REED LESSON 6 UNIT 1 MODULE 4: CHRIST’S FAITHFUL
LESSON 1: DIVERSITY OF MINISTRIES
Christ’s faithful refers to anyone who belongs to
the Church by virtue of his baptism. This person
constitutes the People of God, he belongs to the Body
of Christ- the Church (CCC 871).
The Church is united in its mission but diverse
in its ministries. The diversity in ministries led to the
classification of the faithful into: the Hierarchy, and the
Laity and the Consecrated. The Hierarchy is composed
of those who receive the Holy Orders. They refer to the
apostles and their successors- the priests and bishops
who have been ordained in apostolic succession. The
Laity refers to any baptized who has not received the
Holy Orders. The Consecrated comes from the groups
of the hierarchy and the laity. They live in the form of
communities to witness the values of the Gospel.
A) Receiving a Mandate - Holy Orders
The word order (Latin: ordo) in Roman antiquity
designated an established civil body, especially a
governing body (CCC 1537).
Integration into one of these bodies in the
Church was accomplished through a rite called
ordination (Latin: ordinatio), a sacramental act which
consecrates a man into the order of bishops,
presbyters, or deacons (CCC 1538). The Holy Orders is
a sacrament through which the mission entrusted by
Christ to his apostles continues to be exercised in the
Church until the end of time (CCC 1536). Thus, it is a
sacrament of apostolic ministry. It includes three
degrees: episcopate, presbyterate and diaconate.
B) A Service
Phil 2:7-8; 1 Cor. 9:19
Essentially linked to the sacramental nature of
Holy Orders is its character as service. Christ took the
condition of a slave to serve the will of the Father.
Ministers referring to those who received Holy Orders
are truly slaves of Christ, they act in his person who
freely took the form of a slave for us. The word and
grace of ministers are not their own but are given to
them by Christ. For the sake of others, they must freely
become the salves of all (CCC 876). Christ us our
model of servant leadership. In like manner, ministers
must express their leadership through service.
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C) A College of Service (CCC877)
Ecclesial ministry or the ministry of the ordained
has a collegial character. Jesus Christ called and chose
the twelve apostles and sent them together. He
assigned Peter to lead them (Mt 16:18-20). The
apostles took their authority to lead from within the
group and were in fraternal union with each other led by
Jesus Christ and then by Peter acting on Christ’s
behalf. Peter became the first Pope and the apostles
became the first set of bishops. This set-up developed
into the fraternal union of the bishops headed by the
pope. This is called an Episcopal College or the College
of Bishops. In like manner, the priests in the diocese are
in fraternal union with each other headed by the bishop.
This is called Sacerdotal College or Presbyterium.
Summary
1) Christ’s faithful refers to anyone who belongs to
the Church by virtue of his baptism.
2) The Church is united in its mission but diverse
in its ministries. The diversity in ministries led to
the classification of the faithful into: the
Hierarchy, and the Laity and the Consecrated.
3) The baptized became a member of the
hierarchy through the sacrament of Holy
Orders. The Holy Orders is a sacrament of
apostolic ministry. It includes three degrees:
episcopate, presbyterate and diaconate.
4) Holy Orders is a life of service. Those who
received the sacrament of Holy Orders are
called to lead by serving the Church.
5) Those who received the sacrament of Holy
Orders such as the priests are called to be in
fraternal union with each other through the
leadership of their bishops or anyone acting
their behalf. This is called Presbyterium. The
bishops are also in fraternal union with each
other headed by the pope. This is called
College of Bishops.
LESSON 2: THE HIERARCHY
The hierarchy is composed of the apostles and
their successors (CCC 873).The successors are
classified through the sacrament of Holy Orders that
they have received as follows: (1) Episcopacy or the
function of the bishop, (2) Papacy or the function of the
pope; and (3) Presbyterate or the function of the priest.
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A) EPISCOPACY
1. The Emergence and Development of
Episcopacy
The first major hierarchical office of the
Catholic Church is Episcopacy. The episcopacy
refers to the function of the bishops. The
bishops are the successors of the apostles
(CCC 861). The apostles before their death
entrusted the mission they received from Christ
to their immediate collaborators who shall
succeed the ministry. The apostles ensured
further that their successors would likewise
entrust the ministry to designated men before
they die. This is called apostolic succession.
The rite of succession is known as the
episcopal ordination. Today, the bishops are
chosen from the priests.
The Pastoral Letters documented a
practice of handing down of authority: “Leaders
of the Church received their commission from
the apostles through imposition of hands” (1Tim
4:14; 2Tim 1:6). Because of this, we can see
the idea of Apostolic Succession which puts in
place the doctrine of the continuity of the
leadership of the Apostles to their successors
through the laying of hands. The laying of
hands is a means of the leader to hand in the
mandate or appointment or commission his
successor to a function of office.
