Only One Father?

by Brandon Jubar

In light of last Sunday's Gospel reading, this question came up again. It is one that is often raised by our Protestant brethren, and one that many Catholics seem to have a hard time answering. Like so many things about our Church, this is something that most cradle Catholics have never thought about -- so we decided to visit it again. Why do we call our priests "Father" when Matthew's Gospel very clearly states that this is wrong?

Absurd and Contradictory

"Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven." (Matthew 23:9 NAB)

It seems pretty clear, doesn't it? You can't call a priest "father" because you only have one father -- and that's God. Period.

Okay -- fine. God is the Father -- I'll give you that much -- but a literal interpretation of Jesus' words would be ridiculous and leads to absurd conclusions. A literal interpretation of this would mean that we can call our mothers "mother", but we cannot call our natural fathers "father". In fact, if we could not use the word "father", much of the power and meaning of the word would be lost. Calling God our Father would be virtually meaningless.

Besides that, such a literal interpretation would actually contradict scripture. Mary herself even referred to Joseph as Jesus' father:

"Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety." (Luke 2:48 NAB)

In fact, there are so many times the term "father" is used in the New Testament, it is hard to believe that anyone who has read the Bible would actually argue this point!

The Catechism and Scripture

CCC No. 1549: Through the ordained ministry, especially that of bishops and priests, the presence of Christ as head of the Church is made visible in the midst of the community of believers. In the beautiful expression of St. Ignatius of Antioch, the bishop is typos tou Patros: he is like the living image of God the Father.

The Catholic Church believes that God the Father is the shining example of all that is good, and righteous, and just, about fatherhood and being a father. And it is by His grace that all other "fathers" exist.

Perhaps the strongest point against the Protestant positions can be found in one of St. Paul's letters to the Corinthians:

"I am writing you this not to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children. Even if you should have countless guides to Christ, yet you do not have many fathers, for I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel." (1 Corinthians 4:14-15 NAB)

In addition to the direct references by St. Paul, he and the Apostles frequently refer to themselves indirectly as fathers by calling everyone else their children. Taken together, these numerous examples from the New Testament are more than sufficient to answer the belief that priests should not be called "father". But looking at the Lord's words within the full context of Matthew's gospel sheds even more light on the subject.

The Forest AND the Trees

When we read chapter 23 of Matthew's Gospel, we see that the quote being thrown around is actually incidental to the true message of Jesus. What Jesus is denouncing is the pride and hypocrisy of the Scribes and Pharisees. He emphasizes that people should listen to what the Pharisees preach, but not emulate their actions. The main thrust of the passage is that we must not exalt ourselves. We must be servants to each other, humbly sacrificing to do good, while not seeking so much as a little recognition for our deeds.

In a way, Jesus' message could have been meant especially for all of the fathers in the world. He wants us to realize that God is the genuine Father, but all others represent important parts and facets of that divine Fatherhood.

Our Catholic priests are the spiritual fathers of our Parish communities. As long as the term "father" is not used to exalt them, or used by them to seek recognition, then the term is being applied appropriately. For as Jesus said:

"Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted." (Matthew 23:12 NAB)

Life Applications:

Why do you think people would object to calling a priest "father"?

Can the inspired Word of God contradict itself?

What are some titles that cause us to exalt people?

Copyright 2002 by Brandon Jubar   
All rights reserved.