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- The strength of a priest depends on his relationship with Christ. Pope Francis has said that the touchstone of how deeply a priest is living his vocation is the extent to which he seeks Christ in his daily life.
- Just as he must be close to Christ so the priest must be close to the people he serves. In his first Chrism Mass homily, Pope Francis famously spoke of how priests must be “shepherds living with the ‘smell of the sheep’” If priests truly are to be pastors rather than administrators they need to “go out to meet the people,” especially the lost sheep.
- As Pope Francis emphasized in the homily of his inaugural Mass, a priest’s authority must be linked to service, especially to the care and protection of the poorest, weakest, the least important and most easily forgotten.
- The priest must be a minister of mercy. Pope Francis told a group of ten newly-ordained priests that the most important advice he could give them was simply, “Be merciful.”
- Priests are invited to draw near to the Lord. The Levitical priests had a full job description, but the essence of their work was that they were invited to come into God’s house (the tabernacle).
- Adam and Eve were the first priests. Priest is an important human identity, so it appears early in Scripture. In fact, Eden was the first tabernacle, and the garden within it was the first Holy of Holies—the place where God dwelled on earth.
- Though the Aaronic priests served in the tabernacle, all of Israel was called a kingdom of priests (Ex 19:6). By dwelling in the tabernacle, God walked among all of them and made his dwelling among them (Lev 26:11-12).
- Priests distinguished between holy, clean, and unclean (Lev 10:10). Here is Scripture’s basic taxonomy. It sounds ancient and irrelevant, but we still have an intuitive sense of the distinctions.
To be a good priest starts first and foremost with that relationship with God—to learn and experience as much as possible, to love and be loved by a God who is both immanent—with us—and transcendent—beyond us. It’s an ongoing and life-giving process with many facets, and it always begins with prayer. Prayer and preaching.
- We Are Priests
- Priests Are Invited to Draw Near to The Lord.
- Adam and Eve Were priests.
- Priests Distinguished Between Holy, Clean, and Unclean (Lev. 10:10).
- In The New Testament, Our Priestly Role Is Taken Over by The Word Saint.
- The Apostle Paul Writes That We Are Now The Holy of Holies.
- Scripture Begins and Ends with Priestly Images.
- We Now Live Out The Priesthood of All believers.
Our role as priests—a role that includes both male and female—is a premier theme throughout Scripture. Watch for tabernacles, temples, sacrifices, cleansing, and any time that God comes close. Here are ten things you should know about the priesthood.
Priests had a full job description, but the essence of their work was that they were invited to come into God’s house and enjoy his hospitality. Could there be anything better? Of course, priests didn’t just casually wander into the Lord’s inner room—the Holy of Holies, the throne room itself. The Lord always cleansed and dressed his priests when t...
Any important human identity should appear early in Scripture, and the priestly identity appears in the beginning. Eden was the first tabernacle, the garden its first Holy of Holies. Adam and Eve were commissioned to work and keep the garden, and they enjoyed God’s presence. This same language is used for the priests who worked in the later wildern...
Here is Scripture’s basic taxonomy. It sounds ancient and irrelevant, but we still have an intuitive sense of the distinctions. Unclean means that there is something wrong with us and we are sure everyone knows it. Clean means that we are free to move about the community without painful self-consciousness. Holy, we think, identifies someone other t...
As we rummage through the New Testament looking for our priestly identity, it seems largely absent, except for Peter’s comment that we are a “royal priesthood” (1 Pet. 2:5, 9). But we shouldn’t be surprised that, given the conflicts between Jesus and the priests of the day, the epistles chose the word saintto continue this theme. Saints are holy on...
A New Testament image for you and for the church is that you are a “living stone,” part of a “spiritual house” (1 Pet. 2:4–5, also Eph. 2:19–22). That house is none other than the Holy of Holies itself. We are now the place in which heaven and earth meet. God walks among us through his Spirit who dwells in us. When those who had been to Jerusalem h...
Our story as priests aims for the time when Christ will unite all things in himself (Eph. 1:10). The heavenly Holy of Holies will descend and infuse our spiritual house and earth itself in a way that all the earth will be his Holy of Holies (Rev. 21:15–17). Awe and intimacy, which are ours now in Christ, will be ours even more.
Meanwhile, as we wait for the full descent of heaven to earth, we live as God’s priests—the body of Christ. We still have to work out local church structures and organization, but ordinary people now have the Spirit of God and do the work of ministry. Everyone is busy and needed. Our mission is to be close to the Lord, invite others to come closer ...
2 days ago · The splendor of the priesthood. The dialog between the rich young man and Jesus provides a template for men called to the priesthood, for those in charge of their formation, and for every priest ...
Jun 17, 2024 · People often view priests in extreme ways: either as fools for embracing a life of celibacy or as men who have already received the crown of glory in sainthood. However, many fail to acknowledge the humanity inherent in a priest. Like any of us, a priest is composed of flesh and blood.
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Sep 24, 2021 · The answer is astonishingly simple: We lay people need good priests. We can’t afford to have even one slip the harness before God calls him home. And we can’t afford to have even one...
