Last week in my column, I threw out the term in persona christi and I didn’t explain it much.
What exactly is in persona christi? This Latin phrase means “in the person of Christ”. Yes, we are all called to act “in the person of Christ”, but it means something different when referring to a Roman Catholic priest. When a man goes before a Bishop for ordination, his soul is indelibly marked as a priest. With the conferral of the Sacrament of Holy Orders, the priest acts in persona christi during sacramental rites. Examples include during the Eucharistic Prayer in the words of transubstantiation when the bread and wine are changed into the Body and Blood of Christ; during Reconciliation when he gives the words of absolution of sins. During these times, he is acting as Jesus in our midst. With his arms extended, he, the priest, is offering himself and all of us, to God, through the prayers that he is saying.
All of us as baptized Christians also have an indelible mark on our soul. Our marking is as a child of God. No matter what we do in our life, this mark will always be there. It cannot be removed, no matter what we do. God will always call us His. We are called likewise to act in His name. To love and serve one another, to clothe the naked, feed the hungry, to wash the feet of others. How are you showing the mark on your soul today?
As our second Communion song says:
Take the Word and go out to every land: shine the light of Christ for all to see!
May the lives of those we touch sing praise to God above. Let us sing, we’ll sing:
With one voice we’ll pass the Word along;
With one voice, bring justice to the world.
And with all the angels, we’ll spread the goodness of God.
With all power and glory the Word of God shall reign.