all right you two come out of the corner
with your hands up all right have a nice
clean fight no that's that sounds a
little good as we combat if this is not
gonna be combative this is just gonna be
an explanation hi my name is father Mike
Smith and this is a cinch presents so a
lot of times a lot of times when I'm
either teaching or when someone is it
come encounters a teaching of the
Catholic Church people will ask well
where's that in the Bible and that's a
great question but it's the wrong
question I mean really ultimately when
it comes down to it it is the wrong
question because yes while Catholics
believe that the Bible is the Word of
God it is inerrant it's infallible it is
a it's reliable it's all these great
things it's a huge gift from the Lord we
realized that it's not the only way that
God has revealed himself in fact if you
ever want to to kind of like dive a
little deeper when it comes to like what
a Catholics believe about divine
revelation or what a Catholics believe
about the Bible read the whole document
that was published in the 1960s called
Dei verbum Dei verbum it's in English is
the dogmatic Constitution on divine
revelation and it's really critical
because that English title of it
dogmatic Constitution on divine
revelation says a lot it's not just on
the Bible as the Word of God it
recognizes that while the Bible is the
Word of God that God also reveals
himself definitively or clearly through
at least two other sources that we have
the Bible huge source of data this is
the Bible a huge source of data sacred
scripture but God also reveals himself
through sacred tradition and he also
reveals his teaching through the
Magisterium of the church so Magisterium
magista means teacher
right so the sacred scripture sacred
tradition and the teaching office of the
church the Magisterium of the church
that's the vine revelation but that's
what we believe in that's that's one of
the things that's been believed from the
beginning because I because it's been
necessary I mean this is so real it's so
incredibly clear that it's absolutely
necessary not just theologically but
also just logically and then what do I
mean okay here's what I mean the
Christians why did why do I believe that
they absolutely need sake
scripture secret tradition and the
Magisterium well because that's what's
been necessary for the entire history of
Christianity I mean so question where's
that in the Bible
some people will typically use that
question when it comes to purgatory
that's just kind of a common one where's
where the word purgatory in the Bible
and you would look through the whole
Bible and you'd not find the word
purgatory at which point I typically
respond that's true
where's the word Trinity because if you
want to talk about a distinctly
Christian doctrine that unites all
Christians
you're talking about the Trinity that we
believe that God is one and yet he's
Father Son and Holy Spirit
so how who got with that it's not
clearly expressed in the Bible in fact
the church had to have a lot of
discussion and have a lot of debate had
had of a lot of argument cuz some people
were reading the same book and coming up
with a completely different conclusion
that you know the father is greater than
the son why would they come to that
conclusion well cuz Jesus says that in
Scripture but also Jesus seems to claim
to be equal to the father so what do we
make of that also is the Holy Spirit
just simply the gift that comes from the
father through the son or is that Holy
Spirit the gift who's also a member of
this one United being called God that's
a huge question and it's not clearly
expressed in the Bible that's why so
many people have throughout history have
come to different conclusions on this so
unique we have Sacred Scripture and we
absolutely needed sacred tradition and
then the Magister Ham the teaching
office of the church and this is so so
clear why would we need why would we
continue and we continue to need this
right we continue to be the teaching
office of the church because there are
things there are questions that you and
I experience on a daily basis or in our
lives that the Bible never even imagined
we're gonna be asked and so yes you can
apply biblical principles to these
modern-day questions absolutely you can
that's why we're not just kind of making
the stuff up as we go but how do you
know you're applying those biblical
principles to modern-day questions
accurately we can keep testing back to
the Bible or you can rely upon Sacred
Scripture sake
tradition and the teaching office of the
church which has absolutely been
necessary again absolutely necessary
when it comes down to it I have said
maybe you've said this before when it
comes down to it there is no Christian
who doesn't also believe in the teaching
office of the church there is no
Christian who I mean when I saved the
church I mean the Catholic Church
there's no Christian who doesn't believe
hasn't put their faith in the
Magisterium the teaching office of the
church there is no Christian who doesn't
