Posted on 04/13/2013 2:54:16 PM PDT by NYer
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Catholic faith is not centered simply on a book -- the Bible -- but on Jesus Christ, the Word of God made flesh, Pope Francis said.
"The sacred Scriptures are a written testimony to the divine Word," which came before the Bible and exceeds it, the pope said April 12 during a meeting with members of the Pontifical Biblical Commission, an international body of scholars that advises the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
Commission members met at the Vatican April 9-12 to conclude work on a document about inspiration and truth in the Bible, which is likely to be published in the coming months.
Archbishop Gerhard Muller, prefect of the doctrinal congregation and president of the commission, told the pope the aim was to help people interpret the Scriptures "in accordance with the nature" of the Bible itself. The focus on "inspiration," he said, was an attempt to explain the divine origin of the Bible and the focus on "truth" was an attempt to describe what the Bible says "about God and his plan for salvation."
The archbishop said the commission recognized that when the church describes the Scriptures as being divinely inspired and true certain "challenges come from the Bible itself," including when passages seem to contradict scientific or historical evidence.
Another challenge, he said, is posed by "the violence in some passages" that seems to contradict basic Christian teaching and even phrases the Bible attributes directly to Jesus.
The point of the document, he said, is to help Catholics "overcome both fundamentalism and skepticism."
Pope Francis said the themes of biblical inspiration and truth are important not only for individual believers, "but for the whole church because its life and mission are based on the Word of God, who animates theology and inspires all of Christian existence."
Interpreting the Bible in an honest and authentic way means respecting its nature and recognizing its purpose, the pope said.
"The texts inspired by God were entrusted to the community of believers, the church of Christ, to increase the faith and guide the life of charity," he said. It is only with the assistance of the Holy Spirit and with full respect for the tradition and teaching of the church that the Scriptures' true meaning can be understood.
Excellent points, Hilda! Perhaps some of the non-catholics are unfamiliar with the scriptural basis for purgatory because their founders removed the Book of Maccabees from their editions of the Bible.
You don’t say.
“The bodily resurrection of Mary.”
You mean the Assumption? Mary was not resurrected. She did not die.
“Mary’s sinlessness.”
scripture explicitly states that she was ‘full of grace’. Do you believe that someone who is full of grace can sin?
“Apostolic succession.”
Again - we see it in Acts. The church appointed one of their own to succeed. Apostolic succession is biblical.
“The Catholic Church.”
Oh. I see. When did the Catholic church begin?
“Peter in Rome.”
Peter was in Rome.
“Peter as 1st pope.”
If Peter was the first bishop of Rome, then he was the first pope.
“Almost everything Rome believes and teaches is OUTSIDE the Bible.”
Ok. If one wanted to know what the Catholic church believes - what would you consult?
I suppose then we should expect to see sodomites remove Romans.
“If anyone says that after the reception of the grace of justification the guilt is so remitted and the debt of eternal punishment so blotted out to every repentent sinner, that no debt of temporal punishment remains to be discharged either in this world or in purgatory before the gates of heaven can be opened, let him be anathema”
Let me ask you a question. Do the damned go to Purgatory?
“help us to increase in holiness by conquering sin.”
Hey Dutchboy - was Christ born in Mary or born of Mary?
The Magisterium just might have a little bit more knowledge about the Bible and its interpretation. Consider almost 2000 years worth.
Most if not all of them worship a man (or a woman) or a group of “holy” men instead of Jesus. These “holy men” teach from their “holy” scriptures instead of the word of God. Don't worry about reading the bible yourself, WE will TELL you what it means. Here, read our other books.
Mathew 7:13-14 NIV
The Narrow and Wide Gates
13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Mathew 7:13-14 KJV
13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
The Narrow Gate
Mathew 7:13-14 Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)
13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy,[a] that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
Most Catholics and most people for that matter, are entering through the wide gate. They think they are on the right way, but are headed for destruction.
But those who find the narrow gate are “few”. That isn't very many. This is stated as a FACT. It HAPPENS! Described as a percentage, what is a “few”? 50%?, no that's half. 25%?. No that's still a quarter. 10%? Well, maybe but I think more like 5% or less.
I would say if you follow any of the above mentioned “religions”, your chances are nil.
Yet, you refuse to listen to reason. You refuse to read God's word for yourself. You worship men, idols, statues, gold, buildings, property, etc.
You are on the broad way, hell bent for destruction. We can hope and pray that a “few” of you will see the light and turn from your wicked ways and be saved, but “many” of you will not.
I’m Catholic—and I bet I own more Bibles than you—and I bet more of them are in need of rebinding from use than yours are. To begin with, in Hebrew I have two copies of the British and Foreign Bible Society OT, the JPS Hebrew-English, Zondervan’s Hebrew-Greek, the Stuttgartensia, Owens, and Howard’s Hebrew Matthew. Volume I of Owens, along with my BDB need rebinding, though not nearly as badly as my RSV or my fourth edition of the Nestle-Aland.
