A Royal Priesthood

Most of us are aware that we cannot celebrate Mass without a priest.  While this no doubt makes our priests feel needed, it can have the unfortunate side effect of leading some of faithful to think that Mass is something that the priest “does” for the rest of the Church.  In reality, the Mass is something that we all do together.  The priest is here to preside over the Mass, but each of us also has an important role.

The first part of the Roman Missal, the big red book which contains the prayers we use at Mass, is called the “General Instruction.”  It says that “the celebration of the Eucharist is an action of the whole Church,” all of us.  It goes on to say that “this people nevertheless grows in holiness by its conscious, active, and fruitful participation” in the Mass.

The Second Vatican Council called everyone who gathers for Mass; be it priest, deacon or the lay faithful, to “full, conscious, and active participation.”  As a matter of fact, the world’s bishops said that this was to be the, “aim to be considered before all else,” in our celebration of the Mass.  The bishops were so concerned about this as they recognized that this kind of participation “is the primary and indispensable source from which [we] are to derive the true Christian spirit.”  It is by our taking part in the offering of the Mass that we are to become more and more like Christ.  It is our primary path to holiness.

The Council fathers insisted that our participation in Mass is both a right and a duty by reason of our baptism, because through baptism, to quote St. Peter, we have become “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people.”  We all share in the priesthood of Christ; you and I in the royal priesthood and Father in the ministerial priesthood, and it is Christ who offers his sacrifice to the His Father whenever we, all of us, celebrate the Mass.  The priest is the Presider of the Mass; but we are all the celebrants.    

Sometimes we may think that our presence or our participation doesn’t much matter.  But each one of us is important to the celebration of the liturgy.  We each have a job to do that no one else can do for us.  Only together can we offer God proper worship.