Mt. 23:8-10 – “As for you do not be called ‘teacher.’ You have, but one teacher, and you all are brothers. Call no one on earth your ‘father;’ you have but one Father in heaven. Do not be called ‘Master,’ you have but one master, the Messiah.”
Taking these words in literal sense, the ‘sects’ always accuse the old Catholic tradition of calling their priests ‘father.’ As the way they interpret this gospel part, the pupil can never call their instructor in the school ‘teacher,’ and a child can never call its birth father ‘Dad’ or ‘Tatay.’ It also prohibits universities from issuing a degree ‘Master of Arts’ or ‘Master’ of any degree. Surely, Jesus did not intent this funny meaning, when he said it. He was instructing his disciples nobody should be considered in this earth greater than God.
If that was observed literally among the disciples, why did Paul call himself ‘father’?
1 Cor. 4:14-15 – “I am writing this not to shame you, but to instruct you as my beloved children. Even if you have countless guides to Christ, you do not have many fathers, for I became your father in Christ Jesus through the Gospel.”
It is in the same meaning Catholics call their priests ‘father,’ and the successor of Peter, ‘Pope’ (pope means ‘father’) to express their respect and obedience. St. Paul makes it very clear in 1 Thess. 2:11-12 – “As you know, we treated each one of you as a father treats his children, exhorting and encouraging you and insisting that you conduct yourselves as worthy of God who calls you into his kingdom and glory.”
St. Paul calls Timothy as ‘my son (1 Tim. 1:2).’ Was he violating a command from Jesus by considering himself as the father of Timothy? He calls Titus ‘a genuine child.’ Paul addressed himself “father of Onesimus” (Philemon 1:10). They were not the children of Paul. But he became their spiritual father in Christ.
But nobody can prove from any source that early Christians called apostles ‘Brother Paul’ or ‘Minister Peter’ or ‘Pastor John’ as anti-Catholics always do.
Taking these words in literal sense, the ‘sects’ always accuse the old Catholic tradition of calling their priests ‘father.’ As the way they interpret this gospel part, the pupil can never call their instructor in the school ‘teacher,’ and a child can never call its birth father ‘Dad’ or ‘Tatay.’ It also prohibits universities from issuing a degree ‘Master of Arts’ or ‘Master’ of any degree. Surely, Jesus did not intent this funny meaning, when he said it. He was instructing his disciples nobody should be considered in this earth greater than God.
If that was observed literally among the disciples, why did Paul call himself ‘father’?
1 Cor. 4:14-15 – “I am writing this not to shame you, but to instruct you as my beloved children. Even if you have countless guides to Christ, you do not have many fathers, for I became your father in Christ Jesus through the Gospel.”
It is in the same meaning Catholics call their priests ‘father,’ and the successor of Peter, ‘Pope’ (pope means ‘father’) to express their respect and obedience. St. Paul makes it very clear in 1 Thess. 2:11-12 – “As you know, we treated each one of you as a father treats his children, exhorting and encouraging you and insisting that you conduct yourselves as worthy of God who calls you into his kingdom and glory.”
St. Paul calls Timothy as ‘my son (1 Tim. 1:2).’ Was he violating a command from Jesus by considering himself as the father of Timothy? He calls Titus ‘a genuine child.’ Paul addressed himself “father of Onesimus” (Philemon 1:10). They were not the children of Paul. But he became their spiritual father in Christ.
But nobody can prove from any source that early Christians called apostles ‘Brother Paul’ or ‘Minister Peter’ or ‘Pastor John’ as anti-Catholics always do.
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