Faith Check 9 – The Place of the Bible in the Church

The Place of the Bible in the Church

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You know, as Catholics we believe that the Bible is God’s Holy and Inspired Word.

However, we don’t hold that our Lord intended the Bible alone to be our sole teacher in the Christian faith.

Just think how easily the meaning of our e-mails can be misinterpreted, sometimes causing great strife between people. Then take the Bible, which is infinitely longer, more complex, and written over a millennia ago in a world very different from our own, and we can begin to see why Jesus wouldn’t leave His teaching to just a book.

The Church looks to what it calls Sacred Tradition—which is rooted in things like Church Councils, Creeds, and the early Fathers of the Church—to safeguard our interpretation of God’s Word. All of the Catholic Church’s beliefs can be traced back to the earliest Christians.

Our Lord also chose the twelve apostles to go out and make disciples of all nations¹ and promised them the assistance of the Holy Spirit.² The apostles ordained bishops who have succeeded them down to this present day.³ The Catholic Church is a living voice that rings out for all to hear, proclaiming and interpreting God’s Word to every generation.⁴

1 – Mt. 28:20

2 – Jn. 14:26

3 – cf. Acts 14:23; 1 Tim. 3:1-8; 2 Tim. 1:6; 2:2; Tit. 1:5; Js. 5:14; 1 Pt. 5:1; Jd. 8ff

4 – cf. 1 Tim. 3:15; Mt. 16:18

BTP#32 St. Bernard, the 12 Steps to Humility and Pride, On Loving God – Beginning to Pray with Dr. Anthony Lilles

BTP#32 St. Bernard and the 12 Steps to Humility and Pride – The Mystery of Faith in the Wisdom of the Saints. In this episode Dr. Lilles continues the discussion on St. Bernard of Clairvaux and his teachings found in “The 12 Steps to Humility and Pride” and “On Loving God”.

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Dr. Lilles offers 4 key points we should keep in mind as we move forward in this series

1. The Search for God
2. Listening to God – Lectio Divnia
3. Conversion to God – Conversatio Morum
4. Living with oneself and letting God fashion one into His image

Dr. Lilles’ continues his discussion on St. Bernard of Clairvaux, “The 12 Steps of Humility and Pride” and “On Loving God”:

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Hidden-Mountain — To obtain a copy of Dr. Lilles’ book click here

Dr.Anthony Lilles is a Catholic husband and father of three teaching Spiritual Theology at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary. He teaches spiritual theology and spiritual direction to transitional deacons, and the spiritual classics to the men who enter the Spirituality Year, a year of prayer in preparation for seminary formation. He is the author of the “Beginning to Pray” Catholic blog spot.

For other episodes in the series visit the Discerning Hearts page for Dr. Anthony Lilles

Here is the bibliography that Dr. Lilles spoke of in this episode:

The Mystery of Faith in the Wisdom of the Saints

Saints, other figures, dates and bibliographic information

St. Benedict of Nursia – b. 480 – d. 547.

St. Benedict. The Rule. Edited by Timothy Fry, O.S.B. New York: Vintage Books, Random House, 1981, 1998.

Church Authority to Interpret the Bible

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Many say that the Bible alone is all we need to know God’s Truth. But just look at all of the questions that
divide Christians today because of differing views over what the Bible teaches: Should infants be baptized?, can I lose my salvation?, or what about the many moral issues that we face?
Our Lord said that a house divided cannot stand, and He never intended for His followers to interpret the Bible privately (2 Pet. 1:20). Jesus left us a visible Church whose leaders have authority to teach and govern God’s people.
In Matthew 18, Jesus said that insurmountable debates should be taken to the Church for resolution.1 For those that understand this and still refuse to listen to the Church, Jesus has a stern warning. Of course, to follow Jesus’ teaching on this necessarily requires a single Church that is organized and consistent.
For 2,000 years the Catholic Church has been fulfilling this role in order that the Body of Christ might experience the harmony of being truly unified in heart and mind. Small wonder St. Augustine said, “I would not believe in the Gospel myself if the authority of the Catholic Church did not influence me to do so.” 2
1 – Mt. 18:15-18
2 – Against the letter of Mani, 5,6, 397 A.D.

