Feast of Jesus Christ High and Eternal Priest

In some countries, the Thursday after the Solemnity of Pentecost the feast of ‘Jesus Christ, High and Eternal Priest’ is celebrated.

Origin and development

This festival has its origins in the celebration of the Priesthood of Christ that the Church has always carried out, but which in some localities or dioceses took on a particular form over the course of recent decades. This is the case, for example, in Spain, where one day of the year is dedicated to it.

After the liturgical reform of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), the feast of Jesus Christ, Supreme and eternal priest, began to become better known thanks to the apostolic impulse of the Congregation of Oblate Sisters of Christ the Priest, a female congregation of contemplative life, whose charisma It consists of praying for the fidelity of priests and for the increase in priestly vocations.

The celebration of the feast of Jesus Christ, Supreme and Eternal Priest was introduced in Spain in 1973 with the approval of the Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship (today, converted into the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments) and the sponsorship of the Pope Saint Paul VI. The Sacred Congregation also ordered that this festivity have its own liturgical texts for the celebration of the Holy Mass and the recitation of the Office, approved in 1971.

In addition to Spain, other Episcopal Conferences have included this feast in their particular liturgical calendars. This is the case of countries such as Chile, Colombia, Peru, Puerto Rico, Uruguay and Venezuela. In some dioceses of the mentioned countries the feast of Jesus Christ, Supreme and Eternal Priest is also known as the ‘Day for the Sanctification of Priests’.

Foundation in the light of the Magisterium

Saint John Paul II, in the encyclical “Church of the Eucharist” (The Church Lives on the Eucharist) pointed out that “the Son of God became man to redirect all creation, in a supreme act of praise to the One who made it from nothing… In this way, He, the supreme and eternal Priest, entering the eternal sanctuary through the blood of his Cross, returns to the Creator and Father all redeemed creation. He does this through the priestly ministry of the Church and to the glory of the Holy Trinity.”

The priesthood, fully incarnated in Jesus Christ, is an indispensable element for the health of souls and for the perfection of all creation, the work of God. Every priest – according to the degree received – participates in the same priesthood of Christ and prolongs his redemptive action over time.

Biblical roots: Jesus, High Priest of the New Alliance

Scripture provides abundant references that contribute to the understanding of the ‘definitive Priesthood’ of Christ, in which each and every one of the priests that God has called to his service participate. The priestly vocation constitutes a call for all eternity.

In the New Testament the word “priest” certainly designates the ministers in charge of the sacrificial cult, guardians of the law and the temple. However, the use of the term is reserved, in its full sense, to refer to Christ who gathers the people of God; It is what is called ‘Royal Priesthood’: “You, however, are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people acquired to proclaim the wonders of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” ( 1 Pe 2, 9).

In chapter 4 of the Letter to the Hebrews The High Priesthood of Jesus Christ is spoken of in the following terms:

“Therefore having such a High Priest who has entered the heavens – Jesus, the Son of God – let us hold firm to the faith we profess. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our infirmities, but is tested in every way like us, except in sin. Let us therefore draw near boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace for timely help” (Heb 4:14-16).

The Letter to the Hebrews explicitly suggests that Christ’s sacrifice has established him as the new, unique and definitive priesthood, thus differentiating himself from the sacrifices of the priests of the Old Covenant:

“So also, Christ did not appropriate to himself the glory of being high priest, but God himself had said to him: You are my son, today I have begotten you. Or as he also says in another place: You are a priest forever like Melchizedek ” (Heb 5, 5-6). Then it is added: “Christ has come as high priest of definitive goods” (Heb 9, 11).