Why priest called father

The likelihood of this address is supported by St. Paul who identifies himself as a spiritual father. Granted you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you have only one father. It was I who begot you in Christ Jesus through my preaching of the Gospel. I beg you, then, be imitators of me. Benedict d. On a more personal note, the title for me is very humbling.

Just as a father must nourish, instruct, challenge, correct, forgive, listen and sustain his children, so must a priest do so for his spiritual children. The priest must especially meet the spiritual needs of those entrusted to his care, providing them with the nourishment of our Lord through the sacraments. He must preach the Gospel with fervor and conviction in accord with the mind of the Church, challenging all to continue on that path of conversion which leads to holiness.

He must correct those who have erred, but with mercy and compassion. In the same spirit as the father with his prodigal son, the priest must reconcile sinners who have gone astray but seek a way back to God.

As a father listens to his child, so must a priest listen to his spiritual children, providing counsel and consolation. Ultimately, God is our supreme protector, provider, and instructor. Correspondingly, it is wrong to view any individual other than God as having these roles. He is not forbidding the perfunctory use of honorifics nor forbidding us to recognize that the person does have a role as a spiritual father and teacher.

The example of his own apostles shows us that. The New Testament is filled with examples of and references to spiritual father-son and father-child relationships. It is worth quoting some of them here. Rather, Paul is emphasizing his spiritual fatherhood with them. For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers.

The apostles sometimes referred to entire churches under their care as their children. By referring to these people as their spiritual sons and spiritual children, Peter, Paul, and John imply their own roles as spiritual fathers.

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Home Perspective Why do we call priests "father"? Perspective The Catholic Faith. By Bishop Jorge Rodriguez. June 7, John the Baptist Parish in Longmont. Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila celebrated Mass.