One Father who is in heaven

[_Christopher_]

All you have to do is read Christ's words and use discernment from the Holy Spirit to see the truth, ebia. in Matthew, 23:9, Jesus said; "And do not call anyone on earth 'father' for you have one Father and he is in heaven." I don't know who your father is, ebia, but I know who mine is and it's not the pope!

Hello Heidi-

You seem to think that Jesus forbid calling anyone 'father', so you are wondering why Catholics call priests 'father'?

This question deals with Jesus words in Matthew 23:9, "And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven."

Jesus was speaking in hyperbole to get his point across strongly.

(Kind of like when He said we have to hate our fathers and mothers to be his followers.)

Jesus used hyperbole often, for example when he declared, "If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away; it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell" (Matt. 5:29, cf. 18:9; Mark 9:47).

How many Christians do you know that have plucked out their eyes?

If Jesus really meant not to call anyone your father then why do we have examples all over the New Testament of people calling others their fathers and also people calling themselves fathers?  Some examples:

Romans 4:1-18, Romans 9:10, 1 Corinthians 4:15,1 Corinthians 10:1, Galatians 1:14, Ephesians 5:31 and 6:4, Philippians 2:22, Colossians 3:21, 1 Thessalonians 2:11, 1 Timothy 5:1, 2 Timothy 1:3, Hebrews 1:1, 3:9 and 12:9

Paul referred to Timothy as his child: "Therefore I sent to you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ" (1 Cor. 4:17)

He also said: "I do not write this to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel" (1 Cor. 4:14–15).

Peter did this as well: "She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings; and so does my son Mark" (1 Pet. 5:13).

There are many other examples from both the Old and the New Testament which lead us to the conclusion that Jesus was speaking in hyperbole.

[_Christopher_]

Well, I just ried to access the open website on catholicism and found out that i am not authorized to do so.! This is just an information page where listings of anything dealing with catholicism is open to the public. Any one of you could access that page, PROVIDED you believe in the infallibilty of the pope. I'm beginning to be truly frightened. I feel like I'm in Nazi Germany. Where is this coming from?

You are welcome to come to my website and learn about Catholicism.  I also offer to teach you anything you want to know.  There are no secrets.

[Brother Love]

When I see a priest, I just say Hail Mary

Brother Love

    <))><

[Brother Love]

Well, I just ried to access the open website on catholicism and found out that i am not authorized to do so.! This is just an information page where listings of anything dealing with catholicism is open to the public. Any one of you could access that page, PROVIDED you believe in the infallibilty of the pope. I'm beginning to be truly frightened. I feel like I'm in Nazi Germany. Where is this coming from?

You are welcome to come to my website and learn about Catholicism.  I also offer to teach you anything you want to know.  There are no secrets.

Did Mary die and then go to heaven?

Or did Mary, go to heaven alive?

Brother Love

     <))><

[Brother Love]

Well, I just ried to access the open website on catholicism and found out that i am not authorized to do so.! This is just an information page where listings of anything dealing with catholicism is open to the public. Any one of you could access that page, PROVIDED you believe in the infallibilty of the pope. I'm beginning to be truly frightened. I feel like I'm in Nazi Germany. Where is this coming from?

You are welcome to come to my website and learn about Catholicism.  I also offer to teach you anything you want to know.  There are no secrets.

Did Mary, have any other children?

Brother Love

  <))><

[Brother Love]

Well, I just ried to access the open website on catholicism and found out that i am not authorized to do so.! This is just an information page where listings of anything dealing with catholicism is open to the public. Any one of you could access that page, PROVIDED you believe in the infallibilty of the pope. I'm beginning to be truly frightened. I feel like I'm in Nazi Germany. Where is this coming from?

You are welcome to come to my website and learn about Catholicism.  I also offer to teach you anything you want to know.  There are no secrets.

Did Peter have a wife?

Brother Love

    <))><

[_Christopher_]

Well, I just ried to access the open website on catholicism and found out that i am not authorized to do so.! This is just an information page where listings of anything dealing with catholicism is open to the public. Any one of you could access that page, PROVIDED you believe in the infallibilty of the pope. I'm beginning to be truly frightened. I feel like I'm in Nazi Germany. Where is this coming from?

You are welcome to come to my website and learn about Catholicism.  I also offer to teach you anything you want to know.  There are no secrets.

Did Peter have a wife?

Brother Love

    <))><

Of course Peter had a wife.

I suppose you are now going to say something like "AHA!  The first Pope was married, so your priestly celibacy rules is wrong!"

Am I right?  I'll save you the time...priestly celibacy is simply a discipline, it is not a Dogma nor a Doctrine.  It has changed over time.  Big deal.  It is optional even now and Eastern Rite Catholics don't have to follow it either.

