Posted on 08/10/2008 7:49:48 PM PDT by Salvation
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Father for Priests |
Matthew 23:1-12 [1] Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, [2] saying, "The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. [3] Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice. [4] They tie up heavy burdens (hard to carry) and lay them on people's shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them. [5] All their works are performed to be seen. They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. [6] They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues, [7] greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation 'Rabbi.' [8] As for you, do not be called 'Rabbi.' You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers. [9] Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven. [10] Do not be called 'Master'; you have but one master, the Messiah. [11] The greatest among you must be your servant. [12] Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted. There is a curious blindness regarding both the context and other elements of this text. The text says to call no one Rabbi, no one Master and no one Father, yet "literalists" home in only on the Catholic priesthood. Who has ever rejected calling a Jewish expert in the Torah "Rabbi," or refused his "Master" of Divinity degree, or refrained from calling his male parent "Father," lest he violate the injunction of Christ? The fact is that all of these things are done without regret by biblical "literalists," who are strangely un-literal in this as in other matters. But a true literalism is guided not by prejudice (prejudging the guilt of Catholics), but by understanding the intention of the author, the literary style (which can effect meaning), the context of the text and other relevant factors - all of which point to the necessity of an authority such as the Magisterium, since what individual, even a great scholar, can discern every nuance of history, language and theology that might apply. In this Catholics have the advantage of the Apostolic Tradition of interpretation, an advantage private interpreters lack. So, what was Jesus saying? Well, in Matthew 16 we see in verses 5-12 that Jesus warned his disciples about the leaven (teaching) of the Pharisees and Sadducees. This meant that they were the purveyors of human opinions about the truth. The Pharisees, in particular, had raised opinion to a science, with different schools of thought lead by a Master, Rabbi, Teacher, Father, whose opinions on the Law were meticulously transmitted to, and followed by, his disciples. These groups often tried to get Jesus on their side against their opponents, since people recognized that He spoke with authority, not like their scribes and lawyers. It should not surprise us that the answer to human opinion in matters of doctrine follows immediately upon Christ's warning to His disciples about the human opinions of the Jewish teachers. "Simon, flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. Thou art Rock and upon this Rock I will build my Church" (Mt. 16:13-18). The antidote to error is a teaching authority whose teaching is not opinion but comes from God the Father, the Source of all Truth. God the Father is the ultimate principle of life, truth and love both within God (the Son and Spirit receive everything from Him) and within creation. The authority of all fatherhood comes from God the Father (Eph. 3:15). He graciously wills to allow human participation in the communication of natural life and to associate with human males the authority of His fatherhood. The male human parent is rightly called Father for his cooperation with the Fatherhood of God in giving life. God the Father also graciously wills to allow human participation in the communication of supernatural life and truth, and to associate with those who share the priesthood of His Son the authority of His Fatherhood. The male spiritual parent of sons and daughters in Christ is rightly called Father, therefore, for the dignity of their cooperation in the redemptive work of Christ and His Father. Like a natural father they communicate life, the supernatural life of Christ flowing from the Father. Like a natural father they teach their children about truth, the supernatural Truth which is Christ, the perfect image of the Father. Like a natural father they provide a point of unity in love, communion, around which the supernatural family of God forms. Catholic priests deserve to be called Father as long as they are the faithful conduits of supernatural life, truth and love, passing on the Apostolic Faith, Sacraments and unity in Communion first transmitted to Peter and the other Apostles. Thus, St. Paul was able to say to the Corinthians that while they had 10,000 guides in Christ they had only one Father, himself (1 Cor. 4:15). |
| Answered by Colin B. Donovan, STL |
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Does God's Plan Include Priests?
Many Evangelicals think the Catholic priesthood is not a valid part of God's plan. They point to sayings like "call no man father." Some consider Jesus' condemnation of the hypocrisy among some of the priests of his day as a blanket dismissal of the priesthood. They sometimes unearth the failings of some modern priests as proof of their theory and speak of empty rituals performed according to the "traditions of men." Catholics certainly don't think the priest is God. Catholics believe the priest simply does what Jesus commissioned the apostles to do, which is to serve the Church, that is Christ's body on earth.
Some Evangelicals point to the Scripture passage "Call no man your father?" (Mat 23:9-10) as a reason not to call priests "father." Yet in the same sentence Jesus says "Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah." Using this passage to claim that we cannot call a priest "father" would mean that we could not call professors at an Evangelical Bible college "instructors." If we were to take this passage literally, it would mean that I could not call my earthly dad "father" either.
Catholics don't believe Jesus was forbidding the use of "father" in that passage. There are plenty of examples in the Bible where that the word "Father" applies to humans, and the Bible links the priesthood to fatherhood. Fr. Mateo writes:
In Judges 17:10, the Ephraimite Micah asks a transient Levite, "Stay with me; be father and priest to me." Later (Judges 18:19), a Danite war party persuades the same Levite to leave Micah, saying: "Come with us and be our father and priest." Indeed, the Bible finds priesthood and fatherhood inseparably united.