Faith Check 3 – Praying to Saints

Praying to Saints

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On this faith check let’s answer the question, “why pray to a saint when you can pray straight to God?”

Of course, Catholics can and do pray straight to God. But we also pray to saints, not to worship them, but simply to ask for their prayers on our behalf, just like we ask our friends on earth to pray for us.

In the communion of saints we are spiritually connected to believers in the here and now and in the hereafter. For instance, Hebrews tells us we are surrounded by a “great cloud of witnesses,”¹ who are aware of what’s going on here. We read in Revelation that the prayers of the elders and saints in heaven are ascending before the throne of God.²

The prayers of the saints are powerful because they have been perfected in God’s grace and as St. James says, “the fervent prayer of the righteous has great power.”³

Early Christian writings demonstrate that this practice was not a later corruption, but goes back to the very first centuries of Christianity. So let us join with Christians of all ages in saying “all you holy men and women, pray for us!”

1 – 12:1

2 – 5:8; 8:3; etc.

3 – 5:16

Holy Spirit, Make Your Home In Me – In Conversation with Fr. George Montague

Fr. George Montague is an exceptional biblical scholar, as well as a humble pastor. His experience with the gifts given by the Holy Spirit are extraordinary and he shares those with us, but he also encourages us to seek the deepening of our own prayer lives so that we too may discover what the Father desires to give his beloved children. Through Scripture and the practice of prayer, Fr. Montague helps to encounter the Holy Spirit who is eager for our response. Bruce and I loved our conversation with him. Highly recommended!!

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You can buy this book here

IP#206 Sharon Doran – “The Bible” on an Inside the Pages Special

With “Seeking Truth” founder and teaching director, Sharon Doran, we take a critical look at the History Channel presentation of “The Bible”, produced by Roma Downey and Mark Burnett. While we appreciate the opportunity to have the Bible lifted up in such a way on cable television, this presentation, and in particular the episode entitled “The Mission”, contains some problematic elements which subtly challenge basic tenets of our Catholic Christian understanding of the Gospel. The argument has been made that artistic license needed to be employed to present the scope of the Bible in 10 hours, however certain choices were made by it’s producers which could be questioned by the discerning heart. Also, several prominent Catholic leaders have encouraged the viewing of this presentation. Should we being viewing it as a means of Evangelization or as simply a piece of entertainment? Is there a danger in using this as tool in Catholic catechesis? With Sharon, along with our Bibles in hand, we address some these questions and take a deeper look at some of the more challenging depictions presented in “The Mission” episode.

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For solid teachings on the Sacred Scripture, we encourage you to check out “Seeking Truth” which is an in depth Catholic Bible Study, commissioned by the Archdiocese of Omaha in response to John Paul II’s call to the New Evangelization as well as Pope Benedict XVI’s exhortation for all Catholics to study scripture. To learn more go to:www.seekingtruth.net

The Biblical Basis for the Papacy … In Conversation with John Salza

This is such an interesting conversation Bruce and I had with author John Salza! We discussed this time around, “The Biblical Basis for the Papacy”. Fascinating.

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You can purchase the book here

From the book description:

The Roman Catholic Papacy is the longest-living institution in the Western World – and at times one of the most controversial due to the basic doctrines of: Papal Authority, Papal Infallibility and Apostolic Succession. Drawing upon Old and New Testament Scripture, Tradition, and the words of the Early Church Fathers, author and noted Catholic apologist John Salza presents a comprehensive and compelling story of the office of the papacy from a biblical perspective. Arguments against the papacy are weighed and refuted in a charitable but convincing manner, making this a valuable resource for everyone intrigued or confused by the nearly 2,000 year old papal office – regardless of your faith background. Whether you are defending, questioning or exploring the Catholic Faith, this book provides the most concise and clear examination of the Catholic Church’s supreme teaching office as instituted by Christ, Our Lord and Savior.

