Welcome back to the 1 Peter Graduated Book Tour! If you are just joining me make sure to read Lesson 1 and Lesson 2 of the tour. Lesson 3 of the 1 Peter Book Tour was written by a guest blogger, MY MOM (Barbara), who blogs over at Lifelongformation.com about making your faith-life a life long journey. She is very passionate about the subject and has a lot to offer her readers (and I’m not just saying that because she’s my mom she even got her masters in it). She has just started blogging so go check out her blog! I hope you enjoy her reflection on this weeks passage: 1 Peter 2:4-10.
One of this weeks reflection questions was, you have been called to ministry as a priest. Based on what you learned this week, compare and contrast the role of a priest in the spiritual house and the role you have as a priest today?
As Catholics we are all called to be Priest, Prophet and King. In this passage of Peter we are first faced with the living stone, rejected by human being but chosen and precious in the sight of God.
Who can this living stone be? Do you know of anyone who is rejected by human being yet chosen in God’s sight? The only person I can think of would be that of Jesus Christ. Jesus brings to our lives strength such as strength in a stone and while the people of Nazareth rejecting him as the Messiah yet he continues to be the living strength of us all! He instructed Peter to build a church on this rock and go and do likewise. Each Sunday at the end of Mass we are all sent out in mission to share the Good News with all.
As I reflect further on this passage I am reminded about two things: the first is in April 1994 when my husband of 15 years died suddenly leaving me to raise two small children alone I found myself faced with many questions rather than answers. It was through the strength that I found in my faith that I was able to find my way. During the early years I went back to school to finish my undergraduate work in education. In 1998 I moved to Dallas, Texas where I completed my degree and began teaching for the public school. I quickly learned that my faith was far more important and tapping me on the shoulder. After teaching for 1 year I began to work on my Master’s Degree in Pastoral Ministry. A short time later the Director of Religious Education in my parish was moving as her husband’s job was being transferred to another state. By this time I was far into my Master’s Degree. I applied for her job and was hired by my parish. I completed my Master’s Degree a few years later and grew spiritually to better understand how God calls us all into our vocations.
I am still a Director of Religious Education, and live in St. Augustine Florida. I am called every day in my job by God to minister to his people. Every day I find new people that God places in my life that needs his strength. God knew what he was doing when he sent us his Son to teach us how to lead his people in the priestly mission of the church. There are many types of priesthoods in the church. There are those called to ordained ministry in the forms of a Bishop, Priest or Deacon and then there are those called into lay ministry as Professional ministers of the church. We can even take this one step further and consider the Body of Christ. We are all part of the royal priesthood of the church. We are all called to be followers of Christ. We are all called into the life and ministry of the church as we live out our priestly vocation.
There are many jobs that are looked at from the perspective of a ministry. We are all called into ministry. The difference between my roles as a Lay Minister in the Church is that I am to bring people to the Sacraments but not administer the sacraments. I am to catechize the people of God to better understand the life they are called to live out.
The Role of the Bishops and Priests is to be spiritual leaders of the church, and to administer the sacraments of the church. After all The Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us that Baptism is the gateway to all the remaining sacraments. The priest is our gateway to a sacramental life in the church.
In conclusion I would like to point out that Christ is not only our strength and our living stone of the church but he has built a strong foundation in the teaching of the people during his public ministry which still leads people today to follow him and allow him to be the cornerstone of their faith in the busy chaotic cultures of America. We are all of a chosen race. The Human Race that we were born into and created in the Image and Likeness of God.
[…] was a guest post on The Catholic Couponer’s […]