Why We Call Priests "Father"

It is not uncommon to hear a Catholic call or refer to a priest as “father.” While this practice is usual for a Catholic, it may not be so for a Protestant who believes that Jesus’ words in Matthew 23:9 which says, “And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven” (RSV-CE),¹should be interpreted literally, and as such Catholics are clearly going contrary to Jesus’ command by referring to priests as “father.”

In the above passage, Jesus was not saying no one is permitted to refer to someone as an earthly or spiritual father, but was rather speaking against the act of referring to anyone as father in the way in which God alone is.

Catholic theologian Scott Hahn explains: “ultimately, God alone is Father, and his perfect fatherhood is a spiritual act. Celibate priests are living and life-giving images of God the father, as they beget new children for the kingdom through baptism.”² With regard to the above passage, Catholic apologist Trent Horn writes:

“Jesus was not condemning the idea of earthly or spiritual fatherhood but the practice of giving some people, like the Pharisees who sought public approval honor and fatherly respect that was due to God alone. Calling people spiritual fathers in and of itself isn’t wrong."³

God is our ultimate Father, but he has given to men a subordinate role as fathers in many ways, be it biological or spiritual just as Christ alone is our Teacher and One Mediator, but he has also given to men, a subordinate role as teachers and mediators.4

The point is that priests are our spiritual fathers, and as such, referring to them as “father,” is by no means wrong. The Apostles regarded themselves as fathers to the early Christians under their care, as St. Paul explicitly says writing to the Corinthians:

“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 Cor. 4:15, emphasis mine).

The meaning of Jesus’ words is the fact that God alone is our ultimate and supreme Father, Teacher and Master, and it will be wrong for us to attribute these to anyone in the way in which God alone is.

A Literal Interpretation Does Not Get It Right

The literal interpretation of Matthew 23:9 does not work because just in the preceding verse, Jesus speaks against calling anyone “rabbi” which is the Hebrew word for “teacher” or “master.” It is true that those who hold on to the literal interpretation, would have no problem referring to their academic instructors as “teacher” and this, following their own interpretation, would make them just as guilty.

Like the word “father,” Jesus was not prohibiting the literal use of the word teacher because in the great commission, Jesus commanded his Apostles to make disciples of all nations, to baptize and to teach, thereby making them teachers (Matt. 28:19-20). St. Paul, writing to the Corinthians also says that, “God has appointed in his Church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers…” (1 Cor. 12:28; cf. Eph. 4:11), and he refers to his role as a teacher to the Gentiles in faith and truth (1Tim 2:7).

In addition to this, the English word “doctor” is derived from the Latin word “docere” which means “to teach.” So, the English word doctor, is the Latin word for teacher and since this is the case, if we are to interpret Matthew 23:8-9 literally, then those who accuse Catholics of violating Jesus’ command by calling priests “father,” are also violating Jesus’ command by using the term “doctor” to refer to those who are either medical doctors or those who have received their doctorate degree (PhD), but that would not be a correct interpretation of Scripture.

“Even ‘Mister’ and ‘Mistress’ (‘Mrs.’) are forms of the word master, also mentioned by Jesus. So if his words in Matthew 23 were meant to be taken literally, Fundamentalists would be just as guilty for using the words teacher and doctor and mister as Catholics for saying ‘father.’ But that would clearly be a misunderstanding of Christ’s words.”5

No one is said to be in the wrong if he or she refers to his or her biological male parent as “father.” The fourth of the ten commandments clearly tells us to give honor to our father and mother. This commandment does not solely refer to our biological parents, for according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “we are obliged to honor and respect all those whom God for our good has vested with his authority” (CCC 2197). Priests are our spiritual fathers through sacramental ordination and are thus, vested with this authority.

The words of Christ in Matthew 23:8-10 are akin to what he says in Matthew 5:29, “If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away; it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.”

No one would assert that Jesus’ words in this passage should be taken literally, for if that is the case, then all Christians would suffer the loss of one or more of their body parts. In this passage, as well as in Matthew 23:8-10, Jesus is making use of what is known as hyperbole, which is the use of exaggeration to make a point which should not be taken literally.

Just as Jesus is not saying we should literally pluck our right eye out, so also he is not saying we cannot use the word father to refer to those who truthfully are fathers either biologically, spiritually, or in any other way.

Biblical Evidence

In Sacred Scripture, we see the use of the word “father” to refer to either biological, spiritual, or any other type of fatherhood.

Beginning with the Old Testament, we read of Joseph whom God made a “father” to Pharaoh (Gen. 45:8).

