ORDINATION AND PRIESTHOOD

Priests do not come between Jesus and us. They are in Jesus, and of Jesus, and with Jesus. Thes priestly fuction actually dates back through the New Testament, to the earliest Old Testament times, with Melchizedek who offered sacrifice on behalf of Abraham. As St. Cyprian of Carthage wrote around the year 250 A.D.: "If Christ Jesus, our Lord and God, is Himself the High Priest of God the Father; and if He oofered Himself as a sacrifiec to the Father; and if He commanded the this be done in commemoration of Himself - then certainly the priest, who imitates that which Christ did, truly functions in place of Christ." (The Faith of The Early Fathers, Vol. 1, William A. Jurgens, pp. 232-233)
Deut. 34:18 - "Now Joshua, son of Nun, was filled with the spirit of wisdom, since Moses had laid his hands upon him; and so the Istraelites gave him their obedience, thus carrying out the Lord's command to Moses." The wisdom and the authority of the Holy Spirit are imparted through the laying on of hands by those already in authority. This is still the case today, as we see in the Sacrament of the Holy Orders, which is conducted by a bishop, acting under the authority given to the apostles by Jesus himself.
Gen. 14:18 - "Melchizedek, king od Salem, brought out bread amd wine, and being a priest of God Most High, he blessed Abram..." Why did Abraham need to be blesses by a man, when he was chosen by God to be the father of nations? In scripture, no one takes mantle of spiritual authority upon himself. Even Moses, after being chosen by God, reports to "all the elders of the Israelites" to convince them of his call (Ex.4:29-31). Likewise, Jesus himself is dedicated in the temple and baptized in the Jordan. In submitting to such sacramental rituals himself, Jesus is showing us that no one outside of the divinely ordainde spiritual authority of the Church.
Heb. 7:1-28 - " You are priest forever according the order of Melchizedek..." Jesus has become the guaranettee of an (even) better covenant...he, because he remains forever, has a priesthood that does not pass away."
Refers to Ps. 110:4 - "Like Melchizedek you are a priest forever..." The priesthood of the Lord is on going and eternal. And since priesthood of individual men is based on thew priesthood of Jesus, we know it is ongoing and eternal also.
At Pentecost, Jesus ordainde the apostles and commissioned them to go out and minister to world.
Jn. 20:19-23 - "As the Father has sent me, so I send you,' And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, 'Received the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retained are retained.'" The fact that he sent them as the Father had sent him shows that he intends them to function as he did - as priest. It is no coincidence that it is here he also give them the priestly power to forgive sins.
Acts 8:9-25 - When Simon the Magician wishe to recieve the power of the Holy Spirit, he did not simply declare himself a minister and begin to preach. Instead, he approached St. Peter with his proposition. Even this sinner knew that he could not ordain or anoint himself.
1 Tim. 5:17 - "Presbyters who preside well deserve double honor, especially those who toil in preaching and teaching... Do not lay hands too readily on anyone..."
Heb. 6:2 - "...laying on of hands..."
Mal. 2:7 - "...The lips of the priest are to keep knowledge, and instruction is to be sought from his mouth, because he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts."
Phil. 1:1 (KJV) -"Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons."
The Church hierarchy existed from the first Christian generation. All the faitfull are "a royal priesthood, a holy nation"(1 Pet. 2:9), because we offer all we have and all we do to the service of the Lord. And we pray that our personal sacrifice is acceptable to him. But that does not mean we are authorized as individuals to offer Mass on behalf of the community. That privilege is se-aside for men to whom the Holy Spirit has been imparted through the laying on of hands. It is no accident that we see no one in the early Church taking such authority upon themselves. In apostolic times, the authority to teach and preach was always imparted through the laying on of hands by the apostles.