Hey…um…Priest Guy
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Todays’ Gospel (Matthew 22:1-12), we can get a bit confused.
Everything Jesus says sounds all well and good until He says, “Call no one on earth your father…”
This is probably where many Protestants would say, “Ha! The Catholic Church is wrong and they don’t follow Jesus’ teachings!”
And this is probably where many Catholics would respond with
And don’t worry, that’s okay (at least, that’s what I told myself when I responded in the same way). What’s not okay is shrugging it off and saying, “The Church probably has some reason why that makes sense,” and then go about our day.
I mean, it is okay, because I’m not judging you, but it’s not okay because you’re being lazy about your faith. But I’m not judging you. You can be lazy if you want. But God doesn’t. Probably.
So why is it okay for us to call a priest ‘Father?’
Well, after doing some handy dandy research (thank you, Scott Hahn & Catholic Answers), here’s why:
Jesus was not being literal. He was using a hyperbole to make a point. What was His point? That no one should seek to be the focus by their title. The Pharisees were seeking honored titles and bringing the focus to them, not to God. And so in our Church, even though we call priests, ‘Fathers,’ they are an instrument of God that should try to help us look to God. Their desire as priests shouldn’t be to be called ‘Father’ but solely to do God’s will, reflecting (not taking away from) God’s Fatherhood.
I also found out that almost every book in the New Testament uses the term ‘father’ – which wouldn’t make sense if Jesus was indeed being literal.
Also, if Jesus was being literal, why would He want us to stop calling our dads ‘father?’
“Hey, uh, Male Parent…I love you…”
