How
are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? 
And how are they to hear without a preacher? And how can men
preach unless they are sent?  No one - no individual and no
community - can proclaim the Gospel to himself: Faith comes
from what is heard.  No one can give himself the mandate and
the mission to proclaim the Gospel.  The one sent by the Lord
does not speak and act on his own authority, but by virtue
of Christ's authority; not as a member of the community, but
speaking to it in the name of Christ.  No one can bestow grace
on himself; it must be given and offered.  This fact presupposes
ministers of grace, authorized and empowered by Christ.  From
him, they receive the mission and faculty ("the sacred
power") to act in persona Christi Capitis.  The ministry
in which Christ's emissaries do and give by God's grace what
they cannot do and give by their own powers, is called a "sacrament"
by the Church's tradition.  Indeed, the ministry of the Church
is conferred by a special sacrament. (Catechism of the Catholic
Church 875)
Holy
Orders is the sacrament through which the mission entrusted
by Christ to his apostles continues to be exercised in the
Church until the end of time: thus it is the sacrament of
apostolic ministry.  It includes three degrees: episcopate,
presbyterate, and diaconate. (Catechism of the Catholic Church
1536)
To inquire
about discerning a call to the priesthood, please contact
Fr. Liekhus at 952-945-9441 or frjliekhus@stjohnhopkins.org.
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