"No mere human and sinner can approach the authority and importance of God, but those who are teachers and leaders do deserve our respect and honor. In fact, one of the ways the Scriptures call us to honor Church leaders is to address them as father."

The first New Testament book ever written, 1 Thessalonians, refers to St. Paul "as a father exhorting his own children" (2:11).

At the beginning of this discussion it is not out of place to question some Protestants about their own adherence to this text. For instance, many churches have Sunday school teachers. In some churches the minister has an advanced degree, so he is given the title "doctor," as are physicians. The problem is that in the same passage above, our Lord forbids the title "teacher" (which is the meaning of the Latin word for doctor), "Do not call anyone teacher, because your teacher is one, the Christ" (Matt. 23:10). Therefore, any church with Sunday school teachers or doctors is guilty of breaking the literal interpretation of Matthew 23:9-10, too. My purpose is not to condemn us all on account of these honorific titles but to show that there is a solid basis within the Bible for calling men father and teacher, rightly understood.

In Matthew 23 our Lord is forbidding us to call anyone rabbi, father or teacher if that title in any way diminishes our dependence on God. He echoes the Old Testament teaching that obeying God is more important than maintaining or exalting family ties. One example is the blessing of the tribe of Levi, where the Levites are commended for executing anyone who worshipped the golden calf, whether their fathers, brothers or children (Dt. 33:9; Ex. 32:27-29). Kinship ties should not prevent anyone from stoning family members who entice others to commit idolatry (Dt. 13:7-10). Any child who strikes his parents (Ex. 21:15) or curses them (Ex. 21:17; Lev. 20:9) or is an incorrigible child (Dt. 21:18-21) must also be put to death, presumably by the parents or other relatives who become aware of the crime. Despite the extremely high value of family life in ancient Israel, divine law and order takes precedence over kinship ties in the Old Testament.

Jesus' teaching and action reflects a similar tension between the priority of God over kinship and the high value of family. When he was twelve, he "had to be about his father's house," even though it caused his mother and foster father anguish (Luke 2:48-49). Before he sent his disciples on their first mission he said, "Anyone who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me" (Matt. 10:37). On an occasion of his family coming to speak with him, he redefined kinship roles by saying, "Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?...Whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is brother and sister and mother to me" (Matt. 12:48-50; Mark 3:33-35; Luke 8:21).

On the other hand, when a rich young man asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life, the Lord includes in his answer, "Honor your father and mother" (Matt. 19:19; Luke 18:20), quoting the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20:12; Dt. 5:16). He excoriates the Pharisees for neglecting the command to honor father and mother by declaring financial support qorban, that is, dedicated to God (Mark 7:10-13). Following Jesus' teaching, the importance of love and care for one's natural family was repeatedly taught by the early Church. Children were taught to obey their parents on the basis of the command to honor them, and parents were encouraged to treat their children well (Eph. 6:1-3; Col. 3:20-21). Financial neglect of family members was the same as a denial of the faith and made one an unbeliever (I Tim. 5:8).

These passages indicate the tension between the Lord's call to place God above the family and at the same time maintain the love of family which is necessary for one's salvation and faith. The same principle applies to our attitude toward teachers and other Church leaders, like the priests. No mere human and sinner can approach the authority and importance of God, but those who are teachers and leaders do deserve our respect and honor. In fact, one of the ways the Scriptures call us to honor Church leaders is to address them as father.

An overview of the New Testament books shows that father is a title applied to God, the ancestors of Israel, living Jewish leaders, fathers of families, Christian leaders, and even the devil (the father of lies). Every New testament book except 3 John uses the word "father" at least once.

The New Testament overwhelmingly (63% of uses) prefers to employ "father" as a reference to God the Father, the first person of the Blessed Trinity. All twenty-six books which use the term apply it to God at least once, with John, Matthew, Luke and 1 John accounting for 185 out of 252 occurrences with this meaning.

The second most common uses of "father" in the New Testament refer to human fathers, both from the past history of Israel and contemporary parents. Frequent appeals are made to the traditions and authority of the patriarchs, David, and the ancestors in general. Many passages refer to the relationship with one's parents, whether it be a reminder to obey the fourth commandment or Jesus' requirement to love him more than one's parents. Certainly most Christians agree that Jesus' prohibition against calling anyone father does not preclude the honor due to natural parents, either living or dead, even though that would be the literal meaning of the text. The example of the New Testament itself clarifies this point by its obvious summons to honor father and mother.

The problem for those Christians who object to the title "father" being given to Catholic priests is that it is an honorific title that belongs only to human parents or to God, not a religious leader. However, we can answer this objection from the Bible. Just as we have thirteen New Testament books offering examples for honoring our natural parents with the title "father," so also do six books show us that Jewish and Christian leaders may share this title of respect.

