father/Father

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tossolul

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I was reading Matthew 23:8-13

It states that you should not call anyone on earth Father, for you have only one Father in Heaven. Why do we as Catholics then call our Priests Father?
 
You’re Catholic? You should know that we call priests “father” out of respect for them. When we say “father”, we don’t mean that they are, in any way, equal to our One Father in Heaven. We call the Pope the “Holy Father” out of love, admiration and respect for him.

I’m sure that someone else in here can explain this better than I just did.
 
Yes, I am very Catholic. This verse just confuses me, because I always thought what you just said also…but when it states something so specifically in the bible…how are you supposed to intereperate it?

‘But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi’ for you have only on Master and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth ‘father’, for you have one ‘Father’ and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called teacher, for you have one Teacher, the Christ. The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.’

I think it very important to respect our Priests, but this passage seems to bother me a little. Am I just interperating it incorrectly? I am not well rehearsed in bible study, and I’m not trying to state anything, I’m just looking for help in something I’m a little confused on.
 
Does this mean we should not call anyone father? Parents, leaders, etc? Or just not the aramic/greek word? Or no word with a biological connotation?

DO we still call others teachers, and master (think about heretory, there.

Why? What is the context in whcih Jesus says this?

Look at places like Acts 7:2, and Romans 9:10, where the apostles refer to themselves and others as spiritual fathers to the people. Look at the context of that passage again- Jesus is making a statement here, but using hyperbole-not forbidding anyone to call someone father.
 
Acts 7:2
And he replied, 1 "My brothers and fathers, listen. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was in Mesopotamia, 2 before he had settled in Haran,
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Acts 22:1
“My brothers and fathers, listen to what I am about to say to you in my defense.”
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Romans 4:16-17
For this reason, it depends on faith, so that it may be a gift, and the promise may be guaranteed to all his descendants, not to those who only adhere to the law but to those who follow the faith of Abraham, who is the father of all of us, as it is written, “I have made you father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into being what does not exist.
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1 Cor 4:14-15
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.
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1 Tim 1:2
to Timothy, my true child in faith: grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
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Titus 1:4
to Titus, my true child in our common faith: grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our savior.
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Philem 10
I urge you on behalf of my child Onesimus, whose father I have become in my imprisonment,
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1 John 2:13-14
I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have conquered the evil one. I write to you, children, because you know the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong and the word of God remains in you, and you have conquered the evil one.
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This was one of the first things I was shown when someone was trying to convert me a few months ago.

The explanation to this is the Jesus wasn’t giving a vocabulary lesson and prohibiting the use of a word, or else he would directly contradict himself in using the word father in calling Abraham “father Abraham” John 8:56

Several other times, not only Jesus but the Apostles would have broken this rule too if this was a prohibition in calling someone father. Since we know that the Bible doesn’t contradict itself then the meaning is not something different.

Read in context you will see that this is a passage about humility. (Some might take this as far as saying starting your own church violates this, yet I disagree) Most people these days start their churches not out of lack of humility, but out of trying to make an authentic church and lead people to God.

I would read the links provided, and see for yourself. Read in context you will see the Bible is a Catholic book and fully supports the Catholic position. If someone just picks sentences like this, out of context, then they can be used to support many points of view depending on your faith tradition.

God Bless
Scylla
 
So, we shouldn’t call our own fathers, Father, nor should we call our teachers, Teacher. Nor should we celebrate Father’s Day. Nor should Jesus or the apostles ever have referred to “our Father Abraham.” Nor should St. Paul have referred to himself as a father to those he taught.

Nor should we ever understand hyperbole as anything but literal.
 
Thank you to the people who tried to give considerate replies. They did help me.

Once again, I was not questioning the church… I was only trying to understand, and learn something that was confusing to me. I guess I thought this may be a good place to come… :confused:
 
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tossolul:
Thank you to the people who tried to give considerate replies. They did help me.

Once again, I was not questioning the church… I was only trying to understand, and learn something that was confusing to me. I guess I thought this may be a good place to come… :confused:
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I read you right. Even as Catholics, it is perfectly fine to investigate why we believe what we believe, do what we do, etc. I wish more of us would do the same (I should know, I’ve been there :o - and still am to a degree).

Maybe some of the replies to your OP were a bit quick to judge, since this forum is apologetics and on occasion some will put up an OP that is asking for a sharper/direct reply.

just my 2 cents…SG257
 
Hm. I apologize if mine came across as harsh- I just reread it, and truly did not intend that it do so. I just wrote it as it came into my head, and did not take time to read it to see how it would sound- sorry if I offended you with the tone of that post.
 
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