Character

CHARACTER
The traditional word used to denote the personal status of the ordained minister is 'character'. The term was taken over from pagan antiquity, where it referred to the seal by which a soldier or a slave might be identified as belonging to the service of the emperor or an owner. The word was also used in everyday Greek for an engraving tool or a die stamp, such as might be used for making a distinctive mark on something. Character is simply the word used to describe the permanent effect of three sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Order. These sacraments are not in fact administered more than once to the same person during the course of her or his lifetime. Therefore, they must produce some effect that is permanent (= "the character").

In the medieval period, the word character became identified with the res et sacramentum, i.e., the lasting effect which is distinguishable from the rite itself as well as from the grace produced by the sacrament. Following medieval tradition, the Council of Florence states: There are three which imprint an indelible character on the soul, that is a certain spiritual sign distinguishing the recipient from others (ND 1308). The Council of Trent confirmed this, teaching that an indelible character is imprinted by the three sacraments: baptism, confirmation and ordination, (CF, 1710, p.725), with the implication that these sacraments cannot be repeated.

The declaration, Mysterium Ecclesiae of 1973, states: “By the assistance of the Holy Spirit, the Church recognised more clearly as time went on that God wished her to understand that this rite conferred upon priests not only an increase of grace for carrying out ecclesiastical duties in a holy way, but also a permanent designation by Christ, or character, by virtue of which they are equipped for their work and endowed with the necessary power that is derived from the supreme power of Christ” (CF p. 747, n. 1750). Moreover, the Code of Canon Law states that some of the faithful through ordination are marked with an indelible character and are thus constituted sacred ministers (CCL 1008).

Father
In the NT, there are examples of things belonging to God bearing his seal: Rev 5:1; Jn 6.27; 2 Cor 1.22. There was a distinct feeling among Christians that this was not simply a metaphor, but a reality. In some way Christians 'bore' the image of God, they were marked out differently.
Just as the Father ‘inscribes his own self’ on the Son – Jesus Christ is the 'express image of God's person’, the 'very stamp of his nature' (Heb 1:3) - similarly, he inscribes that same self on priests in a very special way. The imprint of Christ’s priesthood goes on to impress itself upon those who receive a participation in his pastoral ministry to reveal the Father (Galot, p. 204).


Jesus Christ
Christ the Lord, in conferring a share of his own eternal priesthood, is the principal agent in ordaining. The priest is effective as a priest only when he has a deep personal relationship with Jesus Christ, the great High Priest. The priestly character calls for a total and lasting commitment and it grasps the whole being of the person ordained, so that he becomes a man of God, ‘another Christ.’


Holy Spirit
Many of Scriptural passages referring to an anointing with the Spirit are claimed to be another way of talking about being sealed with the Spirit. For example, 1 Jn 2:20, 27. When anointed by the Holy Spirit in one or all three sacraments of the Church – baptism, confirmation, and holy orders – the person receives a new spiritual sacramental character. The anointing with holy oil, chrism, leaves the person marked forever, indelibly, irrevocably.
By the anointing with oil we belong to and we come from God and the Holy Spirit. Each person is sealed as it were with the image of Jesus, so that configured to the likeness of him each is consecrated to live a life of faith, witness, and service. So the reception of these sacraments facilitates the configuration of the individual person to Christ and to the Church and disposes him/her to receive grace and the vocation to worship and service.
Because the sacrament of order claims that the Spirit will always be active and present in the ordained, the priestly character is permanent and remains, even if a person withdraws from the active ministry. Nothing can erase it; nothing can cause it to vanish (Edward Schillebeeckx, Ministry: Leadership in the Community of the Jesus Christ, p. 71-72).


Spiritual Quality
After Trent the character was perceived as a mysterious quality or property of the soul. A debate developed about whether the priestly character is ontological or merely functional. Metaphysically, the character could be described as a spiritual quality, and more technically as a habitus, belonging to the supernatural order because it transforms the soul and supports the three theological virtues. ‘Scholastic theologians say that the sacramental character imparts a disposition to grace: it constitutes a basic structure which sets the directions in which the life of grace is to develop’ (Galot, Theology of the Priesthood, p. 201). Priestly character was seen as providing the disposing grace to be a sacred person. According to magisterial teaching, it seems that the character must be in some sense ontological: it is a consecration affecting the new priest in his very being.


