What Are You Looking For? Part 2: The Liturgy and the Sacraments

The Sacrament of Holy Orders: Bishops

The Sacrament of Holy Orders: Bishops

                In my last blog, we looked at the common priesthood of all believers.  But within the Catholic Church, there is also the ministerial priesthood.  From the earliest time, this ministerial priesthood has had two different degrees to it: the episcopacy, which is made up of the bishops, and the presbyterate, which is made up of the priests.  The deaconate is made up of deacons, who assist the priests and bishops.  “Yet Catholic doctrine teaches that the degrees of priestly participation (episcopate and presbyterate) and the degree of service (diaconate) are all three conferred by a sacramental act called ‘ordination,’ that is, by the sacrament of Holy Orders: ‘Let everyone revere the deacons as Jesus Christ, the bishop as the image of the Father, and the presbyters as the senate of God and the assembly of the apostles.  For without them one cannot speak of the Church.’” (CCC 1554)  Today we are going to look at the first degree of priestly participation: that of the bishop.

                The very first office within the Church created by Christ was that of the bishop.  After the Ascension, after the Day of Pentecost, the apostles became the first bishops, with St. Peter as their head.  Because he was the leader of the newly established Church, St. Peter is the first Pope.  He was also a bishop.  He was the first Bishop of Rome.  Every pope since then has also been the Bishop of Rome, whether he actually lived in Rome or not.  To put it in modern terms, Rome is the diocese of the Pope.  It is for this reason that “The Second Vatican Council ‘teaches…that the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders is conferred by episcopal consecration.” (CCC 1557)  What does this mean?

                What is means is “’that bishops, in an eminent and visible manner, take the place of Christ himself, teacher, shepherd, and priest, and act as his representative (in Eius persona agant).’ ‘By virtue, therefore, of the Holy Spirit who has been given to them, bishops have been constituted true and authentic teachers of the faith and have been made pontiffs and pastors.’” (CCC 1558)  The bishops lead the Church.  They teach the Church.  They bear the responsibility of making certain that the truth of the faith is communicated faithfully to all those souls they are responsible for. 

                The bishops are each assigned an area of responsibility.  Some are responsible for geographical areas and the parishes within those areas.  Those are the various dioceses around the world.  Within each diocese, the bishop is the one who, whenever possible, administers the Sacrament of Confirmation.  He is the one who blesses the holy oils that will be used throughout the year.  He assigns priest to their various jobs.  He and the priests are charged with teaching all of us the authentic faith.  Almost everything that the Pope does on a global level, the bishop does at a more local level. 

                Some bishops, at some point in their lives will be elevated to the office of Cardinal.  Cardinals are also bishops.  One could say that all cardinals are bishops, while not all bishops are cardinals.  A cardinal bears the extra responsibility of electing the pope.   While a pope doesn’t have to be a cardinal or even a bishop to be elected pope, legally speaking, generally that is the case.  

                When one is elected pope, he is still a bishop, as I have said before.  But now, instead of just being responsible for the Diocese of Rome, he is also responsible for the entire Catholic Church.  It is his responsibility to teach, lead and guide us as the Vicar of Christ here on earth.  Along with this comes Papal Infallibility.  This doesn’t mean that everything the pope says is infallible.  Or is something that every Catholic must believe in order to be a Catholic.  If the pope were to say that the sky is green, that would not be an infallible teaching.  “’The Roman Pontiff, head of the college of bishops, enjoys this infallibility in virtue of his office, when, as supreme pastor and teacher of all the faithful – who confirms his brethren in the faith – he proclaims by a definitive act a doctrine pertaining to the faith or morals.” (CCC 891)  This has only happened a handful of times in the entire (almost) 2000 year history of the Church.          

                Above all, “The Good Shepherd out to be the model and ‘form’ of the bishop’s pastoral office.  Conscious of his own weaknesses, ‘the bishop…can have compassion for those who are ignorant and erring.  He should not refuse to listen to his subjects whose welfare he promotes as of his very own children…the faithful…should be closely attached to the bishop as the Church is to Jesus Christ, and as Jesus Christ is to the Father’: ‘Let all follow the bishop, as Jesus Christ follows his Father, and the college of presbyters as the apostles; respect the deacons as you do God’s law.  Let no one do anything concerning the Church in separation from the bishop.’” (CCC 896)