A priest intermediates between the faithful and God.
Priest is that man who, according to the precepts and rituals of the Catholic Church , mediates between the faithful and God . Among the functions of the priest are the direction and administration of the rites and the dissemination of the divine word.
It is common for terms such as priest , priest , pastor and father to be used synonymously, although they may have certain differences. On the other hand, according to his position in the ecclesiastical hierarchy, a priest can be bishop , archbishop , cardinal , Pope , etc.
Catholic priests
In the Catholic religion, priests are in charge of celebrating the sacraments . In this way, they can consecrate the host and declare that two people constitute a marriage, for example.
It is important to note that Catholic priests are all men , since women are not allowed to access this role. On the other hand, priests must comply with certain mandates, such as the obligation to remain celibate .
The priest administers the religious rites.
Differences with other religions
It should be noted that the idea of a priest has undergone changes over the years and also varies according to religion . In Ancient Greece , the priest was one who performed sacrifices . There were also towns that had specific priests for each divinity.
In Judaism , the rabbi is the one who fulfills a similar function to that of the priest in Catholicism, although with multiple differences. In Islam , the closest figure is that of the imam . Buddhism , for its part, lacks roles that resemble that developed by the priest within the Catholic religion.
Vocation of priest
The life of the Christian priest begins with a call to serve his Church, what in this and many other areas, such as art in general, we call vocation . But this does not always happen in an obvious way, and it is certainly not a message sent by a divine appearance; On the contrary, it usually consists of small signs that manifest themselves over days, months or years, until the person understands that they have been chosen to follow the particular path of the priesthood.
Just as in any other career, it is very important to be sure that you have encountered authentic signs before taking the step and becoming ordained as a priest, since it is not beneficial for anyone to assume a role of this type, with such a marked influence on the society, without feeling a true vocation.
Some men feel the call spontaneously from a young age, through the sermons of their favorite priest, looking at the images in their local church, carefully praying their daily prayers. For these children there do not seem to be any doubts and, once they reach the necessary age, they begin the studies they always wanted; Of course, between these childhood dreams and their realization there must be a deepening of the duties and prohibitions that the priesthood entails, some of which are mentioned in previous paragraphs.
Signs to consider
One of the fundamental signs is the motivation to serve others, that flame that burns inside people who cannot - nor do they want to - stop assisting anyone who is in trouble; A true priest must lead a selfless life characterized by generosity. If a young person is willing to dedicate themselves to the service of others, without seeking recognition or praise in return, then they meet one of the basic requirements for this role.
Another sign or characteristic feature of the priestly vocation is the charisma necessary to celebrate masses and to deal with large groups of people, remaining firm in their position, always transmitting the same messages of respect for religion and knowing how to listen before advising .