If I may join in this discussionâŚ
You are probably referring to Matt 23:8 - âAnd do not call anyone on earth âfather,â for you have one Father, and he is in heaven.â
However, to take this literally, it means we shouldnât ever call our dads, âfatherâ (and Iâm not referring to priests). The next verse also says:
âNor are you to be called âteacher,â for you have one Teacher, the Christâ (Matt 23:9)
Does this mean no one in school should ever say the word âteacherâ anymore? The context is clear that this has nothing to do with the Catholic priesthood.
More importantly, St. Paul even states that he became a âfather through the gospelâ:
1 Cor 4:15 - âEven 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.â
Does this mean, St. Paul just did what Jesus said not to do? Rather, he is referring to the fact that he was the Corinthian communityâs spiritual father, just as Timothy is called by Paul as his âson in the faithâ (1 Tim 1:2). Ditto for Titus (Titus 1:4). This is why Catholic priests are called âfatherâ, while it is not uncommon for a priest to call a parishioner âsonâ.
What makes you think that you are not the blind or ignorant one?
Regardless, scripture is very clear that priests are to be called upon for anointing oil (James 5:14):
âIs any one of you sick? He should call the
elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.â (James 5:14, NIV)
The Greek word for âelderâ is literally âPresbuterosâ, which in Latin is
Presbyter, which in turn is likely the origin of the word âpriestâ in English. Check any online dictionary.
That passage (James 5:14) is the Biblical basis for the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick.
As for the basis for the ordained priesthood, consider these articles:
The Office of New Testament Priest
The Priesthood Debate
Both articles demonstrate that there are three types of priests: high priests, ministerial priests, and high priests.