Question

ApostleBJP wrote:" As for you, do not be called 'Rabbi. You have only one teacher, and you are all brothers. Call no one on earth father, for you have one Father in heaven. Do not be called 'Master'; you have one Master, the Christ."

Matthew ch 23 (reading from Saturday)

OK, so why do we call priest Father and Superior Nuns Mothers? It seems to me, that there is no justification for this is the Bible for the Catholic Church. Do not get me wrong, I still think that the Catholic Church uis the stronger of all denominational Christian faiths, I just want to know where (and how) we justify this? It may be just my old Prtestant way of thinking that is in the way here, and if it is, I do appoligize.

Hi, ApostleBJP...

Actually, this practice goes back to the early church as evidenced in the writings of the Early Church Fathers and there ARE scriptures which justify this practice and which make it clear that this has been the practice since the time of Christ. The verse above is often taken out of context to support the anti-Catholic view that we are wrong in calling priests father. In fact, this argument is self refuting when we refer to our dad as father and celebrate "Father's Day". So, if we were to take this passage literally, we'd have to stop that... and we'd have to stop referring to people as teachers as well...

Christ, in the passage you quoted, was warning us not to look to any human authority in the same manner by which we look to God to fulfill the roles of teacher and father in our lives. He was not saying that we cannot refer to ANYONE as father under any circumstance.... otherwise the Holy Spirit wouldn't have inspired the apostles to call people father, a fact we see evidenced in Scripture:


Acts 7:2

2To this he replied: "Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran.

Acts 21:40, 22:1

40Having received the commander's permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned to the crowd. When they were all silent, he said to them in Aramaic: 1"Brothers and fathers, listen not to my defense."

Romans 4:16-17

16Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. 17As it is written: "I have made you a father of many nations."^[a] He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.

1 Corinthians 4:14-15

14I am not writing this to shame you, but to warn you, as my dear children. 15Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel.

1 Timothy 1:2

2To Timothy my true son in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

Hebrews 12:7-9

7Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? 8If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. 9Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live!

1 Thessalonians 2:11

11For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children,

1 John 2:13-14

13I write to you, fathers,
because you have known him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
because you have overcome the evil one.
I write to you, dear children,
because you have known the Father.
14I write to you, fathers,
because you have known him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
because you are strong,
and the word of God lives in you,
and you have overcome the evil one.