The Sacrament of Holy Orders

Holy Orders

Holy Orders is the sacrament of a life poured out. Through it, Christ continues to shepherd His people with His own Heart.

When Jesus commands, “Do this in memory of me” (Luke 22:19), He entrusts His mission to those He calls. Through the laying on of hands, a man is configured to Christ in a profound and permanent way.

Pope John Paul II says, “The priest is a gift of the Heart of Christ” (Gift and Mystery). The priest belongs to Christ—and is given to the Church.

He stands at the altar. He forgives sins. He proclaims the Gospel. Not by his own power, but because Christ acts through him.

Mother Adela Galindo, the Foundress of the Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary, reflects that St. John Paul II was “a true witness of LOVE… of the Priestly Heart of Jesus” (piercedhearts.org). This is the call—to become love, poured out for others.

Holy Orders is a total gift of self.
Pray for priests. Pray for vocations. And if you sense God calling you, do not turn away. The Church needs hearts willing to give everything and live after His Heart.