Priesthood questions

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Can someone please help me understand the role of a priest in regards to the book of Hebrews where it talks about how in the past there were many priests but Jesus came as the final High Priest?
 
There is only One High Priest.

In the Old Testament there were three levels of priesthood:
  1. The High Priest
    2 The Ministerial Priests
  2. The priesthood of the people
Likewise in the New Testament we have all three levels in the Catholic Church:
  1. The High Priest (JESUS CHRIST)
  2. The Ministerial Priesthood (Popes, Bishops and priests)
  3. The Common Priesthood of the Faithful
The role of a priest is to to offer sacrifice. thus we unite our prayers and sacrifices to the sacrifice of Christ.
 
Unique_name said:
Can someone please help me understand the role of a priest in regards to the book of Hebrews where it talks about how in the past there were many priests but Jesus came as the final High Priest?
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In the past, priests were chosen from the family of Levi. They had to be registered, could only serve for a certain period of time and their genealogy confirmed before they were allowed to serve. Thus, it says, that they had length of days and father and mother.

The Levites offered sacrifice to God. There many types. They were all consumed either by fire or were eaten. Some were grain offerings, some were animals which were slaughtered.

But these sacrifices could not take away sins. Thus, the Father provided His Son with a body so that He could come down, and lay down AND offer, His own life for the sins of mankind. When He did this, the other sacrifices became obsolete and this was the only sacrifice left to take away sins. At this point, Jesus became our High Priest. Offering His own body and blood, once for all time, to the Father. He does this through the ministerial priesthood that He established for this purpose.

I hope that helps.
 
Christ, like Melchizedek (Genesis 14:18-20), is a priest by divine appointment. Melchizedek was not a priest of the Old Covenant. His priesthood does not depend upon hereditary ties such as that of Aaron.
 
It’s really important to remember that every priest acts “in the person of Christ”. There is only one priest, Jesus Christ, and one sacrifice, Jesus Christ, and that same priest is present at every Mass offering the one sacrifice… priests, and the Mass, make present the one sacrifice… they don’t add to it or replace it.
 
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