20120528 Jesus ordains ministers 耶穌親授聖職
Holy orders and matrimony are sacraments at the service of communion. The Catechism of Catholic Doctrine states: “Holy orders is a sacrament instituted by Our Lord Jesus Himself, by which is given the power of administering the sacraments, together with grace to administer them worthily.”
There are three different sacred orders: deacons, priests, and bishops.
Matter and form
The minister of holy orders is the bishop. According to Father John Hardon’s The Question and Answer Catholic Catechism, “The sacramental matter in the ordination of deacons, priests, and bishops is the imposition of the bishop’s hand upon each individual candidate.”
“The form in the ordination of deacons, priests, and bishops consists of the words of the consecrating prayer.”
The essential consecrating prayer for deacons is: “Lord, send forth upon him the Holy Spirit, that he may be strengthened by the gift of your sevenfold grace to carry out faithfully the work of the ministry.”
The form of ordination for priests is: “Almighty Father, grant to this servant of yours the dignity of the priesthood. Renew within him the Spirit of Holiness. As a co-worker with the order of bishops may he be faithful to the ministry that he receives from You, Lord God, and be to others a model of right conduct.”
The form of consecration for a bishop is: “So now pour out upon this chosen one that power which is from You, the governing Spirit Whom You gave to Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, the Spirit given by Him to the holy apostles, who founded the Church in every place to be Your temple for the unceasing glory and praise of Your name.”
Sacramental effects
Father Hardon writes, “The sacrament of orders imprints an indelible character on the soul; confers the power corresponding, separately, to the diaconate, the priesthood, and the episcopate; increases sanctifying grace; and imparts sacramental grace as a title to the actual graces necessary for fulfilling the ecclesiastical responsibilities that belong to each of the three stages of this sacrament.”
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: “Among other tasks, it is the task of deacons to assist the bishop and priests in the celebration of the divine mysteries, above all the Eucharist, in the distribution of Holy Communion, in 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.”
The primary ministry of a priest is to celebrate Mass and to forgive sins, and his pastoral duties are to teach, lead, and sanctify. The main emphasis in the ordination of a priest is the holiness expected of him.
The main power a bishop receives at his consecration is to confer the sacrament of holy orders. According to Christus Dominus (Vatican II), “The bishops having been appointed by the Holy Spirit, are successors of the apostles as pastors of souls. Together with the supreme Pontiff and under his authority they are sent to continue throughout the ages the work of Christ, the Eternal Pastor.”
Vocations
St. John Bosco once pointed out three signs of a priestly vocation. First: moral goodness. The saint saw the keeping of the commandments regarding the virtue of chastity as a fundamental requirement of moral goodness.
Second: sufficient intellectual ability. Third: clerical spirit: the inclination and interest to participate in the liturgical ceremonies of the Church. Clerical spirit also includes the strong desire for the clerical state, and the preference of the clerical state over all other positions in society.
“A priest, whoever he may be, is always another Christ,” according to St. Josemaria Escriva.
聖秩（神品）及婚配皆屬為共融服務的聖事。「要理問答」明言:「神品是吾主耶穌親定的聖事，為付聖事之權，並賦聖寵，使善行聖事。」
聖秩包括執事職、司鐸(神父)職、和主教職。
聖事的質與形
主教是聖秩的施行者。若望.赫頓神父在他的「天主教要理問答」中解釋：「聖秩的質是主教在受品者的頭上覆手。」「聖秩的形是主教誦讀的祝聖禱詞。」
祝聖執事的主要禱詞是：「上主，求祢遣發聖神降臨於他，使他因聖神七恩而強化，忠實地執行服務的工作。」
祝聖司鐸的形是：「全能的天父，我們求祢把司鐸的職位授予祢這位僕人，在他心中振興聖德之神，使他由祢接受這項輔助的職務，成為我們主教職位的忠誠合作者，在生活中樹立善表，作眾人的模範。」
祝聖主教的形是：「現在，求祢在這位被選者身上，傾注祢的德能，就是領導之神，祢曾將這神賜給祢的愛子耶穌基督，祂又親自將這神賦予聖使徒，使他們到處建立教會，作爲祢的聖所，以永遠光榮並讚頌祢的聖名。」
聖事的效果
赫頓神父寫道：「聖秩聖事在受品者靈魂上留下不可磨滅的神印，分別授予不同秩職（執事、司鐸、主教）的權柄；增加寵愛；並給予聖事恩寵，讓他們在不同的秩職上得到足夠的寵佑，好能盡忠其職、盡守其責。」
「天主教要理」指出：「在執事的許多職務之中，特別有：輔助主教和司鎊舉行神聖奧蹟的慶典，尤其是感恩祭；分送聖體，證婚並祝福婚姻，宣讀福音和講道，主持葬禮，並獻身於各種愛德服務工作。」
司鐸(神父)主要的職務是舉行彌撒和赦免罪過。司鐸的牧靈職責是訓導、領導和聖化信眾。祝聖司鐸的禮儀經文特別着重神父應有的「神聖」。
主教在晉牧時，領受施放聖秩(神品)聖事的權柄。根據梵蒂岡第二次大公會議「主教在教會內牧靈職務」法令宣告：「主教們為聖神所選，繼宗徒之位，做人靈之牧人，偕同教宗，並在他的權力之下，為完成永久牧者基督的工程而被遣。」
聖召標記
聖若望.鮑思高神父提到聖召的三個標記：
一）良好的道德，當中以恪守有關潔德的誡命為甚。
二）足夠的學習能力。
三）神職精神: 熱誠和有興趣參與聖教的禮儀。神職精神也包括對神職地位的渴望，這渴望比對其他地位的渴望都要強。
聖施禮華神父說道：「司鐸，無論是誰，總是基督第二。」