[_Christopher_]

Well, I just ried to access the open website on catholicism and found out that i am not authorized to do so.! This is just an information page where listings of anything dealing with catholicism is open to the public. Any one of you could access that page, PROVIDED you believe in the infallibilty of the pope. I'm beginning to be truly frightened. I feel like I'm in Nazi Germany. Where is this coming from?

You are welcome to come to my website and learn about Catholicism.  I also offer to teach you anything you want to know.  There are no secrets.

Did Mary die and then go to heaven?

Or did Mary, go to heaven alive?

Brother Love

     <))><

The Church hasn't stated one way or the other.

[_Christopher_]

When I see a priest, I just say Hail Mary

Brother Love

    <))><

Do you want to address my Biblical arguments about calling people 'father' or just make jokes?

[_Christopher_]

Well, I just ried to access the open website on catholicism and found out that i am not authorized to do so.! This is just an information page where listings of anything dealing with catholicism is open to the public. Any one of you could access that page, PROVIDED you believe in the infallibilty of the pope. I'm beginning to be truly frightened. I feel like I'm in Nazi Germany. Where is this coming from?

You are welcome to come to my website and learn about Catholicism.  I also offer to teach you anything you want to know.  There are no secrets.

Did Mary, have any other children?

Brother Love

  <))><

Mary did not have other children after giving birth to Jesus and there are a few things to consider in order to answer the question.

Cultural Context

There would be no need to explain the perpetual virginity of Mary to a first-century Jew that believed in Jesus the Christ. God Himself came from the Ark of the New Covenant (Mary) and to tread on holy ground was unthinkable to a Jew. Once you understand this cultural reference it is east to understand why Joseph would not violate the Ark. (Anyone touching the old ark in the Old Testament died, remember?) Also, it is prophecied in the Old Testament that the Lord would come through a ONE-WAY gate, so to speak, and that gate is Mary.

Language Barriers

Take a look at this verse of Scripture...

"For he must reign, until he has put all enemies under his feet" (1 Cor. 15:23-25) Is the Lord to reign only until His enemies begin to be under His feet, and once they are under His feet will He cease to reign?

Of course not...so let's look at the often quoted verse used to assert that Mary and Joseph had relation after Jesus' birth...

"...no marital relations with her until she had borne a son..." does not imply that after she had borne a son that they had relations. It could be read that way, but given the culture context and the other evidence that we have from the early church writings, it is pretty clear that Mary remains a virgin. It is written this way simply to emphasize that Joseph respected holy ground.

Also, it is worth noting that in ancient Aramaic, the original language of the Gospels, there was no word for "cousin." People that were not siblings were often called "brothers" and we have examples of this throughout the Bible.

For more information: http://www.catholicherald.com/saunders/02ws/ws021121.htm

James was older than Jesus

James, the Bishop of Jerusalem, is often cited as being one of Jesus' brothers, as in Mark 6:3 and Galatians 1:19. Hegesippus (c. 180 AD) and Eusebius (c. 300 AD) also mention James as "the Lord's brother", but Eusebius (who wrote a history of the Early Church based on primary sources no longer available to us), specifically identifies him as "the son of Joseph", and Hegesippus mentions that James was past the age of eighty when he was martyred in 62 AD. This would make James more than twenty years older than Jesus, and as Luke plainly tells us, Jesus was Mary's "first-born son". Ergo, if Hegesippus is correct, then James had to be a step-brother, unless Joseph was building time machines in his carpenter's shop.

[Heidi]

If you want to know the answers to the above questions, friends, just ask the catholic church. Do not look in the bible for them because it contradicts the catholic church. The catholic church will stand by EVERYTHING it says because it is INFALLIBLE. Unlike every other church composed of human beings, the catholic church is NOT composed of fallible human beings. That is what is called SEVERE pride. The church is ANYTHING but humble. Humility is a fruit of the spirit. Pride is not. "By their fruits you will recognize them."

Christopher, i understand what those other metaphors you gave as examples of hyperbole mean. They are quite obvious. But you have not explained what Jesus meant by not calling anyone 'father', much less our "Holy Father". If it's a hyperbole, rather than a direct statement, then please clarify what He means by that. So far, no one has yet.  

[Brother Love]

When I see a priest, I just say Hail Mary

Brother Love

    <))><

Whos Jokeing?? Not me

You should here what I call nuns

Brother Love

Do you want to address my Biblical arguments about calling people 'father' or just make jokes?

