[IND IAN FEMI N IST THEOLOGIANS FOR THE ORDINAT ION OF WOMEN AS PRIESTS?]
"CULTIC PRIESTHOOD: FROM NEW TESTAMENT TO TRENT" By [Fr. ] Subhash Anand , St. Paul’s School, Bhupalpura, Udaipur, 313001, Tel: 294-2423507,43subhash@gmail.com MARCH 4, 2010 During the Year for Priests many people have been praying for the ordained ministers of the Church. In some parishes and convents, there are regular holy hours. In many places the parish councils are inviting all the priests who have ministered in their parish and honoring and thanking them for their service. Some individuals and families have even adopted a priest and assured him their continued prayerful support. All this may serve some purpose, but it is far too little. What is much more important is that we go back to the roots. The Council of Trent (1545-1564) teaches that during the Last Supper, Jesus instituted the priesthood. In its 22nd session it declares: He offered up to God the Father His own body and blood under the species of bread and wine; and, under the symbols of those same things, He delivered (His own body and blood) to be received by His apostles, whom He then constituted priests of the New Testament;1 and by those words, Do this in commemoration of me, He commanded them and their successors in the priesthood, to offer (them); even as the Catholic Church has always understood and taught. We have the same teaching in a canon: “If any one says, that by the words, “Do this as a memorial of me” (Lk 22:19; 1 Cor 11.24), Christ did not establish the apostles as priests or that he did not order that they and other priests should offer His own body and blood; let him be anathema.”2 Many think that the Council defined the meaning of Lk 22.19: “Do this as a memorial of me”. Trent maintains that this is how ‘the Catholic Church has always understood and taught’. Its approach is basically cultic. The Second Vatican Council does not speak about the institution of the priesthood, but it sees the priestly ministry within a much wider context. In this Year for Priests, it will be helpful to go back to the sources. We need to see how the New Testament has presented the priesthood of Jesus. Only then will we get a proper understanding of the priesthood of the new People of God. Our God Is Holy To appreciate better what the New Testament has to say about cult and cultic priesthood, we need to see it against the background of the Old Testament. In his vision, Isaiah hears the angels singing: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory” (6.3). This is a central truth of the Old Testament books. They “consider God the ideal manifestation, indeed the source of holiness... The title ‘Holy One of Israel’ reflects this supremacy [of God]... Paradoxically this high holiness may make it difficult for people to worship him.” 3 We see this in the book of Exodus. When God descended on a mountain to reveal himself to Moses, definite limits were set, and no other person – under pain of death – could come in the vicinity of that place (19.12-13). Similarly Moses pitched the tent where he met God outside the residential area of the Israelites. This meant that to meet God he had to go away from his people, and the people would stand at a distance and watch (33.7-8). God’s holiness is the concern of the first part of the Decalogue. First, we have only one God, there is none other like Him. Second, He is so holy nothing we make can really express Him, and hence we should not pretend to make any image of Him. Third, for the same reason, we need to pronounce His name with great respect. Fourth, we remind ourselves that we belong to the Holy One by regularly celebrating the Sabbath. 4 A special offering was made on the Sabbath (Num 28.9-10). The observance of Sabbath, originally linked with the liberating experience from Egypt (Ex 20.8.11; Deut 5.12-15), and as such embodying a concern for human freedom,5 becomes more and more rigid. The sacred writer had no hesitation to tell us that even God observed this rule (Gen 2.2). A person guilty of violating the Sabbath could be put to death (Ex 31.12-17). We see this actually in the Book of Numbers: a man gathering sticks to cook his food is put to death (15.32-36). The Book of Exodus gives us detailed guidelines for the celebrations of the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread (12.1-28; 12.43-13.10). It also speaks about other festivals (23.14-18; 34.18-26), and the daily offerings to be made on the altar (29.38-46). So too we have instructions about the construction of the altar (20.22-26; 30.1-38; 37.25-29). The Israelites are told what offerings they are to bring to the Lord (25.1-9); how they are to construct the Ark of the Covenant and the Tabernacle that will house it and its consecration, and the items that will adorn the Tabernacle (25.10-27.22; 35.1-29; 36.8-38; 37.1-38.31; 39.32-43; 40.1-38). We also have elaborate descriptions of the rites of consecration of priests and of the vestments they should use when ministering in the Tabernacle (28.1-29.37; 39.1-31). All this data is also found in the other books of the Pentateuch (Lev 8.1-36; 23.15-43; Num 9.1-14; 28.1-31; 29.12-40; Deut 16.1-17).