Do you recognize the following four pronouncements?

1. "The day before He suffered He took bread in His sacred hands and looking up to heaven, to you, His almighty Father, He gave you thanks and praise. He broke the bread, gave it to His disciples, and said: ‘Take this, all of you, and eat it: this is my body which will be given up for you.’"
2. "When supper was ended, He took the cup. Again He gave you thanks and praise, gave the cup to His disciples, and said: ‘Take this, all of you, and drink from it: this is the cup of my blood, the blood of the new and everlasting covenant. It will be shed for you and for all so that sins may be forgiven. Do this in memory of me.’"
3. "God, the Father of mercies, through the death and resurrection of His son has reconciled the world to Himself and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins; through the ministry of the Church may God give you pardon and peace, and I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."
4. "Through this holy anointing may the Lord in His love and mercy help you with the grace of the Holy Spirit. May the Lord who frees you from sin save you and raise you up."

What is a pronouncement? A pronouncement is a formal or authoritative declaration. We know that Jesus instituted seven sacraments. Three of these sacraments are associated with the four authoritative declarations you just read. The first two are the words of consecration spoken by the priest at Mass. The third is the words of absolution spoken by the priest at Confession. The fourth is the words of anointing spoken by the priest to the sick and dying. These words can only have their desired effect if spoken by a validly ordained priest. Through the power of the Holy Spirit these words give us sanctifying grace. Without the ordained priesthood the sacraments of Eucharist, Reconciliation, and Anointing of the Sick are not available to us. And if they’re not available to us, then sanctifying grace does not come to us and cleanse us from our sins. And if our sins are not cleansed from our souls, then we will not rest eternally in God’s heavenly kingdom. The mere thought of living without priests should be most unsettling to every Catholic Christian.

Only men can be ordained. Why? Jesus chose to only ordain men, even though women played a prominent role in His ministry. The Church does not have the authority to go against the teaching of Christ Himself. The ordained must be ordained by a bishop who is a successor to the Apostles. When men are ordained, they receive the sacrament of Holy Orders. Here’s how the Catechism of the Catholic Church defines this sacrament. “Holy Orders is the Sacrament of Apostolic Ministry by which the mission entrusted by Christ to His Apostles continues to be exercised in the Church through the laying on of hands. This sacrament has three distinct degrees or “orders”: deacon, priest, and bishop. All three confer a permanent, sacramental character.”

Like the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Churches---such as the Greek and Russian---have validly ordained priests. Other Christian denominations do not. Why? They failed to continue the Sacred Tradition that required the “laying on of hands” by a bishop who is a successor to the Apostles. The Bible shows the Apostles ordaining other men; and every time it occurs through the “laying on of hands.” The men who the Apostles ordained, ordained other men. This has continued down through the ages. If a Christian denomination did not maintain apostolic succession, then they do not have a valid priesthood.

When Martin Luther, John Calvin, Ulrich Zwingli, and other early Protestant Reformers broke with the Church, validly ordained bishops went with them. These bishops, after they broke with the Church, did initially continue to ordain other men; but as the months and years passed, all Protestant denominations failed to maintain the ordination tradition of “laying on of hands” by a successor to the Apostles. Thus, today’s Protestant denominations do not have a validly ordained ministry. Without a valid ordained ministry, they do not have the fullness of all seven Sacraments. They only have the two that do not require a validly ordained priesthood: Baptism and Marriage. A lay person can baptize. The exchange of consent between the man and the woman at their wedding is the indispensable element that makes the marriage. The deacon, priest, or bishop is a witness for the Church. It is important to note that most non Catholic and non Orthodox Christians do not refer to Baptism and Marriage as sacraments. Christ does, if they are done properly with the correct form and matter.

Priests are fallible men. They deal with the same struggles that every man and woman deals with on a daily basis. But through the Sacrament of Holy Orders the Holy Spirit conferred on them an “indelible spiritual character” that cannot be removed. In the strict sense, once a man is ordained he is ordained for ever.

Please join me in praying for the ordained priesthood. Without priests, we do not have the sacraments; without the sacraments we do not receive God’s sacramental grace; and without God’s sacramental grace our eternal salvation is in jeopardy.

For more insight read CCC paragraphs 1348, 1353, 1395, 1422, 1440-1442, 1455-1458, 1499, 1510, 1516, 1536, 1554, 1562, 1566, 1577-1582, 1593, 1597-1598. Also, pull out your “Catholic” Bible and reference Mk 6:12-13; Lk 22:19-20; Jn 20:21-23; Acts 6:5-6; 13:3; 14:22; 20:28; 2 Cor 5:17-20; 1 Tim 4:14; 2 Tim 1:6-8; Tit 1:5; Jam 5:13-16.