Letter of the Holy Father

to priests for Holy Thursday

John Paul II

(12 March 1989)

Dear Brothers in the Priesthood of Christ,

1. Once again this year I wish to call attention to the greatness of this day, which unites all of us around Christ. During the Sacred Triduum the whole Church deepens her awareness of the Paschal Mystery. Holy Thursday is meant for us in a particular way. It is the memorial of the Last Supper, which is renewed and represented on this day. In it we find what we live by; we find what we are by the grace of God. We return to the very beginning of the sacrifice of the new and everlasting Covenant as well as to the beginning of our priesthood, which is whole and complete in Christ. During the Paschal Supper he said: "This is my body, which will be given up for you"; "This is the cup of my blood which will be shed for you and for all so that sins may be forgiven" (cf. Mt 26:26-28;. Lk 22:19-20). Through these sacramental words, Christ reveals himself as the Redeemer the world and also as Priest of the new and everlasting Covenant.

The Letter to the Hebrews expresses this truth most completely, referring to Christ as "high priest of the good things that have come", who "entered once for all into the Holy Place" through "his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption". Through his blood shed on the Cross he "offered himself without blemish to God" through the "eternal Spirit" (cf. Heb 9:11-14).

The one priesthood of Christ is eternal and definitive, just as the sacrifice be offered is definitive and eternal. Every day and always, especially during the Sacred Triduum, this truth lives in the Church’s consciousness: "We have a great high priest" (Heb 4:14).

And at the same time, what was accomplished at the Last Supper has made Christ’s priesthood into a sacrament of the Church. Until the end of time it is the sign of her identity and the source of that life in the Holy Spirit which the Church is constantly receiving from Christ. This life is shared by all who in Christ make up the Church. All share in the priesthood of Christ, and this sharing signifies that already through Baptism "of water and the Holy Spirit" (Jn 3:5) they are consecrated to offer spiritual sacrifices in union with the one redeeming sacrifice offered by Christ himself. In him all become a royal priesthood" (1 Pt 2:9)—as the messianic people of the new Covenant.

2. It is very timely to recall this truth on the occasion of the recent publication of the Apostolic Exhortation "Christifideles Laici". This document contains the results of the work done by the Synod of Bishops which met in ordinary session in 1987 to discuss the theme of the vocation and mission of the laity in the Church and in the world.

We all need to become familiar with this important document. We also need to meditate on our own vocation in light of it. This kind of reflection is very opportune, especially on the day which recalls the origin of the Eucharist and of that’ sacramental service of priests which is connected with the Eucharist.

In the Dogmatic Constitution "Lumen Gentium", the Second Vatican Council pointed out the difference between the common priesthood of all the baptized and the priesthood which we receive in the Sacrament of Orders. The Council calls the latter the "ministerial priesthood", which means both "of-flee" and "service". It ‘is also "hierarchical" in the sense of sacred service. For "hierarchy" means, sacred governance, which in the Church is service.

We recall the often quoted conciliar text: "Although they differ essentially and not only in degree, the common priesthood of the faithful and the ministerial or hierarchical priesthood are nonetheless ordered, one to another; each in its own proper way shares in the one priesthood of Christ. The ministerial priest, by the sacred power that he has, forms and rules the priestly people; in the person of Christ (in persona Christi) he effects the Eucharistic sacrifice and offers it to God in the name of all the people, The faithful, by virtue of their royal priesthood, participate in the offering of the Eucharist. They exercise that priesthood too by the reception of the sacraments, by prayer and thanksgiving, by the witness of a holy life, by self-denial and active charity" (Lumen Gentium, 10: cf. Apostolic Exhortation Christifideles Laici, 22).

3. During the Sacred Triduum the one priesthood of the new and everlasting Covenant is made visible to the eyes of our faith, the priesthood which is in Christ himself. To him indeed can be applied the words about the high priest who, "chosen from among men is appointed to act on their behalf" (cf. Heb 5:1). As man Christ is priest: he is "high priest of the good things that have come". At the same time, however, this man-priest is the Son, of one being with the Father. For this reason his priesthood—the priesthood of his redemptive sacrifice—is one and unrepeatable. It is the transcendent fulfilment of all that priesthood is.

This very same priesthood of Christ is shared by everyone in the Church through the Sacrament of Baptism. Although the words "a priest chosen from among men" are applied to each of us who shares in the ministerial priesthood, they refer first of all to membership in the messianic people, in the royal priesthood. They point to our roots in the common priesthood of the faithful, which lies at the base of our individual call to priestly ministry.

The "lay faithful" are those from among wham each one of us "has been chosen", from among whom our priesthood has been born. First of all, there are our parents, then our brothers and sisters, as well as the many people of the different backgrounds from which each of us comes—human and Christian backgrounds, which are sometimes also dechristianized. The priestly vocation, in fact, does not always emerge in an atmosphere favourable to it; sometimes the grace of vocation passes through an unfavourable environment and even through occasional resistance by parents or family.

Besides all those whom we know and whom we can personally identify along the road of our own vocation, there are still others who remain unknown. We are never able so say with certainty to whom we owe this grace, to whose prayers and sacrifices we are indebted, in the mystery of the divine plan.