Going into the book of Judges, we find a striking instance of the relationship between the priesthood and fatherhood. In chapter 17, we read of Micah who made a request to the young Levite saying, “Stay with me, and be to me a father and a priest” (v.10). In the next chapter, this same request is made by the Danites who entreated the same Levite saying, “come with us, and be to us a father and a priest” (Jdg 18:19).

Furthermore, it was Job who took on a fatherly role to the poor (Job 29:16). In fact, God himself through the prophet Isaiah says he will invest Eliakim son of Hilkiah with a fatherly role to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the house of Judah. (Isa. 22:20-21). The spiritual fatherhood of Elijah to Elisha is clearly seen in Elisha’s cry “my father my father” at the point of Elijah’s departure (2 Kings 2:12). Also, the king of Israel refers to Elisha as father in 2 Kings 6:21.

However, a Protestant may still object that all these were acceptable in the Old Testament, but not in the New Testament after Christ prohibition.

This objection still fails because even in the New Testament, we also see many instances of the word “father” being used.

Jesus himself uses the word “father” in his teachings to the people. For instance, in Matthew 15:4-5, Jesus reprimands the Pharisees and scribes saying:

“For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him surely die. But you say, ‘If any one tells his father or his mother, What you would have gained from me is given to God, he need not honor his father.”

Jesus would not be going against his own command by using the word father as said in the ten commandments. Jesus also uses the word father in Matt. 19:5; 21:31; Jn. 8:56.

In Acts chapter 7, St. Stephen refers to the members of the Jewish council as “Brethren and fathers” (v.2). He then goes on to speak of Abraham, referring to him as father (v. 3), and also of Moses, referring to the Israelites as fathers (Acts 7:38-39, 44-45, 51-53). Stephen, who was filled with the Holy Spirit and, spoke prompted by the Holy Spirit, would not go against Jesus’ command by referring to men as fathers.

St. Paul did the same by referring to the Jews in Jerusalem as “Brethren and fathers” (Acts 22:1). He also referred to Abraham as father (Rom. 4:11-12). And as already noted, Paul was a spiritual father to the Christians in Corinth (1 Cor 4:15), and also a spiritual father to Timothy, whom he referred to as, “my beloved and faithful child in the Lord” (1 Cor. 4:17; cf. 1Tim. 1:2; 2 Tim 2:1).

Not only Timothy, but also Titus and Onesimus were both sons of St. Paul in the faith (Titus 1:4; Phm 1:10). St. Paul also referred to the whole community of Christians whom he took care of as his children (2 Cor. 12:14-15; Gal. 4:19; 1Th. 2:11-12).

Not only did St. Paul, but also St. Peter, referred to Mark as his son (1Pet. 5:13).

In 1 John 2:1, John refers to the Christian community he writes to as “my little children” which points to a spiritual fatherhood. A few verses later, John also says, “I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his sake. I am writing to you, fathers because you know him who is from the beginning” (vv. 12-13, emphasis mine).

In the above passage, the word “fathers” or “children” is not used in the biological sense but rather to Christians as they differed in spiritual maturity within the Christian community.

Just as the Apostles referred to themselves as fathers and those whom they nurtured in the faith as sons or children, so do Catholics refer to priests as fathers indicating their spiritual fatherhood to guide, teach, and instruct us in the faith.

Other Important Citations

Romans 4:16-17

Romans 9:10

Philippians 2:22

Hebrews 12:7, 9

James 2:21

1 John 2:18

1 John 5:21

3 John 1:4

NOTES

1. Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition. All Scriptural quotations are taken from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, Catholic Edition, copyrighted 1946, 1965, and 1966 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA,

2. Hahn, Scott. Many are Called: Rediscovering the Glory of the Priesthood. (United States: Doubleday, 2010), 227.

3. Trent, Horn. The Case for Catholicism: Answers to Classic and Contemporary Protestant Objections. (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2017), 71.

4. Jesus is our one and ultimate Teacher (cf. Jn. 13:13 ) but he has given to men a subordinate, role as teachers (cf. Matt. 28:19-20; 1 Cor. 12:28; Eph. 4:11; Jam. 3:1). Jesus is also the one Mediator ( 1 Tim. 2:5) but he has given to men a lesser, subordinate, or secondary role as mediators or intercessors (cf. Rom. 15:30-31; 1 Cor. 3:9; 2 Cor. 5:20; 1 Tim. 2:1-2; 2:7; Heb. 13:17-19).

5. Essential Catholic Survival Guide: Answers to Tough Questions About the Faith. (San Diego: Catholic Answers Press, 2015), 178