Untitled - Saints' Books

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CHAP, ix.] The Zeal of the Priest. 1
5 7
the salvation of souls. For, says the apostle, every highpriest
taken from among men, in the things that appertain to
God, that he may offer up gifts and sacrifices for sins. 1 He
afterwards proceeds to say: Who can have compassion on
them that are ignorant. The priest, then, is appointed by
God as well to honor him by sacrifices, as also to save
souls by instructing and converting sinners.
A a kingly priesthood^
. . .
purchased people* The order
of ecclesiastics differs altogether from that of seculars.
The latter attend to the things of the world and to them
selves, but the former are a purchased people; a people
whose business it is to gain not the goods of this earth,
but the souls of men, says St. Ambrose. 4 St. Antonine
says that the very name of the priest explains the nature
of his office, for sacerdos signifies he that teaches holy
5
And St. Thomas says,
"He that distributes
things."
holy things."
6
Honorius of Autun says, presbyter signi-
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nifies he that shows the way from exile to our Country.
St. Ambrose calls priests the leaders of the flock of
Christ." Hence the saint says in another place:
May
the name and the works agree, so that the name may not
remain a vain title and may not become the cause of
terrible crime." 1 If, then, the meaning of the words
sacerdos and presbyter is to assist souls in order to save
" 1
Omnis namque Pontifex ex hominibus assumptus, pro hominibus
constituitur in iis quae sunt ad Deum, ut offerat dona et sacrificia pro
peccatis."
Heb. v. i.
2
condolere "Qui possit iis qui ignorant et errant." Ibid. v. 2.
3
"Regale sacerdotium, . . . populus acquisitions.
i Pet. ii. 9.
4 Clericatus officium est "
quaestus, non pecuniarum, sed animarum."
Serm. 78.
6 "Sacerdos, id est, sacra docens." Summ. p. 3, tit. 14, c. 7, i.
6 "Sacerdos, quasi sacra dans." P. 3, q. 22, a. i.
7 "
Presbyter dicitur praebens iter populo de exsilio ad patriam."
Gemma, an. 1. i, c. 181.
8 "Duces et Rectores gregis
Christi." De Dignit. sac. c. 2.
9
Nomen " congruat actioni, ne sit nomen inane, crimen immane."
-Ibid. c. 3.