In any case, the words "a priest chosen from among men" have a broad application. If we meditate today on the birth of Christ’s priesthood, first of all in our own hearts (even before we received it through the imposition of bands by the bishop), we must live this day as debtors. Yes, brothers, we are debtors! It is as debtors to God’s inscrutable grace that we are born to the priesthood, both from the heart of the Redeemer himself—in the midst of his sacrifice—and from the womb of the Church, the priestly people. For this people is, as it were, the spiritual seedbed of vocations, the earth tilled by the Holy Spirit, who is the Church’s Paraclete for all time.

The people of God rejoices in the priestly vocation of its sons. In this vocation it finds the confirmation of its own vitality in the Holy Spirit,. Christ, the "high priest of the good things that have come", is present in every generation of individuals and in Christian communities. He too was "chosen from among men". He is "the Son of Man", the Son of Mary.

4. Wherever vocations are scarce the Church must be attentive. And she is indeed attentive, very attentive, This concern is shared also by the laity in the Church. At the 1987 Synod we heard touching words in this regard, not only from the bishops and priests but also from the lay people who were there.

This concern shows in the best possible way who the priest is for the laity: it testifies to his identity, and here we are talking of a community testimony, a social testimony, for the priesthood is a "social" sacrament: the priest "chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God" (Heb 5:1).

Jesus washed the feet of the Apostles at the Last Supper on the day before his Passion and Death on the Cross, and he did this to stress the fact that he came "not to be served but to serve" (Mk 10:45). All that Christ did and taught was at the service of our redemption. The ultimate and most complete expression of this messianic service was to be the Cross on Calvary. The Cross confirmed in the fullest possible way that the Son of God became man "for us men and for our salvation" (Credo of the Mass). And this salvific service, which embraces the whole universe, is "inscribed" for ever in the priesthood of Christ. The Eucharist—the sacrament of Christ’s redeeming sacrifice—contains in itself this "inscription". Christ, who came to serve, is sacramentally present in the Eucharist precisely in order to serve. At the same time, this service is the fulness of salvific mediation: Christ has entered an eternal sanctuary, "into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf" (Heb 9:24). In truth, he was "appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God".

Each of us who shares by sacramental ordination in Christ’s priesthood" must constantly reread this "inscription" of Christ’s redeeming service. For we too—each one of us—are appointed "to act on behalf of men in relation to God". The Council rightly affirms that "the laity have the right to receive in abundance from their pastors the spiritual goods of the Church, especially the assistance of the word of God and the sacraments" (Lumen Gentium, 37).

This service is at the very heart of cur mission. Certainly our brothers and sisters—the lay faithful—look to us as "servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God" (1 Cor 4:1). Here is found the full authenticity of our vocation, of our place in the Church. During the Synod of Bishops, in its discussion on the very question of the laity’s apostolate, it was frequently mentioned that the laity has very much as heart this authenticity of vocation and priestly life. Indeed this is the first condition for the vitality of the lay state and for the apostolate proper to the laity, It is not at all a matter of "laicizing" the clergy, any more than it is a matter of "clericalizing" the laity. The Church develops organically according to the principle of the multiplicity and diversity of "gifts", that is to say, charisms (cf. Christifideles Laici, 21-24). Each one "has his own special gift" (1 Cor 7:7) "for the common good" (ibid., 12:7). "As each one has received a gift, employ is for one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace" (I Pt 4:10). These statements by the Apostles are fully relevant in our own time. Likewise, the exhortation "to lead a life worthy of the calling" (Eph 4:1) to ‘which each one has been called is directed to everyone—both the ordained and the laity.

5. Today therefore, on a day so holy and filled with deep spiritual meaning for us, we should meditate once more, and in detail, on the particular character of our vocation and of our priestly service. Concerning priests the Council teaches that "their ministry itself by a special title forbids them to be conformed so this world. Yet at the same time this ministry requires that they live in this world among men" (Presbyterorum Ordinis, 3). In the priestly vocation of a pastor there must always be a special place for these people, the lay faithful and their "lay state", which is also a great asset of the Church, Such an interior place is a sign of the priest’s vocation as a pastor.

The Council has shown with great clarity that the lay state, which is rooted in the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation—the lay state as a common dimension of sharing in the priesthood of Christ—constitutes the essential vocation of all the lay faithful. Priests "cannot be ministers of Christ unless they are witnesses and dispensers of a life other than this earthly one", yet at the same time "they cannot be of service to men if they remain strangers to the life and conditions of men" (ibid.). This indicates precisely that interior place given to the lay state, which is deeply inscribed in the priestly vocation of every pastor: it is the place for everything in which this "secularity" expresses itself. In all this the priest must try to recognize the "true Christian dignity" (Lumen Gentium, 18) of each of his lay brothers and sisters; indeed, he must, make, every effort to convince them of it, to educate them in it through his own priestly service.