As for not speaking ill of our religion—how about Pope Pius VI’s line to Napoleon: You silly little man, if we and our priests can’t destroy the Church in 18 centuries, what makes you think that you can?
” You worship men, idols, statues, gold, buildings, property, etc.”
Mind reading, eh?
That is a fantastic quote from Pius VI! Marvelous! Thanks for posting...
So what denomination do you belong to?
This is something no religion has a monopoly one. Protestant, catholic, Jew, Muslim, Hindu, Jain, Buddhist, Confucian, Shinto, you name it and you will find a lot of its supposed devotes worshiping the trappings of the faith not the message. Unfortunately far to many Muslims do worship the message of Mo.
I love your illustrations because they re-enforce the problems with religion and this thread shows why there are over 33,000 sects of Christianity. I would hope that all who get involved in these discussions use them as opportunities to explore their faith and beliefs that they might also be tested with fire. Some think they are wielding a righteous flame thrower and others believe that their beliefs are totally fire-proof - I say that we all have something to learn and following a religious doctrine to the letter with complete obedience does more damage than good - God is big enough to be questioned and come out on top; with or without all the religions of the world. I think too many consider their Religion to be their Church when the Church was meant to be the coming together of those who were exposed to the Word and carrying the Good News out to the world - it was never meant to be compartmentalized into differing and bickering/feuding groups and the Word does not need 33,000+ religions to carry it - it only needs the Truth of God's love for us and Christ's sacrifice that we all had the ability to be deemed worthy of Heaven despite our sinful natures. Jeremiah told us of the coming of the New Covenant and he told us that he would forgive our wickedness and recognize our sins no more. Anyone who thinks that, once accepting Christ as their Savior, they need to prove themselves worthy are missing the whole point and as someone from way back would say, "They are falling from Grace". These folks might as well get circumcised and eat only the foods that were deemed clean before God told some guy, "Kill Peter, eat", and then had to explain that He had made the different meats clean and the old concept of them being unclean no longer stood. We have Pharisees among us who, in the name of religion will tell us we are not worthy if we do not believe and act on the rites and traditions of their "church" and they miss the whole point.
Thanks for the "trouble" you stir up.
Easily your most bizarre post yet.
faucetman to NYer: “You are on the broad way, hell bent for destruction”
Are the Protestant churches and private interpreters of Scripture who see nothing wrong with the use of abortifacient contraceptives on the broad path or the narrow path? I admit that 80-90% of my fellow Catholics in the pews on Sunday have been involved with contraception, but the Church has stood firm on that truth and not caved. Anyone who unrepentantly uses contraception is an idolater, worshipping his own fallen flesh and refusing to crucify it with its desires as the apostle Paul said. Is the reason this truth about contraception is ignored by most outside the church because without the Holy Eucharist and Confession, they don’t receive the heroic grace necessary to live the natural law which forbids the use of contraception? I wish Pope Francis would speak the old Council teaching that it is virtually impossible for a Christian to live the fullness of truth the way Christ wants him or her to, to stay in the state of Grace, without the Holy Eucharist. Christ wants us to shun even lustful thoughts. What mortification, what Grace this requires. What path are the churches and individual believers on who have ridiculously broad excuses for divorce, the broad one or the narrow one? What path are the churches and believers on who defend evils like in-vitro fertilization? So many good Christians are Pro-Life, but they seem to have no clue that trying to stop abortion while defending the use of artificial contraception is like trying to put out a fire with kereosene. They’re evils of the same poisonous tree, one leading to other. Or is it a coincidence that our Supreme Court legalized contraception in 65 and then abortion in 73? If sex is only or foremost for pleasure, what is the argument against so-called gay marriage? I think the private interpretation of Scripture is largely reponsible for the relativism that is destroying everything today. The relativism in which every man is a god onto himself. It’s the first temptation all over again: “and ye will be as gods who know good and evil.” Because Pope Paul VI stood up against all the pressure trying to get the Catholic Church to cave in on birth control, my faith is even stronger that I am a member of the One True Church which the gates of Hell will never prevail against as they prevail against virtually ever other institution at this point.
"Sola Scriptura" is the marketing name for Suit a Yourselfa, just like "Family Planning" is the marketing name for infanticide.
That's why for hundreds of years non-Catholics all taught contraception was a sin, then all reversed themselves.
They didn't reverse what they taught as the Truth based Scripture and guidance from the Holy Spirit, they reversed what they taught because latex condoms became widely available, inexpensive, and popular with the wallets in the pews. That's just one example of how those who rely on their own interpretation of Scripture end up following Eve rather than following Jesus Christ.
Are you a member of UCG also?
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