Hi Rev Kev. this is going to help you with ordination of one Bishop over another. Now its not going to help you today, but remember me, when it all comes together for you. And it will someday.
Remember the scripture when Jesus said Peter I have prayed for THEE. It was for only Peter, that, I feel we can both agree on simply because he was talking to only Peter.
Now there is something in there that alot of people miss. Our Lord did not pray for all of our Apostles as equals, he prayed for them in and through Peter.
Now that statement has alot of kick to it. Here is what our Lord was saying, It was through their ONENESS WITH PETER that they would share in his prayer of victory over the evil of the whole world.
When the Communists in China tried to destroy the Church they were quite clever. They tried to insert a division between Apostolic Succession and Peter.
Check this out, its history you will see I am telling you the truth. Now they brainswashed a few Bishops and succeeded in getting them to consecrate a few Priests.
Then the Priests would be in line for Apostolic Succession and the communists hoped the faithful would accept them. So what they did they in turn denied the Primacy of Peter.
But the Catholics refused to accept the bishops.
See BOTH Apostolic Succession and the RECONGITION of the PRIMACY OF PETER go hand and hand.
Here is how Bishop Sheen describes it. I like him! He is simple to understand and to the Point. (and funny also).
He puts it this way Electricity has to have contact with wires to move from house to house. No matter if it is a foot away or 500 feet away. That is how he said Priestly authority is.
He said that any organization rather it starts today, last year, 1000 years ago cannot transmit Divine Power of Christ’s Passion unless there is contact with Christ himself under the CONDITIONS CHRIST LAID DOWN.
If you try getting some books of his, I think it could really bring alot of understanding into your mind Kev. I really do!!
My Dad always said you have to really understand something to teach it. And if you cannot make it simple to explain if you really don’t understand it yourself.
I think that is how we can fail as Catholic’s at times to show things. we do indeed understand it, but we have to fully let it work in our mind for along time to come to a complete understanding of it, and then its really simple for us.
That is why I can’t stress enough to you the Sacraments. When you come to accept them and grasp the full understanding of them, (and you will) it will all come together like finishing a puzzle.
You know how one piece of a puzzle can hold you up, sometimes for days. then that one piece you can build half of a puzzle sometimes in ten minutes, then stuck again, its like that.
Just as our Lord was Mediator between God and Man being both God and Man he desires human instruments between himself and the world to minister and dispense the Mysteries of God. (1 Cor 4:1)
Also read Hev. 5:11 That will help you.
But as the Bishop stated you must have a connection to Christ from Peter to have the Power just like you need that connection from the electric box. If you are not connected no electric. Same with the HS no connection with Peter you lost your connection that Christ gave to his Apostles. No Connection you can’t minister the Sacraments.
I know its alot to grasp, but give it some time.