St. Paul says he is the father of his Christian converts (1st Thess. 2:10-11). Acts calls Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David fathers (4:25, 7:2, 8, 14). Paul says Timothy is his son, and he (Paul) is Timothy's father (Philip. 2:22). Reading Hebrews 12:9 reminds us of those spankings we used to get from our fathers! 1st John 2:13, 14 twice calls certain members of the congregation fathers.
Every Catholic priest is ordained in Christ to say, "In Christ Jesus I became your father through the Gospel" (1st Cor. 4:15). A priest is sent "to deal with us as a father deals with his children, encouraging, comforting, and urging us to live lives worthy of God" (1st Thess. 2:11-12).
Catholics believe the fulcrum of Mat 23:9-10 is "The greatest among you will be your servant." (Mat 23:11) That is the job of the priest, to be a servant. To serve the congregation. Jesus was condemning their hypocrisy, not their office.
Catholics don't think Jesus was against priests, he was against hypocritical priests. Jesus was condemning the hypocrisy of unholy men who were in office at the time, he was not condemning their office. I believe that's how God felt 2000 years ago and that is how he feels today. And yes there have always been some bad priests. Judas was the first bad priest in the Christian tradition, but the other disciples were good men. Jesus makes it very clear that he is not condemning the office of scribes and Pharisees'. He was not saying that we should throw out the idea of an organized clergy. He had a great respect for their office.
"The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses seat; therefore do whatever they teach you and follow it, " (Mat 23:2)
So we be live Jesus was saying, honour the office of the priesthood. God honoured the office and gave the high priest the gift of prophesy (Jn 11:51) God instituted the priesthood with the Levites. Jesus was not against the priesthood, he honoured and respected it, and I believe he is inviting us to do the same. God gave the high priest the gift of prophesy (Jn 11:51)
Hello “’Father’ Theresa.”
Faith sharing bump.
Sorry you didn’t read the entire article, and the subsequent post about ordination.
**Every Catholic priest is ordained in Christ to say, “In Christ Jesus I became your father through the Gospel” (1st Cor. 4:15). **
Typo here:
**So we believe Jesus was saying, honour the office of the priesthood. God honoured the office and gave the high priest the gift of prophesy (Jn 11:51) God instituted the priesthood with the Levites. Jesus was not against the priesthood, he honoured and respected it, and I believe he is inviting us to do the same. God gave the high priest the gift of prophesy (Jn 11:51)**
I thought Catholics thought Peter was their example, not Paul. Peter doesn’t seem to have such authority.
If Paul was this man, instead, I’d be curious.
Here are some additional links posted by vladimir998 on another thread. Please continue your research.
http://www.catholic.com/library/Call_No_Man_Father.asp
http://matt1618.freeyellow.com/father.html
http://www.staycatholic.com/call_no_man_father.htm
We can get to St. Peter on another thread. This is about calling priests “Father”.
In reformed circles, it is sometimes the practice, when addressing a gathering of fellow ordained men, to use the salutation ‘Fathers and brothers’.
When I saw that you had posted to the thread, the question popped into my mind — “What happens elsewhere?”
And here you answer it! Thanks!
A long explanation to sat that God is our Father, Rabbi and Master and we are not to put any men in His place. That should not exclude the priesthood, the Rabbi and someone getting their master’s degree from their titles as long as we do not put these people or what they say before God and what He says.
We make it hard on ourselves when we look at the Law only and not the spirit and intention of the Law. Jesus’ intentions are quite clear.
Mel
Sure sound slike an opinion to me.
I would like to know when and who instituted the title "father" for priests, and by what logic was the title "rabbi" (teacher) dropped?
Also, where in the NT is the office of a presbyter tittled "father?"
If you have any sources on this, I think it would be profitable to post them. Otherwise, the "reasons" listed are just a bunch of human opinons—in my opinion. :)
Good point. Then why are we all not called "fathers?" Are only priests faithful to Christ?
The Church instituted this as a man-made tradition of priests being "spiritual fathers" and laity "spiritual children," and then went back to rationalize a justification" in a retrograde fashion.
Yet the Bible calls the congregation "sheep," which would make priests better titled as "shepherds" then "fathers."
The cited passage in Matthew's Gospel couldn't be clearer, just as the one where just looking lustfully at a married woman is sin even if one doesn't go beyond that, or as the one (the Catholics will like this one) about absolutely no divorce save for adultery.
All sides make their rationalizations. The Baptists say the "wine" wasn't real wine but grape juice, yet we know that people would get drunk on this "grape juice."
The Bible is a such a goldmine for human rationalizations; practically anyone can come up with some biblical "justification" to suit their human opinion.
Then, of course, you bring up another point...the "mother"...
I’ve never experienced anyone among the faithful being called ‘father’ other than the priest himself. Everyone is ‘brother’ or ‘sister’, or in my case, ‘hey you.’