2. The ministries (or office) of the episcopacy
a. Teaching ministry:
- The aim of the teaching ministry is for the
people of God to abide in truth that
liberates (CCC 889). The bishops in
communion with the pope and working with
the priests and guided by the magisterium
are tasked to preach the Gospel to all (Mk.
16:15).
b. Sanctifying ministry:
- The bishops and priests are stewards of
grace (CCC 893). They sanctify the Church
by their prayer and work; by their ministry
of the word and the sacraments; and by
their example (1 Pet 5:3-4)
c. Governing ministry:
- The bishop under the guidance of the pope,
governs the local church such as the
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diocese or prelature assigned to him (Lk
22:26-27). The bishop holds the highest
legislative, executive and judiciary authority
in his diocese. This power is proper,
ordinary, and immediate (CCC 894-895).
The individual bishop is the visible source
and foundation of unity in his own particular
Church (CCC 886).
- The bishop is a good shepherd (CCC 896):
He is compassionate to those who are
ignorant and erring; He never refuses to
listen to his subjects whose welfare he
promotes as of his very own children.
B) PAPACY (CCC 891)
The second major hierarchical office of the
Catholic Church is the Papacy (Office of the Pope). The
Pope, Bishop of Rome and Peter's successor, "is the
perpetual and visible source and foundation of the unity
both of the bishops and of the whole company of the
faithful (CCC 882).
1. The Appointment of Peter:
- The authority of Peter was clearly
emphasized in the NT, i.e., Peter
possessed a permanent place among
the 12 apostles. Jesus changed the
name of Simon to Peter. Based on the
Jewish tradition, a change of a name
signifies a certain role. Simon whom
Jesus called with a new name “Peter”
was to be the rock foundation of the
Church and this was clearly explained
by Jesus as he said: “You are Peter,
and in you I will build my Church” (Mt.
16:18-20). Jesus also gave Peter and
the other apostles under his leadership
the power of binding and losing (CCC
881).
2. Papal Primacy:
- The Roman Pontiff, by reason of his
office as Vicar of Christ, and as pastor
of the entire Church has full, supreme,
and universal authority over the whole
Church (CCC 882). This authority
refers to the papal primacy. The papal
primacy entails two (2) powers namely:
REED LESSON 6 UNIT 1 MODULE 4: CHRIST’S FAITHFUL
(a) Primacy of Jurisdiction, and (b)
Infallible Teaching Authority.
a. Primacy of Jurisdiction:
- The Bishop of Rome as successor of
Peter possesses the supreme
ecclesiastical discipline and
government, or the supreme and
universal authority over all bishops and
the faithful in the Church.
- This authority includes:
i. Jurisdictional:
Legislative, judicial, executive
powers – real power not just a
possession of honor and
respect.
ii. Episcopal:
The authority of the Pope
covers the entire Church just
as the Bishop has authority
over his local Church.
iii. Ordinary:
It does not rest in being “you”,
but it belongs to the very
nature of Pope.
iv. Immediate:
The Pope can exercise his
power and authority inherently
to his faithful in any diocese.
v. Full:
There is an ecclesiastical
authority the Pope has within
his jurisdiction.
vi. Supreme:
No other higher authority over
the Pope in the church.
vii. Universal:
It is universal in space and
time, an authority that comes
to all at all times.
b. Infallible Teaching Authority:
- This teaching authority is related to the
issues on FAITH and MORALS. When
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the Pope uses his authority in these
issues, he enjoys freedom from error
and abiding fidelity to the Christian
revelation in the doctrine taught and
called as EX CATHEDRA (from the
seat of the Pope).
- It is in the context of “freedom from
error”; that when the Pope defines
things in matters of faith and morals, it
is to be understood as a DOGMA.
(Dogma is a principle or set of
principles laid down by an authority as
incontrovertibly true.) This could be
understood in the context of:
1. Infallibility of Christ Himself: he is
the perfect revealer of the Father
who can’t be deceived and who will
not deceive…
2. Infallibility of the Church: this is
caused by the presence of Christ in
the church and also of the
guidance of the holy Spirit. Hence,
the Church will not deviate from the
Apostolic faith – the one being
received by the apostles from
Jesus Christ.
3. Infallibility of the Magisterium: this
refers to the charism within the
Church which is exercised in a
special way by those who are
called to an apostolic ministry,
which refers to the College of
Bishops, headed by the Pope. The
task of the Magisterium is to
preserve God's people from
deviations and defections and to
guarantee them the objective
possibility of professing the true
faith without error CCC 889).
Fr. William G. Most explains: By
the Magisterium we mean the
teaching office of the Church. It
consists of the Pope and Bishops.
