PRIESTHOOD OF THE FAITHFUL First Friday Gathering Akron, Ohio Michael H. Crosby, OFMCap. September 7, 2012

TWO POLES ON THE CONTINUUM OF OUR UNDERSTANDING OF CHURCH Matthew 10:1-4; 28:16-20; 16: Church as Organization established by Jesus Christ “Church” as What / Us-Them “Church” as the Pope, the Vatican and Bishops: “The Church invites her children” Ordination as key element; separation from laity Hierarchy that is only male Obedience to leaders represen- ting “Mt. 16” magisterium as sign of fidelity to “the church” Eucharist as action of the ordained priests Luke 4:18-19; Acts 2:1-4, 17-21; Rom. 12: 3-8 Church as Organism of the living members of Christ “Church” as a Who / We “Church” as the Community of Disciples: The Church gathered with its leaders Baptism as the key identifier of “belonging” Holarchy: The Gifts of the Spirit The body dependent on mutual cooperation of all (Mt. 16 & 18) Eucharist as the full participa- tion of everyone—priests and people

THE UNIVERSAL PRIESTHOOD OF ALL THOSE WHO ARE BAPTIZED “Christ the Lord, High Priest taken from among the people (cf. Heb. 5:1-5), ‘made a kingdom and priests to God his Father “ (Rev. 1:6; cf. 5:9-10) out of this new people. The baptized, by regeneration and anointing of the Holy Spirit, are consecrated into a spiritual house an a holy priesthood.” They: 1.Offer spiritual sacrifices and proclaim with power 2.Should present themselves as spiritual sacrifices 3.Must give evidence of the faith in them (cf. 1 Pet 3:15). Lumen Gentium, 10

THE UNIVERSAL PRIESTHOOD OF ALL THOSE WHO ARE BAPTIZED “Though they differ from one another in essence and not only in degree, the common priesthood of the faithful and the ministerial or hierarchical priesthood are nonetheless interrelated. Each of them in its own special way is a participation in the one priesthood of Christ. 1.The ministerial priest, by the sacred power he enjoys, molds and rules the priestly people. 2.Acting in the person of Christ, he brings about the Eucharistic Sacrifice... 3.For their part, the faithful join in the offering of the Eucharist by virtue of their royal priesthood.” Lumen Gentium, 10

“It is necessary to improve pastoral structures in such a way that the co-responsibility of all the members of the People of God in their entirety is gradually promoted, with respect for vocations and for the respective roles of the consecrated and of lay people. This demands a change in mindset, particularly concerning lay people. They must no longer be viewed as "collaborators" of the clergy but truly recognized as "co-responsible", for the Church's being and action, thereby fostering the consolidation of a mature and committed laity. This common awareness of being Church of all the baptized in no way diminishes the responsibility of parish priests. It is precisely your task, dear parish priests, to nurture the spiritual and apostolic growth of those who are already committed to working hard in the parishes.” POPE BENEDICT ON RESPONSIBILITY OF ALL IN THE CHURCH

PRIESTLY PROPHETIC POLITICAL CULTIC WORD/GOSPEL SOCIETAL ALL THOSE BAPTIZED IN CHRIST SHARE IN ALL THREE MISSIONS THE ORDAINED PRIESTS TO BE A SIGN TO ALL OF THEIR PRIESTLY IDENTITY LAY PEOPLES’ WITNESS TO BE IN THE ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL SPHERES OF SOCIETY RELIGIOUS LIFE TO SERVE AS “CRITIQUE” OF ABERRATIONS IN OTHER ROLES THREEFOLD MISSION of JESUS CHRIST

Considering the fact that the prophetic, priestly and royal condition is common to all the People of God (cf. LG 9, 10, 34, 35, 36), it seems useful to outline the competency of religious authority, paralleling it by analogy to the three-fold function of pastoral ministry, namely, of teaching, sanctifying and governing without, however, confusing one authority with the other or equating them. Directives for the Mutual Relations Between Bishops and Religious in the Church, 1978, 13

