Can you answer this question about In persona Christi?

[A_G]

Hello

Recently I started a thread asking “When a priest blesses a person or an object, does he do it* In persona Christi *?” I recieved some interesting thoughts from others, however I am still unclear about it.

What is the difference between a priest blessing a person, and a layman blessing a person?

When exactly is In persona Christi used?

Thank You

 

[Fr.Vincent_Serpa]

Dear friend,

When a lay person gives a blessing, it is that person’s blessing. When a priest gives a blessing, it is Christ’s blessing. Ministering in the Person of Christ is not something that a priest turns on and off. Nor can the priest forget to turn it on when he offers Mass or performs other ministries. By his ordination, whatever ministry he performs, he acts in the person of Christ. But this pertains only to ministry–not recreation, etc.

Fr. Vincent Serpa, O.P.