Christ promised to protect the
teaching of the Church: "He who
hears you, hears me; he who
rejects you rejects me, he who
rejects me, rejects Him who sent
REED LESSON 6 UNIT 1 MODULE 4: CHRIST’S FAITHFUL
me" (Luke 10. 16). Now of course
the promise of Christ cannot fail:
hence when the Church presents
some doctrine as definitive or final,
it comes under this protection, it
cannot be in error; in other words, it
is infallible. This is true even if the
Church does not use the solemn
ceremony of definition. The day to
day teaching of the Church
throughout the world, when the
Bishops are in union with each
other and with the Pope, and
present something as definitive,
this is infallible. (Vatican II, Lumen
gentium # 25). It was precisely by
the use of that authority that
Vatican I was able to define that
the Pope alone, when speaking as
such and making things definitive,
is also infallible. Of course this
infallibility covers also teaching on
what morality requires, for that is
needed for salvation.
4. Infallibility of the Pope: the same
charism in the Church exercised in
a special way by the head of the
college of the bishops, or even
without the college (CCC 891). The
infallibility applies only to the
pronouncements concerning faith
and morals.
C) PRESBYTERATE
Priest refers to anyone who has received the
sacrament of sacerdotal ordination. Once ordained, the
person becomes a co-worker of the bishop for the
proper fulfillment of the apostolic mission that had been
entrusted by Christ (CCC 1562).
1. Preliminary Remarks
a. During the New Testament period, the term
“priest” was applied to Jewish authorities.
Among them are the chief priests and the
high priest in the Sanhedrin. This
priesthood is not classified as religious
functions but rather as political positions.
This does not relate to the priesthood of
Christ. The believers of Yahweh during the
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New Testament time did not call their
ministers “priest”.
b. There is a Hebrew term “presbyteroi”
(which is translated to English as “priest”).
The presbyteroi refers to an “elder” of the
community. During the period of the early
Christian community, the elders functioned
as a council to lead the synagogue.
2. Biblical Roots of Christian Priesthood:
a. The Priesthood of the Old Testament (OT):
- In the OT, a priest was called as
“levite”. Hence, we can call their
priesthood as LEVITICAL
PRIESTHOOD”. A better way of
understanding of this kind of
priesthood could be explained in
Dt. 33: 8-10. The text cites three
(3) functions of a levite as follows:
i. discerner of God’s will
(counselor): The levite
gives counsel to and for
the community.
ii. teacher of the Law: The
levite communicates or
inculcates to the people a
certain way of life.
iii. cultic offerer of sacrifice:
The principal role of the
levite was to lead the
cultic offering in the
temple.
- During the early beginning of
Christianity (30 AD – 70 AD), the
early Christian believers not see
their community as a separate
religion, but as a “Renewing
Judaism”.( Judaism is a religion of
the Kingdom of Judah which
considers Yahweh as God.) The
early Christian believers
understood their faith in relation to
the OT covenant. Their prayers
were presided by the OT priests
(levites). They did not need a new
priesthood to preside over the
breaking of the bread because
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there were levites who presided
over those prayers.
- However, the Temple (of Judaism)
was destroyed in 70AD. The
Christian believers understood it as
God’s final rejection of Israel
including its religion Judaism.
Hence, the Christian believers
began to see the “New Israel”
which refers to the Christian
religion and the Church as we have
now.
b. New Testament (NT) Antecedents to the
Christian Priesthood
- With the inception of the “New
Israel” (Christianity), was the need
of a new priesthood who would
uphold the leadership of its founder
Jesus Christ and lead the
celebration of its highest prayer-
the Holy Eucharist. The Holy
Eucharist was totally different from
the cultic offering of sacrifice in the
Temple of the Religion of Judaism.
- In order for us to understand
Christian Priesthood, we should
consider its different ministries as
follows:
i. Disciple:
A priest is one who is
called and chosen to follow
the Lord. This speaks of a
lifestyle of the priest.
ii. Apostle:
A priest the one who is
sent or commissioned….
This speaks of the priest’s
ministry or apostolate.
iii. Presbyter-bishop:
A priest is in-charge of
administration; guardian of
the Apostolic Doctrine.
This speaks of the priest’s
pastoral administration.
iv. Presider over the
Eucharist:
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A priest presides over the
Eucharist. This speaks of
the priest being a
proclaimer of the Paschal
Mystery of Jesus.
