Some Christians point to Jesus’ words in Matthew 23 as a reason to avoid calling priests “Father.”

"Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven." (Matthew 23:9)

On Father Simon Says, Father Richard Simon explains why that reading misses the point.

Father Simon starts with a practical question: if you took the phrase literally, “what are you going to call that man who married your mother?” Scripture itself uses the word father often, and the Church has always recognized the reality of human fatherhood. The problem Jesus is addressing isn’t ordinary family language, it’s spiritual pride.

In Jesus’ day, certain religious titles carried a kind of inflated honor. Father Simon notes that rabbi didn’t simply mean “teacher,” but “my great one”. It was a badge of status. Jesus also warns against being called “master,” which Father Simon points out is tied to the idea of a guide or guru. Hence, someone is treated as the ultimate authority.

That’s the heart of the warning: don’t build your identity on titles, and don’t treat any human leader as if he replaces God. Father Simon even jokes about the old stereotype of clergy privileges, then pivots to the deeper issue: people who “love seats of honor” and crave recognition.

So why do Catholics call priests “Father”? Father Simon says it began as a relationship, not a power play. The Church was envisioned as a family, and priests were seen as spiritual fathers through guidance and care. Used rightly, the title points beyond the priest to the One true Father in Heaven.

Jesus isn’t banning a word, He’s guarding our hearts from making idols out of human authority.

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