I’m starting off with an assumption here, but I think it is valid. Catholics interpret Rev. 1:6 “and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father…” (ESV) and the verses in the OT making the same promise of Israel as referring to all believers.
Alright. My question is what does the priesthood of all believers mean to Catholics? As a Protestant, I think it means that any believer could mediate Christ’s grace to the world just as well as an ordained priest. Now there are reasons to have ordained ministers (training, legal powers, etc.), but I believe most Protestants would not say that ordination imparts anything which is not available to those who have not been ordained. Now, as I understand Catholic doctrine, this would not be correct. So what does the priesthood of all believers mean to Catholics? To what extent would a lay person be considered a priest?
I hope this write up by AKin will help you understand:
ewtn.com/library/ANSWERS/PRIEST3.HTM
Insight #1: The Kingdom of priests verses
- Catholics believe this doctrine, too
First, there are the verses my opponent has quoted about all believers being priests, that we are a “kingdom of priests” or a “royal priesthood.” Evangelicals often think this is a uniquely Protestant doctrine, but it’s not. Catholics also affirm that all believers are priests. The only difference is that they call this doctrine the “universal priesthood” instead of “the priesthood of all believers.” Catholics quote exactly the same verses Protestants do to show that all believers are priests. The writings of the popes and the councils are very firm on saying that ordinary Christians share a common priesthood. We are all priests who can offer intercessions, praises, and spiritual sacrifices.
- Exodus 19:6
But if that’s so, why do Catholics claim that, in addition to the common, universal priesthood, there is also a special ministerial priesthood? Well, it’s because the very same verses which talk about the universal priesthood imply that there is a non-universal one. If you have a good Bible, those verses should have a footnote referencing you to Exodus 19:6. When we turn to that passage, we read that God tells the nation of Israel:
“And you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”
- Exodus 19:21-22: Ministerial priests
But that did not stop Israel from having a special, ministerial priesthood. In fact, if you keep reading in Exodus 19, when you get down to verse 21 & 22, you will find God telling Moses to warn the people and the priests not to come onto the holy mountain, lest the Lord break out against them. So even in the very same chapter God is calling the whole nation a kingdom of priests,
- The sacrament of ordination
But not only is the New Testament priesthood sacramental because it administers sacraments. It is also sacramental because one gains the priesthood by a sacrament, the sacrament of holy orders or ordination.
When I was a Protestant I did a major Bible study on the Holy Spirit and discovered that it is God’s pattern throughout the Bible, both Old Testament and New, to give the Holy Spirit to his ministers on the occasion of their ordination, to empower them for the ministry he had just elevated them to.
- New Testament: Spiritual sacrifices
Of course every priesthood has sacrifices to offer. As 1 Peter 2:5 states, we in the universal priesthood have spiritual sacrifices we give to God. Romans 12:1 says we offer our bodies. Philippians 4:18 says we offer our donations. And Hebrews 13:15-16 state that we offer our praise, our good deeds, and our sharing with others.