3. The Three (3) Priesthoods:
a. The Priesthood of Jesus Christ
- This is a unique priesthood of the
divine son as the sole mediator
between God and man through His
death on the cross. No one else
can share this priesthood.
b. The Common Priesthood
- This is the priesthood which Jesus
Christ shared to all believers
through baptism. Through baptism,
the Christian faithful become
sharers in Christ’s priestly,
prophetic, and kingly office in their
own manner (CCC 871).
c. The Ministerial Priesthood (CCC 1551)
- This is the priesthood that Jesus
shared to his apostles. This
priesthood can be succeeded upon
by anyone who have been called
and chosen through the imposition
of hands. The imposition of hands
is currently done through the
sacrament of Holy Orders or
Sacerdotal ordination. This is a
priesthood for altar and sacrifice
and for Christian service otherwise
known as the presbyterate.
D) DIACONATE
Acts 6: 1-7
Diaconate is a ministry of service. It is located
at the lower level of the hierarchy. A person becomes a
deacon through the rite of the Sacrament of Diaconate
Ordination. The highlight of the rite of ordination is the
act of the bishop to lay his hand on the candidate. The
sacrament of Holy Orders marks the candidate with an
imprint ("character") which cannot be removed and
which configures him to Christ, who made himself the
"deacon" or servant of all (Mk 10:45; Lk 22:27).
The deacon assists the bishop and priests in
the celebration of the divine mysteries, above all the
Eucharist, in the distribution of Holy Communion, in
REED LESSON 6 UNIT 1 MODULE 4: CHRIST’S FAITHFUL
assisting at and blessing marriages, in the proclamation
of the Gospel and preaching, in presiding over funerals,
and in dedicating themselves to the various ministries of
charity.
Summary
1. The first major hierarchical office of the Catholic
Church is Episcopacy. The Episcopacy refers
the function of a bishop. The bishops are the
successors of the apostles. The rite of
succession is known as the episcopal
ordination. Today, the bishops are chosen from
the priests.
2. The bishop has threefold ministries such as
teaching (to preach the Gospel), sanctifying (to
become stewards of grace), and governing (to
rule the diocese assigned to him).
3. The second major hierarchical office of the
Catholic Church is the Papacy. The pope is the
successor of Peter and the bishop of Rome.
4. The pope has the full, supreme and universal
authority over the whole Church. This authority
is expressed in terms of the primacy of
jurisdiction and infallible teaching authority.
5. The priest refers to anyone who has received
sacerdotal ordination. The priest assists the
bishop deliver his apostolic ministries.
6. The deacon refers to anyone who has received
the diaconate ordination. Diaconate is a
ministry of service. The deacon assists the
priest deliver his ministries.
7. There are three kinds of ordinations in the
Church: episcopacy, presbyterate and
diaconate.
LESSON 3
A) FOUNDATION OF UNITY
The College of Bishops is an assembly of
bishops from all over the universal Church called by the
Pope. "The college or body of bishops has no authority
unless united with the pope or the Roman Pontiff,
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Peter's successor, as its head." As such, this college
has "supreme and full authority over the universal
Church; but this power cannot be exercised without the
concurrence of the Roman Pontiff." (CCC 883)
"This college, in so far as it is composed of
many members, is the expression of the variety and
universality of the People of God; and of the unity of the
flock of Christ, in so far as it is assembled under one
head" (CCC 885).
B) THE COLLEGE OF BISHOPS
When Christ instituted the Twelve, "he
constituted [them] in the form of a college or permanent
assembly, at the head of which he placed Peter, chosen
from among them." Just as "by the Lord's institution, St.
Peter and the rest of the apostles constitute a single
apostolic college, so in like fashion the Roman Pontiff,
Peter's successor, and the bishops, the successors of
the apostles, are related with and united to one
another." (CCC 880)
C) UNITY IN THE DIOCESE AND THE
PROVINCE
"The individual bishops are the visible source
and foundation of unity in their own particular Churches.
As such, they exercise their pastoral office over the
portion of the People of God assigned to them, assisted
by priests and deacons” (CCC 886). The priests and
deacons in the diocese united with their bishop forms a
sacerdotal college or a presbyterium.
CCC 886: “However, as a member of the
college of bishops, each bishop shares in the concern
for all the dioceses. The bishops exercise this care first
by ruling well their own diocese as portions of the
universal Church, and so contributing to the welfare of
the universal Church, which, from another point of view,
is a corporate body of Churches. They extend it
especially to the poor, to those persecuted for the faith,
as well as to missionaries who are working throughout
the world.”
CCC 887: Neighboring particular Churches who
share the same culture form ecclesiastical provinces or
larger groupings called patriarchates or regions. The
bishops of these groupings can meet in synods or
provincial councils. In a like fashion, the episcopal
conferences at the present time are in a position to
contribute in many and fruitful ways to the concrete
realization of the collegiate spirit.
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Summary
1. The College of Bishops is the gathering of
bishops throughout the world because they are
called by the pope. The bishops, when
gathered as a college has "supreme and full
authority over the universal Church.

2. The Sacerdotal College refers to the priests

and deacons in the diocese united with their
bishop.