The Priest as Father

Saturday, August 23rd Readings Reflection: Saturday of the Twentieth Week of Ordinary Time

In today’s Gospel, Jesus condemns the scribes and Pharisees for their hypocrisy in outwardly appearing righteous but inwardly failing to uphold the Law of God. Jesus says that the scribes and Pharisees loved their seats of honor in society, as well as the title Rabbi. In an often misunderstood passage, Christ says, “[C]all none your father upon earth; for [O]ne is your [F]ather, [W]ho is in heaven” (Mt 23:9 DRB). When understood without the guidance of the Church’s unchanging and infallible interpretation and teaching, this passage has been used to attack the Catholic priesthood. We call priests Father, and these same priests wear ornate vestments that set them apart from the laity.

However, a proper understanding of this passage shows that Our Lord is not condemning the priesthood, which He Himself established. In writing about this passage, St. Jerome and St. Thomas Aquinas both explained that Our Lord is condemning those who seek the title of Father as one of prestige in order to enjoy a higher social status in the world. Those who claim the title of Father through the ordained priesthood do so in obedience to Christ’s command in today’s Gospel: “He that is greatest among you shall be your servant” (Mt 23:11).

In his First Epistle to the Corinthians, St. Paul calls himself a Father to the Gentiles, explaining that he has “begotten” the Gentile converts as the means by which they received the newness of life through the sacraments (1Cor 4:15). Priests possess a spiritual superiority over the laity as the fatherly means by which we receive the sacraments and are led closer to Christ. However, priests are like servants in that they serve the people of Christ, ministering to them in their needs and sacrificing themselves every single day in order to merit the salvation of their flock.

Similarly, the priest’s vestments do not serve to glorify himself but rather to remind both him and us of the priest’s eternal role in offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and administering the sacraments. The amice symbolizes the helmet of salvation (cf. Eph 6:17), the alb symbolizes purity, the cincture symbolizes chastity, the maniple symbolizes the tears of this life that merit eternal joy, the stole symbolizes immortality and the eternal reward of the Mass and sacraments, and the chasuble symbolizes Christ’s yoke that the priest takes upon himself (cf. Mt 11:29).

The tradition of priestly vestments can be traced to the early centuries of the Church’s existence, as can be seen from St. Jerome’s statement that “[t]he Divine religion has one dress in the service of sacred things, another in ordinary intercourse [conversation] and life” (Catholic Encyclopedia, “Vestments”). The priest’s ministry surpasses this temporal world, and his vestments and clerical attire are an outward sign of his role as mediator between God and man, in persona Christi.

While men cooperate with God’s Will in accepting the vocation to the priesthood, this vocation is ultimately not their own choice but that of God, Who has chosen them to “go, and…bring forth fruit” (Jn 15:16). The Church gives men discerning the priesthood a long period of discernment and formation that helps them grow in faith and virtue. However, the final and most profound change occurs when the bishop lays his hands on the men to be ordained, imparting the Sacrament of Holy Orders that leaves an indelible character—that is, mark—on the soul of each priest. From this day forward, the priest is no longer just another man; he is a Father to the laity, with the God-given authority to bind and loose and confect the Eucharist in persona Christi. This is a mighty gift and a serious role, one that deserves our respect both for the man called to this ministry and also to the One Who called him and gives him this eternally necessary power.

May today’s Gospel reading fill us with an ever deeper appreciation for the priesthood and for the infinite mercy of God in calling men to be ministers of His grace so that we might grow ever closer to Christ and one day attain eternal salvation.

Our Lady Queen of Priests, pray for all priests and for all men discerning the priesthood!

The Mass of St. Benedict, by Juan Rizi. Public domain.