Christ was a true and effective priest because he was full of the power of the Holy Spirit, he was the culmination of all the fullness of the love of God "on the night he was betrayed," precisely in the "hour of darkness" (cf. Luke 22:53)... This is the work of the priesthood of Christ, which the Church has inherited and continues to perpetuate, in the twofold form of ordinary priesthood of the baptized and that of the ordained ministers, to transform the world with the love of God. All, priests and faithful, are nourished by the same Eucharist... Pope Benedict XVI, Corpus Christ Homily, 2010

“Episcopal consecration has con- ferred upon you the fullness of the sacrament of Orders which, in the ecclesial community, is placed at the service of the common priest- hood of the faithful, of their spiritu- al growth and of their holiness.” September 15, 2011 POPE BENEDICT TO BISHOPS

The purpose and mission of ministerial priesthood, in fact, is to enliven the priesthood of the faithful, who, by virtue of Baptism, share in their own way in the one priesthood of Christ, as the Conciliar Constitution Lumen Gentium says: "The common priesthood of the faithful and the ministerial or hierarchical priesthood are none the less ordered one to another; each in its own proper way shares in the one priesthood of Christ" (n. 10). For this reason it is the task of bishops to watch over the baptized and work to enable them to develop in grace and in accordance with the charisms that the Holy Spirit awakens in their hearts and in their communities. The Second Vatican Council recalled that while the Holy Spirit unifies "the Church in communion and in the works of ministry, he bestows upon her varied hierarchic and charismatic gifts... and adorns her with his fruits" (cf. ibid., n. 4). Pope Benedict XVI to Recently Appointed Prelates,

The Bishops’ Role: Nurture Priesthood The fundamental gift that you are called to nurture in the faithful entrusted to your pastoral care is first and foremost that of divine filiation, which is the participation of each person in Trinitarian communion. The essential is that we truly become sons and daughters in the Son. Baptism which makes human beings "sons in the Son" and members of the Church, is the root and source of all the other charismatic gifts. With your ministry of sanctification you teach the faithful to participate ever more intensely in the prophetic and royal office of Christ, helping them to build the Church in accordance with the gifts received from God, in an active and co-responsible way. In fact, we must always bear in mind that the gifts of the Spirit, whether they are extraordinary or simple and humble, are always given freely for the edification of all. The Bishop, as a visible sign of the unity of his particular Church (cf. ibid., n. 23), has the task of unifying and harmonizing charismatic diversity in the unity of the Church, encouraging reciprocity between the hierarchical priesthood and the baptismal priesthood

NEW MENTALITY NEEDED FOR ALL “Co-responsibility requires a change in mentality, particularly with regard to the role of the laity in the Church, who should be considered not as “collabora- tors” with the clergy, but as persons truly “co-respo- nsible” for the being and activity of the Church. It is important, therefore, that a mature and committed laity be united, who are able to make their own specific contribution to the Church’s mission, in accordance with the ministries and tasks each one has in the life of the Church, and always in cordial communion with the bishops.” Pope Benedict XVI, August 24, 2012

E CHRISTOLOGY CHURCH AS COMMUNITY CHURCH AS SERVANT CHURCH AS WORD-PROCLAIMER CHURCH AS SACRAMENT CHURCH AS INSTITUTION CHURCH AS FAMILY CHURCH AS BELIEVERS IN EXILE CHURCH AS COMMUNITY OF DISCIPLES ECCLESIOLOGY

CHURCH AS SACRAMENT: THE THEOLOGY OF EUCHARIST IN JOHN “There is a boy here, who has five loaves of barley bread and fish. But what good are they for all these people?”

WHAT DO WE BRING TO THE EUCHARIST FOR NEEDY PEOPLE AROUND US THAT JESUS WILL USE SO THAT HE CAN TAKE, BLESS, BREAK AND GIVE IT TO MEET THE NEEDS OF “THE CROWD”? In John’s Gospel, Jesus did not “do what he did” without the boy providing him the means to “DO THIS.”

