Day 122: Christ's Faithful

Sacramental ministry in the Church, then, is at once a collegial and a personal service, exercised in the name of Christ. This is evidenced by the bonds between the episcopal college and its head, the successor of St. Peter, and in the relationship between the bishop's pastoral responsibility for his particular church and the common solicitude of the episcopal college for the universal Church. CCC 879

In today's reading, the Catechism speaks of the faithful within His Church. The focus is mainly on those who are "sacred ministers" but the laity is mentioned as well (we are the focus later). Both clerical and laity are equal "sharers in Christ’s priestly, prophetic and royal office in their own manner" (#177) or to put it another way, we each have our own calling or job to do for Christ. The Catechism Compendium summarizes today's reading on this:

Among the faithful by divine institution there exist sacred ministers who have received the sacrament of Holy Orders and who form the hierarchy of the Church. The other members of the Church are called the laity. In both the hierarchy and the laity there are certain of the faithful who are consecrated in a special manner to God by the profession of the evangelical counsels: chastity or celibacy, poverty, and obedience. (#178)

These "sacred ministers" (bishops, priests, and deacons) have a calling from God for Holy Orders, one for which they will be accountable as they are the shepherds here on earth who steer the flock in carrying out His mission. Their calling though is also one that calls for collegiality as reflected in the example set by the Apostles. That is, "bishop[s] exercis[ing] [their] ministry as a member of the episcopal college in communion with the Pope and shares with him in the care of the universal Church" and "priests exercis[ing] their ministry in the presbyterate of the local Church in communion with their own bishop and under his direction" (#180). Deacons, together with the bishops and priests, "minister to the people of God in the diakonia (service) of word, liturgy, and charity" (#179).

The Catechism Companion, Vol II expresses this like so:

The whole body is constituted in such a way that we all need the rest of the body. We all need each other. What priests and bishops give to us is something that they could not give on their own - no matter how good or wise or caring or loving they are - but they can give it because of the sacrament of Holy Orders. The deepest nature of this ecclesial ministry is service. (p. 8)