The Priesthood was instituted for the Eucharist
by VP
Posted on Wednesday October 20, 2021 at 01:00AM in Books
"What should not the Holy Sacrifice, therefore, be for us priests, and what should not we priests be for the Holy Sacrifice? The priesthood was instituted for the Eucharist. Our priestly life is made up of duties connected with it. To this end we have been chosen out of the world and separated from it. The seal of Jesus Christ is stamped upon us; the spirit and the ways of the world, and even the permissible things of the world should be for us what they are not for others. By the chisel of the Holy Ghost and invisible character has been engraved on our soul, in order that we may forever be the property of the Blessed Sacrament. What are we, and what should we be? Once only did Mary draw the Eternal Word down from heaven, whilst every day we priests draw Him down from heaven to earth. She carried Jesus in her arms until He had reached the age of boyhood, but for us He prolongs His childhood throughout our lifetime. Can we look into the face of our Mother and tell her that in this respect we are greater than she was, and not think on the sanctity that our awe-inspiring office requires of us? Oh, how happy would the long martyrdom of our spiritual life be, if we but aspired to priestly holiness! The attraction of the Eucharist should be our vocation, our ecclesiastical spirit, our joy. The fires of hell cannot in all eternity burn out the sacerdotal character imprinted on our soul in ordination; but the splendors of heaven will make that sacred character shine out with so much the greater lustre."
Source: The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass: Dogmatically, Liturgically, and Ascetically ...By Nikolaus Gihr