Consecration
The text of LG 28 marks a return to what history reveals to have been the essential core of the Church’s teaching on character: Through this sacrament a man is being irrevocably commissioned by God for a particular role in the Church. This sacramental commissioning imprints a mark of consecration, a priestly character (Galot, 204). Since ‘being consecrated’ and ‘being sent into the world’ are the two aspects of Christ’s incarnation, the priest is ‘taken out of mankind and is appointed to act for men and women in their relations with God’ (Heb 5.1). However, this does not mean that the priest was taken up from among people to some higher level. The next words in the Letter to the Hebrews are, ‘He is able to deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is subject to weakness, and because of this he must offer sacrifice for his own sins as well as for those of the people.’ First, there is the consecration or separation which configures priests to Christ and enables them to be his ministers. Secondly, there is the dedication to the service of mankind (PO 3).


Formation
The word ‘character’ has been used in ethics to indicate that morality is to be understood not just in terms of doing the right actions, but, at a deeper level, in terms of virtue, the consistent conduct of a personal agent whose mind and will are fixed on a supreme good, so that moral action comes to him or her almost as second nature. Good character traits include responsibility, respect, kindness, compassion, honesty, integrity, which make for good character development. The concept of moral character helps to explain in an intelligible way what priestly 'character' is and to avoid magical notions regarding it. When we see the development of a certain character as the important grace of ordination, then we shall see also that talk of 'training' clergy is unfortunate and inadequate. We train people (and even some animals) to perform certain actions. Talk of 'training' clergy reinforces the merely functional view. When we see that beyond the functions there is a priestly character and a priestly heart, formation as well as training is needed. The character of the priest has to be formed, and that is not a matter of a few years (when the ordinand is preparing in a seminary), and still less of a few moments (when hands are being laid on in ordination) but a matter that will go on for a lifetime. At a certain point the formation becomes irreversible and the priest gains a radical capacity and aptitude to perform certain acts. So we can say that priestly character is 'indelible' and becomes ‘indelible’.


Personal
The priestly character is the personal reality corresponding to the outward matter and form of ordination. It symbolises the Father imprinting his mark on the priest so that he may reflect his love to the world, the Son sharing a participation of his priesthood, and the Spirit empowering the priest in his life and ministry. It is a gift, indelibly marked on the soul at ordination, and a task to be achieved through continuous personal formation. When a priest’s mind and heart are fixed on being fully a priest, then his conduct will be consistent with priestly living and ministry and eventually this priestly activity will come to him almost as second nature. Then we can say he has a priestly character that is effective in his personal life and is truly indelible.

Examination Part B February 2011

SACRAMENTOLOGY IV

CAT Exam in February 2011 for Class 3A and 3B

In the exam three questions will be chosen from the following seven and you will be requested to answer one question for a total of 24 marks.

1 Elaborate on the religious leadership in the OT communities (6). Discuss five main characteristics in the ministry of Jesus (18).
2 Explore the development of ministry in the NT.
3 What contributions did Ignatius of Antioch, Tertullian, Cyprian, and Gregory VII make to the development of the ordained ministry? (6 each)
4 Explain the derivation of the following words: presbyter, episcopos, acolyte, mystagogue, and cleric (2 each). What is the principal function of each of them? (2 each) Describe the main aspects of priestly character. (4)
5 Discuss what Vatican II wrote about bishops (10). What were the consequences of the Council in relation to ministry? (8) Discuss the characteristics of discipleship and apostleship in the priest (6).
6 Explore the main activities of the priest in relation to the community (18). Discuss the reasons the Church makes celibacy a condition for entry into priestly ministry (6).
7 Write about the priesthood of the faithful and the ministerial priesthood, describing the relationship between them and the ways in which they participate in the priesthood of Jesus Christ (18). Explore the collaborative ministry of lay people in the Church (6).