From the very moment the sacred water is poured over our head in Baptism and the sacramental words are pronounced, a new breath of grace is infused into our soul. This grace binds us and other professed Christians into a special communion called the common priesthood. The common priesthood is different from the ordained priesthood, which is also known as the ministerial priesthood. Ordained priests act in the person of Christ, living their earthly vocations by nurturing and teaching the priestly people. They perform the Consecration at Mass and provide the seven sacraments for the faithful. The common priesthood includes all members of the Church, and it is a vocation centered on self-sacrifice and love.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church beautifully describes this priesthood as a call to sacrifice. “A person baptized belongs no longer to himself, but to Him who died and rose for us” (CCC, 1269). As a result, a baptized Christian has a duty to serve others and to be submissive to the Church leaders. Men have received the Catholic faith from the Church, so it is only fitting that we must do our part in spreading the Church’s mission. “Reborn as sons of God, the baptized must profess the faith and participate in the apostolic and missionary activity of the People of God” (CCC, 1270). The common priesthood intensifies our duties so that we may carry Christianity throughout the world.

The present culture is not a primarily Christian one - which makes the multitude of the common priesthood that much more important. Baptized Christians are meant to infiltrate the world and be fervent carriers of the Gospel. We must be vigilant in our responsibilities as Jesus’s soldiers; for to be a good combatant, it requires a lot of effort. For many, this means that they will have to make numerous sacrifices. The unity of the common priesthood gives those baptized a strong sense of fellowship and support, which is very valuable when one is confronting those with different beliefs and ideals. The common priesthood can be regarded as a Christian military, motivated by the delegation of winning souls for God.

The common priesthood acknowledges that Christ is the beginning and the end of all things. One vital duty of a lay Christian is the offering of the Eucharist, in unity with the priest during Mass. This includes offering our own suffering and struggles to Jesus, along with the offerings of all the baptized in the Church. “Therefore, all the disciples of Christ, persevering in prayer and praising God, should present themselves as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God” (Lumen Gentium, 10). The common priesthood transforms our lives into a perpetual oblation of charity. Also, through the reception of the sacraments, we are able to act in the spirit of the Cross, as we strive to imitate our Messiah. Our faith asks us to make an incessant offering of our body and soul for the intentions of Heaven.

The common priesthood was instituted to restore affinity with God using penances and prayer. This priesthood is a life of the three theological virtue s- faith, hope, and charity. It is exercised by receiving the sacraments, and by glorifying God by means of prayer and thanksgiving. By conscripting us into the royal priesthood, God gives us the graces to be strong witnesses to the Faith, and He provides the discipline needed to perform ardent acts of charity.

Bibliography

Catechism of the Catholic Church (Second Edition, 1994). Part Two, the Celebration of the Christian Mystery. Paragraphs 1267-1270. Doubleday Publications. Print.

Douay Reims Holy Bible (2014 Edition). 1 Peter. Rev. George Leo Haydock’s Notes. Loreto Publications. Print.

His Holiness Pope Paul IV. Lumen Gentium (November 21^st, 1964). Chapter II, sec. 10. Accessed on November 2^nd, 2023. Lumen gentium (vatican.va)