JESUS FEEDS THE FIVE THOUSAND HomeAlbumsExploreUpload Crosby0637▾AccountSettingsHelp Go Pro Sign OutCrosby0637▾AccountSettingsHelp Go Pro Sign Out ▾PhotosVideosGroupsAlbumUsers▾PhotosVideosGroupsAlbumUsers Community Profile Likes Following Followers Find Friends Stats Album All Albums Edit Photos Organize Themes Tags Order Prints & More Tools Top Categories Popular Recent Group Albums Competitions Top Categories Popular Recent Group Albums Competitions Photobucket is the place to store, create and share photos and videos for life. Upload all your best pictures, images, graphics, icons, and videos and share them by or link them to your favorite sites like Facebook and Twitter. Personalize your photos by using our photo editor or make slideshows to share with friends. Join our large community by entering competitions or searching our huge photo and video library. Use Photobucket on the Web or on your mobile phone. Sign up today!Sign up today! Photobucket About us Blog Advertise Careers Contact us Support Tools Mobile Developers Help Downloads Snapbucket iPhone App Android App Windows Phone 7 App Windows Phone 7 App Blackberry App iPhoto plugin Follow us on: Copyright 2012 Photobucket Corporation. All rights reserved. | Privacy policy | Terms of use | Site mapPrivacy policyTerms of useSite map Rotation Rotate left Rotate right Preview Cancel ▼ Links & IM Direct link HTML code IMG code ▶ Photo info TODAY WITH WHAT WE DO TO FEED THE CROWD

AND SHARE WHAT WE HAVE WITH THE CROWD WE WILL NOT BE OFFERING THE BREAD OF OUR PRIESTLY LIVES IN THE MODEL OF JESUS “ UNLESS WE BECOME LIKE THE CHILD

FOUR FORMS OF THE REAL PRESENCE OF JESUS CHRIST IN THE EUCHARIST “In the celebration of Mass, in which the Sacrifice of the Cross is perpetuated, CHRIST IS REALLY PRESENT in the very assembly gathered in his name; in the person of the minister, in his word, and indeed substantially and permanently under the Eucharistic species. GIRM II, I, 27

CHURCH We Belong THE BODY OF CHRIST We are members of EUCHARIST We are in it THE ONLY WAY JESUS CHRIST IS REALLY PRESENT TODAY, INCLUDING HIS EUCHARISTIC PRESENCE, IS BY BEING IN COMMUNION WITH US AS THE HEAD OF HIS MYSTICAL BODY, THE CHURCH. WHEN WE ASSEMBLE AS AN OBSERVABLE BODY OF BELIEVERS WE ARE THE MYSTICAL BODY OF CHRIST: THE EUCHARIST CAN BEGIN

WOMEN’S SCRIPTURE REFLECTION GROUP Our Savior has made us to offer acceptable sacrifice to the Father. Let us call upon him in gratitude: Preserve us in your ministry, Lord. Christ, eternal priest, you conferred the holy priesthood on your people, grant that we may offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to the Father In your goodness pour out on us the fruits of your Spirit, patience, kindness and gentleness. May we love you and possess you, for you are love, and may every action of our lives praise you. May we seek those things which are beneficial to our brothers and sisters, without counting the cost, to help them on the way to salvation.

NEW MENTALITY NEEDED FOR ALL “Co-responsibility requires a change in mentality, particularly with regard to the role of the laity in the Church, who should be considered not as “collabora- tors” with the clergy, but as persons truly “co-respo- nsible” for the being and activity of the Church. It is important, therefore, that a mature and committed laity be united, who are able to make their own specific contribution to the Church’s mission, in accordance with the ministries and tasks each one has in the life of the Church, and always in cordial communion with the bishops.” Pope Benedict XVI, August 24, 2012