As Lent draws closer to Holy Week, the Church begins to focus more directly on the final days of Christ’s life.
We see Him at the table.
We see Him teaching.
We see Him praying.
And we begin to see something else more clearly.
We see Him as priest.
At the Last Supper, on the night before His crucifixion, Christ did something that would remain at the center of the Church for all generations. He took bread and wine, gave thanks, and gave them to His disciples saying:
“Do this in remembrance of me.”
(Luke 22:19)
These words were not only instruction. They were entrustment.
Christ did not simply give the Eucharist. He entrusted its continuation to those who were with Him.
From the beginning, the apostles understood that they had received something that was not meant to remain with them alone. As the Church began to grow, they appointed others to share in this responsibility.
The Acts of the Apostles describes this moment:
“They prayed and laid their hands on them.”
(Acts 6:6)
This laying on of hands was not symbolic. It was the visible sign that a responsibility had been passed on.
St. Paul later writes to Timothy:
“Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by the laying on of hands.”
(1 Timothy 4:14)
From the beginning, the Church understood that the mission entrusted by Christ to the apostles would continue through those who came after them.
This is what we now call apostolic succession.
The sacrament of Holy Orders developed from this practice. Through the laying on of hands and prayer, bishops, priests, and deacons are ordained to serve the Church.
The Catechism explains:
“Holy Orders is the sacrament through which the mission entrusted by Christ to his apostles continues to be exercised in the Church.”
(CCC 1536)
This mission is not one of power.
It is one of service.
Christ Himself made this clear:
“Whoever would be great among you must be your servant.”
(Mark 10:43)
The priest stands at the altar, but not for himself.
He proclaims the Gospel, but not his own words.
He forgives sins, but not by his own authority.
He serves.
The priesthood of the Church is rooted in Christ Himself.
At the Last Supper, Christ offers the first Eucharist.
On the Cross, He offers Himself completely.
These are not separate acts.
They are one.
And the priest stands within that same movement.
He stands at the altar because Christ first stood there.
He offers the Eucharist because Christ first gave it.
He serves because Christ first served.
The Early Church
The early Church preserved this structure carefully.
Around AD 96, St. Clement of Rome, writing to the Corinthians, described how the apostles appointed leaders to continue their work:
“They appointed their first converts… and afterwards gave instructions that when these should fall asleep, other approved men should succeed them.”
(1 Clement, 44)
This shows that the Church understood leadership not as temporary, but as something that would continue from one generation to the next.
Later, St. Ignatius of Antioch emphasized the importance of bishops, priests, and deacons within the Church. He urged Christians to remain united under their leadership, recognizing their role in preserving the faith and guiding the community.
The structure we see today was already present in its earliest form.
Holy Orders and Lent
As Lent draws us closer to Holy Week, the connection becomes clearer.
On Holy Thursday, the Church remembers the Last Supper.
On Good Friday, the Church remembers the Cross.
The priesthood is inseparable from these moments.
Without the priesthood, there would be no Eucharist.
Without the Eucharist, the Church would lose the center of her life.
Holy Orders exists so that Christ’s work continues.
Not as memory.
But as presence.
Servants of the Shepherd
Christ is the Good Shepherd.
He leads.
He feeds.
He lays down His life.
Those who receive Holy Orders are called to reflect that same pattern.
Not perfectly.
But faithfully.
They stand among the faithful, not above them.
They walk with them.
They serve them.
And in doing so, they point beyond themselves to Christ.
Lent prepares us to see this more clearly.
As we approach Holy Week, we do not simply remember what Christ did.
We see how He continues to act.
Through the sacraments.
Through His Church.
Through those He has called to serve.
References
Sacred Scripture
Luke 22:19
Acts 6:6
1 Timothy 4:14
Mark 10:43
Early Church Fathers
St. Clement of Rome, 1 Clement, 44
St. Ignatius of Antioch, Letters
Catechism of the Catholic Church
CCC 1536–1600
Leave a Reply