Recognizing the dignity of the lay faithful and "the role which is proper to them in the mission of the Church", "priests are brothers among brothers..., members of one and the same body of Christ, whose upbuilding is entrusted to all" (Presbyterorum Ordinis, 9).

6. Cultivating such an attitude towards all the lay faithful—the laity and their lay state—who themselves have been marked by the gift of a vocation received from Christ, the priest can carry Out this social task which is linked with his vocation as a pastor, that is to say, he can gather together" the Christian communities to which he is sent, The Council on several occasions emphasizes this task, For example, it says that priests "exercising... the function of Christ..., gather together God’s family as a brotherhood all of one mind and lead them in the Spirit, through Christ, to God the Father" (Lumen Gentium, 28).

This "gathering together" is service. Each of us must be aware of gathering the community together not around ourselves but around Christ, and not for ourselves but for Christ, so that he can act in this community and at the same time in each person. He acts by the power of his Spirit, the Paraclete. in the measure of the "gift" which each person receives in this Spirit "for the common benefit".

Consequently, this "gathering together" is service, and all the more service, to the extent that the priest "presides" over the community. In this regard the Council emphasizes that "priests should preside in such a way that they seek the things of Jesus Christ, not the things which are their own, They must work together with the lay faithful" (Presbyterorum Ordinis, 9).

This "gathering together" is not to be understood as something occasional but as a continuous and coherent "building up" of the community. It is precisely here that the cooperation of which the Council speaks is essential. Priests must "discover with the instinct of faith, acknowledge with joy, and foster with diligence the various humble and exalted charisms of the laity". as we read in the Council’s Decree (ibid.). "Priests should also confidently entrust so the laity duties in the service of the Church, allowing them freedom and room for action" (ibid.).

Referring to the words of Saint Paul, the Council reminds priests that they "have been placed in the midst of the laity to lead them to the unity of charity, so that they may ‘love one another with fraternal charity, anticipating one another with honour’ (Rom. 12:10)" (ibid.).

7. At the present time, many groups within the Church are studying the Post-Synodal Exhortation Christifideles Laici, which expresses the collegial solicitude of the Bishops assembled in the Synod. The Synod was indeed echoing the Council by attempting so indicate— in the light of years of experience— the direction in which the implementation of the Council’s teaching on the laity should proceed. Everyone knows that the Council’s teaching has proved to be especially rich and stimulating, as well as responsive to the needs of the Church in the modern world.

We are aware of these needs in all their importance and variety. Thus knowledge of the Post-Synodal document will enable us to face these needs, and in many cases, will help us to improve our priestly service. For, as we read in the Constitution Lumen Gentium: "Sacred, pastors know how much the laity contribute to the welfare of the entire Church. Pastors also know that they themselves were not meant by Christ so shoulder alone the entire saving mission of the Church towards the world" (n. 30).

Upholding the dignity and responsibility of the laity, "let pastors willingly make use of their prudent advice" (ibid., 37). All the Pastors — bishops and priests— "reveal the face of the Church to the world. People will judge the power and truth of the Christian message thereby" (Gaudium et Spes, 43). In this way there is "a strengthened tense of personal responsibility, a renewed enthusiasm, a more ready application of their talents to the projects of their pastors" (Lumen Gentium, 37).

This too will be an object of study for the meeting of the Synod of Bishops on the theme of priestly formation which has been announced for the year 1990. This sequence of themes in itself helps us to understand that in the Church there exists a profound link between the vocation of the laity and the vocation of priests.

8. In mentioning all these things in this year’s Letter for Holy Thursday, it has been my wish to touch upon a subject which is essentially linked to the Sacrament of Holy Orders. Today we gather around our bishops, as the "presbyterium" of the individual local Churches, in so many places round the world. We concelebrate the Eucharist and renew the priestly promises connected with our vocation and our service of Christ’s Church. It is the great priestly day of all the particular Churches of the world within the one universal Church. We offer one, another the sign of peace and through this sign we reach out to all our brothers in the priesthood, even those farthest away in the vastness of the visible world.

It is precisely this world that we offer together with Christ to the Father in the Holy Spirit: the world of today, "the whole human family together with the sum of those realities in the midst of which that family lives" (Gaudium et Spes, 2). Acting in persona Christi, as "stewards of the mysteries of God" (1 Cor 4:1), we are conscious of the universal dimension of the Eucharistic Sacrifice.

By virtue of their own vocation the lay faithful—our brothers and sisters—are united with this "world" in a way that differs from ours. The world is given to them as a task by God in Christ the Redeemer. Their apostolate must lead directly to the transformation of the world in the spirit of the Gospel (cf. Christifideles Laici, 36). In the Eucharist of which we are the ministers through Christ’s grace, they come to discover light and strength for carrying out this task.

Let us remember them at all the altars of she Church in today’s world as we renew she redeeming service of Christ. Let us renew it. as "good and faithful" servants, "whom the master finds awake when he comes" (cf. Lk 19:17; 12:37).

To all my dear brothers in she Priesthood of Christ I send my cordial greeting and my Apostolic Blessing.

From the Vatican, on 12 March. the Fifth Sunday of Lens, in the year 1989. the eleventh, of my Pontificate.