[Brother Love]

Well, I just ried to access the open website on catholicism and found out that i am not authorized to do so.! This is just an information page where listings of anything dealing with catholicism is open to the public. Any one of you could access that page, PROVIDED you believe in the infallibilty of the pope. I'm beginning to be truly frightened. I feel like I'm in Nazi Germany. Where is this coming from?

You are welcome to come to my website and learn about Catholicism.  I also offer to teach you anything you want to know.  There are no secrets.

Did Peter have a wife?

Brother Love

    <))><

Of course Peter had a wife.

I suppose you are now going to say something like "AHA!  The first Pope was married, so your priestly celibacy rules is wrong!"

Am I right?  I'll save you the time...priestly celibacy is simply a discipline, it is not a Dogma nor a Doctrine.  It has changed over time.  Big deal.  It is optional even now and Eastern Rite Catholics don't have to follow it either.

ROFLOL
priestly celibacy is simply a discipline, it is not a Dogma nor a Doctrine.  It has changed over time.  Big deal. YES!!! It is a "BIG" Deal.

Brother Love

  <))><

[ebia]

If you want to know the answers to the above questions, friends, just ask the catholic church. Do not look in the bible for them because it contradicts the catholic church. The catholic church will stand by EVERYTHING it says because it is INFALLIBLE.

On the contrary, the Catholic church is very well aware that it is made up of infallible people.  It's the church that is infallible, not the people who make it up.  By the grace of God the Church is far more than the sum of its parts.

Christopher, i understand what those other metaphors you gave as examples of hyperbole mean. They are quite obvious. But you have not explained what Jesus meant by not calling anyone 'father', much less our "Holy Father". If it's a hyperbole, rather than a direct statement, then please clarify what He means by that. So far, no one has yet.  

And you haven't answered the question of what do you call your biological father and your school teacher if it is a direct statement.

[BUTCHA]

Well, I just ried to access the open website on catholicism and found out that i am not authorized to do so.! This is just an information page where listings of anything dealing with catholicism is open to the public. Any one of you could access that page, PROVIDED you believe in the infallibilty of the pope. I'm beginning to be truly frightened. I feel like I'm in Nazi Germany. Where is this coming from?

You are welcome to come to my website and learn about Catholicism.  I also offer to teach you anything you want to know.  There are no secrets.

Did Mary, have any other children?

Brother Love

  <))><

Mary did not have other children after giving birth to Jesus and there are a few things to consider in order to answer the question.

Cultural Context

There would be no need to explain the perpetual virginity of Mary to a first-century Jew that believed in Jesus the Christ. God Himself came from the Ark of the New Covenant (Mary) and to tread on holy ground was unthinkable to a Jew. Once you understand this cultural reference it is east to understand why Joseph would not violate the Ark. (Anyone touching the old ark in the Old Testament died, remember?) Also, it is prophecied in the Old Testament that the Lord would come through a ONE-WAY gate, so to speak, and that gate is Mary.

Language Barriers

Take a look at this verse of Scripture...

"For he must reign, until he has put all enemies under his feet" (1 Cor. 15:23-25) Is the Lord to reign only until His enemies begin to be under His feet, and once they are under His feet will He cease to reign?

Of course not...so let's look at the often quoted verse used to assert that Mary and Joseph had relation after Jesus' birth...

"...no marital relations with her until she had borne a son..." does not imply that after she had borne a son that they had relations. It could be read that way, but given the culture context and the other evidence that we have from the early church writings, it is pretty clear that Mary remains a virgin. It is written this way simply to emphasize that Joseph respected holy ground.

Also, it is worth noting that in ancient Aramaic, the original language of the Gospels, there was no word for "cousin." People that were not siblings were often called "brothers" and we have examples of this throughout the Bible.

For more information: http://www.catholicherald.com/saunders/02ws/ws021121.htm

James was older than Jesus

James, the Bishop of Jerusalem, is often cited as being one of Jesus' brothers, as in Mark 6:3 and Galatians 1:19. Hegesippus (c. 180 AD) and Eusebius (c. 300 AD) also mention James as "the Lord's brother", but Eusebius (who wrote a history of the Early Church based on primary sources no longer available to us), specifically identifies him as "the son of Joseph", and Hegesippus mentions that James was past the age of eighty when he was martyred in 62 AD. This would make James more than twenty years older than Jesus, and as Luke plainly tells us, Jesus was Mary's "first-born son". Ergo, if Hegesippus is correct, then James had to be a step-brother, unless Joseph was building time machines in his carpenter's shop.

im not saying im right but i go to a catholic church and teach thier , ive asked the priest and leaders of the church on their belief of jesus haveing brothers and they also have said that he did??? i believe he did. but you know it realy dont matter , just interesting conversation.