed by the people or by the elders, since the candidate still have to be ordained to the priesthood “by the imposition of hand". In fact St. Paul emphasis this to Titus as he states "For this cause I left thee in Crete, that thou should set in order the things that are wanting, and should ordain priests in every city, as I also appointed thee:... (Titus 1:5, cf also 1 Tim. 22).
_*Happy Priest Day!!!*_