BKL30 – The Transfiguration and the Glory of God – Building a Kingdom of Love w/ Msgr. John Esseff

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Msgr. Esseff offers insights on the Transfiguration of Jesus and it’s meaning for our lives today.

From the NAB Gospel LK 9:28B-36

Jesus took Peter, John, and James
and went up the mountain to pray.
While he was praying his face changed in appearance
and his clothing became dazzling white.
And behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah,
who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus
that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem.
Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep,
but becoming fully awake,
they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. Transfiguration_Titian

As they were about to part from him,
Peter said to Jesus,
“Master, it is good that we are here;
let us make three tents,
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
But he did not know what he was saying.
While he was still speaking,
a cloud came and cast a shadow over them,
and they became frightened when they entered the cloud.
Then from the cloud came a voice that said,
“This is my chosen Son; listen to him.”
After the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone.
They fell silent and did not at that time
tell anyone what they had seen.

Msgr. John A. Esseff is a Roman Catholic priest in the Diocese of Scranton. He was ordained on May 30th 1953, by the late Bishop William J. Hafey, D.D. at St. Peter’s Cathedral in Scranton, PA. Msgr. Esseff served a retreat director and confessor to Blessed Mother Teresa. He continues to offer direction and retreats for the sisters of the missionaries of charity around the world. Msgr. Esseff encountered St. Padre Pio, who would become a spiritual father to him. He has lived in areas around the world, serving in the Pontifical missions, a Catholic organization established by Bl. Pope John Paul II to bring the Good News to the world especially to the poor. Msgr. Esseff assisted the founders of the Institute for Priestly Formation and continues to serve as a spiritual director for the Institute. He continues to serve as a retreat leader and director to bishops, priests and sisters and seminarians and other religious leaders around the world.

To obtain a copy of Msgr. Esseff’s book by visiting here

Be sure to visit Msgr. Esseff’s website “Building a Kingdom of Love”

WOM#17 – Mystical Experiences and Consoling Prayer – The Way of Mystery with Deacon James Keating episode 17 – Discerning Hearts

Episode 17 -The Way of Mystery: The Eucharist and Moral Living– Mystical experiences and consoling prayer. Prayer is earnestly desired, and prayer because something we delight in. Also the prayer that will spontaneously occur. Another type of experience is the aspect of the sacramental encounter.

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Deacon James Keating, PhD, the director of Theological Formation for the Institute for Priestly Formation, located at Creighton University, in Omaha, is making available to ”Discerning Hearts” and all who listen, his series of programs entitled “The Way of Mystery”.

The Vatican II documents remind us that the spiritual journey is not made in a vacuum, that God has chosen to save us, not individually, but as The People of God. The Eucharist must help Christians to make their choices by discerning out of Christ’s paschal mystery. For this process to take place, however, Christians must first understand how the Eucharist puts them in touch with Christ’s passion, death, and resurrection, and what concrete implications being in touch with this mystery has for their daily lives.

For more information on the “Institute of Priestly Formation” and for oth er material available by Deacon Keating, just click here

Don’t forget to pickup a copy of “Communion with Christ” , it is on e of the best audio sets on prayer…ever!

Check out Deacon Keating’s “Discerning Heart” page

WOM#15 – The Unitive Way – The Way of Mystery with Deacon James Keating episode 15 – Discerning Hearts

Episode 15 -The Way of Mystery: The Eucharist and Moral Living– The journey begins into the unitive way…the beginning of falling in love with God. Combined with the entry into the sacramental life, the living out the moral life becomes more than meeting a “goal”, but becomes a “way” of life.