They appointed presbyters for them in each Church and, with prayer and fasting, commended them to the Lord in whom they had put their faith. (Acts 14:19-28)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/050526.cfm
The word “presbyter” is from Greek πρεσβύτερος (presbyteros). It means old one, elder. It does not mean “priest” (in Greek ἱερεύς hiereus). Only the Letter to the Hebrews uses the word “priest” to refer to the ministry of Jesus. The church used secular terms to refer to its ministers: bishop (episkopos, overseer), elder (presbyteros), and deacon (diakonos, table-waiter). Much later the church began to understand that its ministers had a special share in the priesthood of Jesus and began to use “priest” to refer to them. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presbyter On May 30, my diocese will ordain 10 presbyters, the largest class in our history. https://youtu.be/Sgm9lkTNQmc?si=40OKf5IF5hAJxgNR
These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.
Tuesday V, Easter