In the case of the priest, it is usually only applicable to RCC clergy. This stems from their being direct agents of God, having the ability to absolve sin in Christ’s name.
Found the following information pertinent and interesting.
Which brings us to the problem of titles. It is hard to read Jesus' proscription against the title "father" without our own experience of the title. But it's important to do so. In Jesus' day there were no Catholic priests using the title "Father So-and-So". Jesus was talking about something else. "Father" and "Rabbi" were Jewish titles that were coming into vogue immediately after Jesus' death, when the Gospel was assembled.Consider first the title "Rabbi." In Mark's Gospel the disciples call Jesus "Rabbi" (9:5, 10:51, and 11:21). They did so even more frequently in John (1:38, 1:49, 3:2, 4:31, 6:25, 9:2, 11:8, and 20:16). Even John the Baptist is called "Rabbi" in that Gospel (3:26). In Luke no one uses the term "Rabbi." In Matthew only one disciple ever calls Jesus "Rabbi." Can you guess which one? It was Judas. Twice (26:25, 26:49).
It appears that the readers of Matthew's Gospel were up against a specific community whose leaders used and loved the title "Rabbi." They found support here for their opposition to those who favored the title for themselves.
The same was probably true of the title "Father." It appeared in Jewish circles as early as the first century. But because Jesus used that title for God ("Abba"), it would have horrified Matthew's community if any mere human being appropriated the title. Jesus' proscription against the title "Father" says more about that early difficulty than it does about today's practice.
We call priests "Father" today because of a fairly recent tradition. In the early church some bishops were called "father" to stress their authority as teachers. Benedict called the head of a monastic community "abbot" from the word "Abba" or "Father." "Father" became a title for the spiritual leader in monastic communities. That title carried over into the form of address for priests only a few hundred years ago in Ireland. When Irish immigrants came to this country they brought along the custom of calling priests "Father." It was never meant to buck Matthew's Gospel, but almost everyone outside the Catholic tradition finds the practice unacceptable.
Nonetheless, everyone supports the basic message: A faithful follower of Jesus exercises humble leadership.
Father Paul Turner is pastor of St. John Francis Regis Parish, Kansas City.
Why are priests called 'Father'?
The Orthodox priests are titled "father" as well, so the theory of this being an Irish product just seems a little thin.
At any rate, everything points to a man-made tradition of entitlement more than anything else.
The other arguments I have read so far call on references of "fathers" such as prophets etc., as justification to call priests "father." The Greek word "pater" means the founder, the source.
Even the biological "father" is a misnomer because the life that's passed from generation to generation started with Adam, who was given "the breath" that lives in us all by the Source of everything and all—including the Son and the Spirit.
A spiritual "father" is a founder of nothing. The priests are not founders of our spiritual life. They are closer to being the "rabbis" (teachers) then "fathers" (founders).
Abraham can be called a father in a sense of a "founder," and so can Moses, and even Christ. Their successors are not in the meaning of the word "fathers" in any way.
So the title used for priests is a man-made tradition which by all accounts has no justification whatsoever.
So this affirms the title was used at least as far back as 547. Will keep looking for more references.Since the earliest times of our Church, we have used the title "Father" for religious leaders.
Bishops, who are the shepherds of the local Church community and the authentic teachers of the faith, were given the title "Father." Actually, until about the year 400, a bishop was called "papa" for Father; this title was then restricted solely to addressing the Bishop of Rome, the successor of St. Peter, and in English was rendered "pope."
In an early form of his rule, St. Benedict (d. c. 547) designated the title to spiritual confessors, since they were the guardians of souls. Moreover, the word "abbot," denoting the leader in faith of the monastic community, is derived from the word abba, the Aramaic Hebrew word for father, but in the very familiar sense of "daddy."
Later, in the Middle Ages, the term "father" was used to address the mendicant friars—like the Franciscans and Dominicans—since by their preaching, teaching and charitable works they cared for the spiritual and physical needs of all of God's children. In more modern times, the heads of male religious communities, or even those who participate in ecumenical councils such as Vatican II, are given the title "father." In the English-speaking world, addressing all priests as "Father" has become customary.
On a more personal note, the title for me is very humbling. As a priest, "Father" reminds me that I am entrusted with a grave responsibility by our Lord—His faithful people. Just as a father must nourish, instruct, challenge, correct, forgive, listen and sustain, the priest must meet the spiritual needs of those entrusted to his care, providing them with the nourishment of our Lord through the sacraments. He must preach the Gospel with fervor and conviction in accord with the mind of the Church, challenging all to continue on that path of conversion which leads to holiness. He must correct those who have erred but with mercy and compassion.
In the same spirit as the father with his prodigal son, the priest must reconcile sinners who have gone astray but seek a way back to God. As a father listens to his child, so must a priest listen to his spiritual children, providing counsel and consolation.
FULL TEXT
With all due respect to him, he still doesn't give verifiable references.
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