Thursday, December 4, 2014

What’s the Difference Between a Brother, Deacon, Priest, and Bishop?




A religious brother is meant to be a living witness of Christ as the universal brother. He reminds us that we are called to be part of the family of God, the family of the Church. He lives totally consecrated to the Lord, taking promises of poverty, chastity, and obedience to radically imitate the life of Christ amongst us. He lives a life of prayer and service to the Church, and may be able to reach people that a priest cannot or do work that is more specific, specialized, or different than that of the priest. A brother often wears a habit as a radical and counter-cultural sign of being totally consecrated to God and as being a living witness of God’s presence in the world. It is a reminder to him that he must live differently because He belongs totally to God. He chooses chaste celibacy to be available to whatever needs his community may have or to be of service to those in need. He seeks to live the union with God in heaven now to point the rest of the world towards that same union in heaven. A brother does not celebrate or administer any of the sacraments. His vocation is distinct from the priest. But most religious institutions that have priests have their priests be brothers first, to remind the priest that he is always a brother to the community to which he belongs.  For this reason, some priests in religious communities can wear the habit, which links him to his common brotherhood, or sometimes he can wear clerics, which links him to his priesthood.



There are also permanent deacons and transitional deacons. Permanent deacons can be married if they are married before they seek to be ordained as a deacon. Their spouse has to approve of their decision. A permanent deacon’s time of formation may be different than a transitional deacon. They remain a deacon forever. Transitional deacons, both in the diocese and in religious life, are not married and have taken a vow/promise of celibacy. They serve as a deacon for only about a year before they are ordained to the priesthood. The diaconate is one of the three orders of the sacrament of Holy Orders: deacon, priest, and bishop. Deacons dedicate themselves to assisting the priest or bishop at the celebration of the Mass, distributing Holy Communion, preaching, proclaiming the Gospel, presiding over funerals, assisting at the blessing of marriages, administering the sacrament of Baptism, and in dedicating themselves to the various ministries of charity. The diaconate is distinct from the priesthood. A deacon is ordained by the bishop, the successor to the Apostles, through the laying on of hands. (Acts 6:1-7; 1 Timothy 3:8-13)




The priest acts in persona Christi, in the person of Christ, to celebrate the Mass, consecrate the Eucharist into the Body and Blood of Jesus (John 6:53-58), to forgive the sins of those who come to him in the sacrament of Confession (John 20:22-23, James 5:16), to anoint the sick and the dying with oil (James 5:14-15), to baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19), to preach and proclaim the Gospel, to be a co-worker of the bishop to teach, sanctify, and govern his people in his parish or apostolate, to preside over funerals and the blessing of marriages. The priest is meant to be a father to his people and to be in the person of Christ sanctifying his people through the offering of His one sacrifice at the Mass. A priest is ordained by a bishop through the laying on of hands. (1 Timothy 5:17-22)




A bishop is a successor to the Apostles. His authority comes from Christ, which has been passed down through the centuries from the Apostles onward. A bishop receives the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders through the laying on of hands and holds chief place in the teaching, sanctifying, and governing of the local Church, but is also responsible for the mission of the universal Church. A bishop takes the place of Christ, Himself as teacher, shepherd, priest, and Christ’s representative. They are considered authentic teachers of the faith as long as they teach in union with the Bishop of Rome, the successor of St. Peter. In teaching in union with other bishops and the Bishop of Rome, a bishop guarantees the purity of the faith handed on by the apostles without error on matters of faith and morals (Matthew 18:17-19). The bishop is able to celebrate all of the sacraments including ordaining men to the priesthood, diaconate, and bishopric as well as the sacrament of Confirmation. Bishops are usually chosen from the diocesan priesthood, however, it is also common throughout the history of the Church for an exemplary religious priest to be chosen as a bishop of a diocese or even as a Pope (such as Pope Francis a Jesuit, Archbishop Chaput of Philadelphia a Capuchin Franciscan, Cardinal O’Malley of Boston a Capuchin Franciscan, Bishop Glancy of Belize City-Belmopan a Viatorian, etc…) In the event of a religious priest being named a bishop or pope, some of their vows/promises of poverty, obedience, and community living would be adapted. (2 Timothy 1:6-7; 1 Timothy 3:1-7)

(See Paragraphs 861-862, 874-896, 1554-1561 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for more information)

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