The Sacrament of Holy Orders

The Sacrament of Holy Orders is the sacrament by which, through the authority of the Church, the imposition of a bishop's hands confer on a man the grace and spiritual power to celebrate the Church's sacraments. In other words, it is a sacrament where a man (not a woman) becomes a priest.

Holy Orders is the sacrament through which the mission entrusted by Christ his apostles continues to be exercised in the Church until the end of time: thus, it is the sacrament of apostolic ministry. (CCC 1536)

Evidence of this can be found in scripture when Jesus gave Peter the keys to the kingdom (Matt 16:19) and when he gave his apostles authority to bind and loose (Matt 18:18). This is also evident in the Gospel of Luke where Jesus transfers the gift from heaven to his disciples (Luke 22:29).

Just like Baptism and Confirmation, this sacrament leaves an indelible mark on the human soul. So just like the Marines: once a priest, always a priest. The authority that was given by Christ is transferred down by Apostolic succession through ordination.

Only men can be ordained priests. Women cannot be ordained because the Church DOES NOT HAVE THE AUTHORITY to do so even if it wanted to. Besides, it is demeaning to women if they are ordained as priests. It would be an insult to their very nature. It's just not right even though they can preach as well as men.

The Sacrament of Holy Orders has three forms or degrees: episcopate, presbyterate and diaconate. Episcopates are the bishops. They are simply priests with special recognition. They are also sometimes leaders. Presbyterate are priests. They are the helpers of the bishops. Diaconates are the deacons. Deacons can be married and thus cannot be priests. A deacon who is not married usually later on becomes a priest.

Celibacy is also an important part in priesthood. First and foremost, it is a discipline, not a teaching. It is in the wisdom of the Church why we have priests celibate. Then why do you have married priests? Well, that's not really accurate in a sense... Let me clarify. In the Eastern rites, we allow married men to be priests but we do not allow priests to be married. And once a married priest's wife dies, he cannot remarry.

See, being a priest also means you are married. They say 'no' to one woman and 'yes' to all the others unlike marriage where you say 'yes' to one woman and 'no' to all the rest. Priests are married to the bride of Christ, the Church.

So what about the fiends and monsters out there? In 2002, a scandal rocked the Church as you know it. What does this mean? It means that we are human. The church isn't holy because of its members. It is holy because of the Holy Spirit. I, however, agree that these priests should've been a better example. Shame on them. But I also say shame on you for passing judgment and unjust anger on them. For you truly do not understand the human dignity.

The priest is a very important person. It is he who brings Christ to the world. Without him would mean the end of it.