Nearly half of the uses of "father" in Acts of the Apostles appear in St. Stephen's speech in chapter 7 (17 out of 36 uses). He refers to the ancestors as fathers, both individually and collectively (16 times) and once he addresses his audience as "brothers and fathers" (7:2). St. Paul addressed a crowd of angry Jews in the Temple as "brothers and fathers" (22:1). Obviously he had no difficulty designating a group of Jewish men not his natural parents by this honorific title, even when they sought to kill him.

The New Testament also gives Christian leaders the title "father." The first New Testament book ever written, 1 Thessalonians, refers to St. Paul "as a father exhorting his own children" (2:11). This is consistent with his frequent designation of the members of his communities or disciples as children (1 Cor. 4:14,17; 2 Cor. 6:13; Gal. 4:19; Phil. 2:22; 1 Tim. 1:2,18; 2 Tim. 1:2; 2:1; Titus 1:4; Phm. 10). By this he places himself in the role of spiritual father. In fact, he insists on being called the spiritual father of the Corinthians when he says, "You have in Christ ten thousand teachers, but not many fathers, because in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through announcing the gospel. Therefore I exhort you to become imitators of me" (1 Cor. 4:15). Preaching the good news constitutes Paul's fatherly begetting of children, making him their spiritual father. Furthermore, he requests that they imitate him, not only in good behavior but in bringing others to spiritual rebirth through preaching the Gospel of Christ Jesus.

Other Christian men are treated as or called fathers besides St. Paul. Timothy is instructed, "Do not rebuke a presbyter, but exhort him as a father, young men as brothers, elder women as mothers, and young women as sisters in all purity" (1 Tim. 5:1-2). Presbyter, the Greek word from which we derive "priest," meant both elder and church leader. Certainly this text does not instruct Timothy to address older men as fathers, nor does it necessarily refer to priests, even though it speaks of presbyters. It does require us to look upon other members of the Church in family relationships, with the love and respect that belongs to family.

More to the point is 1 John 2:13-14, which twice addresses a group of men as fathers: "I write to you, fathers, because you have known him who is from the beginning." These verses by themselves gives us scriptural warrant to address Church leaders as "father." It has the additional support of the example of St. Stephen and St. Paul.

Conclusion

First, we have a clear authorization from Scripture to call our parents and our religious leaders father or mother. Though Christ our Lord gives us an important admonition not to let any human become equal or more important than God our Father or Christ our teacher and rabbi, yet neither should we deny that certain people in the Christian community are our spiritual parents. This derives from the nature of Christianity, which offers us not a philosophy or ideology but new life and rebirth in Christ, modeled on birth into family life and its inheritance.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, according to his great mercy gave us rebirth into the hope of life through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, into an immortal, undefiled and unfading inheritance, kept for us in heaven. (1 Peter 1:3-4).

St. Peter adds that we "have been reborn, not from mortal seed but immortal, through the living and enduring word of God" (1:23). The one who speaks this immortal and incorruptible seed of the living and enduring word of God is like a spiritual father to us, playing an essential role in our rebirth in Christ. Nevertheless we cannot ever deny that it is God's grace which makes us alive, just as it is God who ultimately determines that a child will be conceived.

The priest is a prime candidate for the title of spiritual father. By his training and ordination into the sacrament of Holy Orders he is commissioned by the Church to proclaim the gospel, the incorruptible seed of the word of God. This office charges him to speak officially for the Church, not for his own peculiar opinions, since the goal is rebirth of fellow Christians, not the promotion of a particular theological position.

Furthermore, the priest ministers the sacraments, proclaiming the authoritative word of God within the context of the outward signs given to us by Christ to communicate grace. Christ's words spoken by the priest at baptism give rebirth by water and the Spirit, making the candidate a member of the body of Christ. This is a fatherly act. The enduring word of God spoken at the eucharist transforms bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ, offering the family of God the spiritual food necessary for eternal life (see John 6:51-56). This, too, is fatherly. It is fatherly when a priest reconciles penitents through the word of God spoken in confession, when he witnesses the beginnings of new families as couples exchange marriage vows, or anoints the sick and dying. The fatherly role of the bishop is a special privilege, strengthening the faithful in confirmation or ordaining new priests to help father the community.

Should any priest demand honors and privileges by virtue of his ordination? Our Lord's warnings to the Pharisees in Matthew 23 preclude any hypocritical grab for earthly rewards, and every spiritual father or mother must eschew such things. On the other hand, it is right for us to honor priests, our spiritual fathers, even as God commands us to honor our natural fathers. Instead of a functionary performing services, see the priest as a father within the Christian community. They, and those spiritual mothers who teach us and nourish our faith, need our support and love, just as we need them. Together all of us can appreciate our various "roles of service for the faithful to build up the Body of Christ, until we become one in faith and in the full knowledge of God's Son, and form the perfect man who is Christ come to full maturity" (Eph. 4:12-13).