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Non-Catholic Criticism: Call No One on Earth Your
Father |
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"Call no one on earth
your father; you have but one Father in
heaven" has been the source of great
controversy between Catholics and
non-Catholics. At first glance this source
of derision is completely understandable,
until you look closer to the lack of
understanding of Biblical passages by the
non-Catholics.
Catholic.com has a really great article
that lays out the biblical reasons why
Catholics call a priest "father" in the
context of non-Catholic objections of doing
so. A sample paragraph is: |
"Joseph tells his brothers of a special
fatherly relationship God had given him
with the king of Egypt: "So it was not you
who sent me here, but God; and he has made
me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all
his house and ruler over all the land of
Egypt" (
Gen. 45:8 ).
Job indicates he
played a fatherly role with the less
fortunate: "I was a father to the poor,
and I searched out the cause of him whom I
did not know" (
Job 29:16 ). And God himself declares
that he will give a fatherly role to
Eliakim, the steward of the house of
David: "In that day I will call my servant
Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah . . . and I
will clothe him with [a] robe, and will
bind [a] girdle on him, and will commit .
. . authority to his hand; and he shall be
a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem
and to the house of Judah" (
Is. 22:20–21 ).
This type of
fatherhood not only applies to those who
are wise counselors (like Joseph) or
benefactors (like Job) or both (like
Eliakim), it also applies to those who
have a fatherly spiritual relationship
with one. For example, Elisha cries, "My
father, my father!" to Elijah as the
latter is carried up to heaven in a
whirlwind (
2 Kgs. 2:12 ). Later, Elisha himself
is called a father by the king of Israel (
2 Kgs. 6:21 )."
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I urge you to read this and the other
articles in
Catholic.com. |
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My Prayer Box newsletter is published weekly and contains the
readings for that Sunday. It has reflections, stories and
reader contributions, prayers and news relevant to living a
proud Catholic life.
The reader contributions include announcements, interesting
articles, pictures and greetings. We also solicit news
regarding activities and events your parishes that you might
useful for others.
The newsletter has over 1000 subscribers.
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Note:
This series of articles on Catholic
Apologetics are based on research from
several books. I really encourage you to
read at least the following:
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1What
Catholics Really Believe-Setting the Record Straight: 52
Answers to Common Misconceptions About the Catholic
Faith
 ,
Ignatius Press, San Francisco, 1992, by Karl Keating,
director Catholic Answers, a lay-run apologetics
and evangelization organization, and editor of the
magazine, This Rock. He is also the author of the
best-seller, Catholicism and Fundamentalism.
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2 Nuts
& Bolts: A Practical Guide for Explaining and Defending
the Catholic Faith ,
Basilica Press, San Diego, 1999, by Tim Staples, a
former Assemblies of God youth pastor who converted to
the Catholic Church.
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3Catholic
Source Book
 ,
Harcourt Religion Publishers, 2000, by Rev. Peter Klein.
Rev Peter Klein is a priest of the Diocese of Winona in
Minnesota.
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4Our
Sunday Visitor's Catholic Encyclopedia
 ,
Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division, Huntington,
Indiana, 1998, by Rev. Peter M.J. Stravinskas, editor.
Rev. Peter M.J. Stravinskas is the author of eleven
books and more than 500 articles. He is the founding
editor of Catholic Answer and the administrator
of St. John the Baptist Church of Bayonne, New Jersey.
He likewise serves as adjunct professor of education at
Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey.
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To read the rest of the series on Catholic Apologetics,
please select one of the links below.
Apologetics Part 1:
Catholic Practices and Traditions - Be Proud of Them
Apologetics Part 2: Catholic
Devotion To the Virgin Mary
Apologetics Part 3: Bible Catholics?
Apologetics Part 4: The Catholic
Beliefs Are Not Found in the Bible
Apologetics Part 5: Everything the
Pope Says is Infallible
Apologetics Part 6: Catholics Are
Not Born-Again - So They Are Not Saved
Apologetics Part 7: Catholics
Worship Saints, Icons and Statues
Apologetics Part 8: Anointing the
Sick with Holy Oil
Did
You Know?
Priestly Celibacy Is A Disciplinary
Rule and not a Doctrine
Did
You Know?
That criticism of the Catholic
Church comes from both the right and the left
Non-Catholic Criticism:
Indulgences: A Catholic Can Buy Salvation
Non-Catholic Criticism:
Communion of Saints
- Why Catholics believe in Saints
Non-Catholic Criticism:
Call No One on Earth Your Father
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