279 Q. What is necessary to receive Holy Orders worthily?  A. To receive Holy Orders worthily it is necessary to be in the state of grace, to have the necessary knowledge, and a divine call to this sacred office.

“Knowledge”—­that is, to be able to learn and to have learned all that a priest should know.

“Divine call,” explained before in the explanation of vocation, a word that means call. (See Lesson 6, Q. 51.)

280 Q. How should Christians look upon the priests of the Church?  A. Christians should look upon the priests of the Church as the messengers of God and the dispensers of His mysteries.

“Messengers.”  Our Lord said to His Apostles:  “As the Father sent Me, I also send you.”  That is, as the heavenly Father sent His Beloved Son, Our Lord, into the world to save men’s souls, so Our Lord sends His Apostles and their successors through the world to save souls.  God told the priests of the Old Law that if they did not warn the people of coming dangers they would be held responsible for the people; but if they warned the people and the people did not heed, then the people would be responsible for their own destruction.  So, too, in the New Law the priests warn you against sin, and if you do not heed the warning the loss of your soul will be upon yourself.  Therefore you should take every warning coming from the ministers of God as you would from Himself, for it is really God that warns you against sin, and the priests are only His agents or instruments.  “Dispensers”—­that is, those who administer the Sacraments.

281 Q. Who can confer the Sacrament of Holy Orders?  A. Bishops can confer the Sacrament of Holy Orders.

“Confer”—­that is, give or administer.  So can a cardinal, if he be a bishop, and so can the Holy Father, who is always a bishop, and called bishop of Rome, while Pope of the whole Church.  It will be well here to give some explanation about cardinals—­who they are, and what they do.  In the United States the President has about him ten prominent men selected by himself, and called his Cabinet.  They are his advisers; he consults them on all important matters, and assigns to them various duties.  The Holy Father, who is also a ruler—­a spiritual ruler—­not of one country, but of the whole world, has also a Cabinet, but it is not called by that name:  it is called the Sacred College of Cardinals.  There are seventy cardinals, to whom the Pope assigns various works in helping him to govern the Church.  Some of these cardinals are in different parts of the world, as our own cardinals right here in America.  There are cardinals in England, France, Germany, Canada, Spain, etc., but a certain number always remain in Rome with the Holy Father.  When a bishop is made cardinal he is raised in dignity in the Church, but he does not receive any greater spiritual power than he had when only a bishop.  The cardinals, owing to their high dignity, have many privileges which bishops have not.  Their greatest privilege is to take part in the election of a new Pope when the reigning Pope dies.