The Sacrament of Orders
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Orders, or holy orders as it is more generally called,is the sacrament by which bishops, priests, and deacons are given the power to perform their sacred functions.
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Peter the Lombard defines the sacrament of orders as:“A seal of the Church by which spiritual power is conferred onthe person ordained.” Rightly understood, this is a good description of orders. The sacrament is a sign or seal. It is”of the Church” in the sense that Christ instituted itand consigned it to the Church for administering; our Lord did this with all the sacraments; hence it is common to hear the expression,“the sacraments of the Church,” even though the Church cannot institute or abrogate any sacrament. The definition of Peter the Lombard indicates the effect of this sacrament in the recipient, namely, spiritual power.
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A sacrament is an outward sign instituted by Christ,while he was here on earth before his Ascension into heaven, which both signifies and confers an inward grace. The sacrament of orders squares with this definition. It is therefore a true sacrament.
4 & 5. This sacrament is conferred by the imposing of the bishop’s hands upon the recipient (this constitutes the matter of the sacrament) followed by prescribed prayers(the form) which indicate the meaning of the matter or sign, and constitute it a sacrament.