put their faith in the sacred tradition
of the Catholic Church how do I mean
this because any Christian believes in
the authority of the Bible they believe
that the Bible has X number of books no
Catholic Church belief teaches that
there are 73 books of the Bible
Protestants have 66 books Martin Luther
got rid of those seven books in the
1500s okay but it even those 66
even though 66 books the question you
have to ask logically is how did you
come to the conclusion that this book
should have 66 books in it how do you
come to conclusion that these are the 66
books in your Protestant Bible the
answer ultimately it comes down to well
eh they did late they believed in the
authority of Martin Luther to remove
those seven but be in the Year 250 in
the council of Rome near sorry 315 House
of Rome in the year 398 the council of
Carthage and in the 1500s in the castle
Trent the Catholic Church definitively
said these are the 73 books of the Bible
when it so what happened was the sacred
tradition or the Magisterium of the
church said these 73 books are the
scripture or the Sacred Scripture so
every every every Christian who believes
in the Bible actually believes in the
Magisterium of the Catholic Church they
actually believe that the Magisterium
has the authority to definitively
infallibly teach this because they could
have got this wrong I mean the reality
is he could have got that the the none
of the books of the Bible incorrectly if
I don't believe they got it incorrect or
got it wrong that means I must be
trusting in the authority of the
Magisterium and the sacred tradition
I don't know if that makes any sense but
it makes sense to me it's a logical kind
of a thing because even think about the
illogic okay so in the 1500s Martin
Luther had a one of his rallying for two
rallying cries of the proximate
Reformation again this is like not meant
to be a Catholic Protestant kind of a
thing as much as it is to explain like
our background explain our perspective
as Catholics on what God has revealed
he's revealed himself in Sacred
Scripture sacred tradition and the
Magisterium okay so in the 1500s Martin
Luther had two rallying cries the price
and Reformation one was solafeet a faith
alone we can talk about that later the
other was Sola scriptura that that we
don't believe anything that doesn't come
from Scripture this is one of the
reasons why it's very common to have the
question where is that in the Bible
right because Martin Luther had this
thing Sola scriptura scripture alone
here's the interesting thing okay I that
means as Christians we won't believe
anything unless it's in the Bible okay
big question where is the doctrine Sola
scriptura in the Bible like we're we're
in this book even with 73 or say seven
extra books seventy-three even the
Catholic Bible even in the whole Bible
where is the doctrine Bible alone found
in the Bible
and this is almost one of those what you
might call like a self refuting teaching
that to uphold it refutes itself because
if a thing must be in the Bible to be
able to be believed
where is Sola scriptura in the Bible now
some people would turn to I think first
second Timothy three second Timothy free
which talks about some talked about like
this it's Paul writing to Timothy and he
says but you Timothy remain faithful to
what you've learned and believed because
you know from who you learned it and
that from infancy you have known the
sacred scriptures which are capable of
giving you wisdom for salvation through
faith in Jesus Christ good yeah so
scriptures capable of giving you wisdom
for salvation through faith in Jesus
Christ Christ Jesus and it goes on to
say all Scripture is inspired by God and
useful useful for teaching for
refutation for correction for training
in righteousness so that the one who
Long's to God may be competent and
equipped for every good work super good
just amazing right it's country love it
so much in st. Paul saying in that line
and all you need is scripture now I
would maintain he's not saying that for
a couple reasons one of those reasons
being the kind of scripture that st.
Paul is referring to when he's talking
to Timothy he's talking about the Old
Testament he's not talking about the New
Testament
because that's what Paul and Timothy and
all the gang in the early church when
they when they talk scripture when they
say it's in the scriptures it's in the
writings what they're talking about is
they're talking about the Old Testament
so as a modern-day Christian would you
say actually yeah all you need is the
Old Testament for salvation then you'd
say well that mmm I don't know if I want
to say that if you don't want to say
that then you don't want to then you
also don't want to point out that or
don't want to come to the conclusion or
maintain that this means that all you
need a scripture or you have scripture
alone for our source of data or source
of truth when it comes to our knowledge
of God because you have to ask the
question what a sacred scriptures say is
the pillar and foundation of truth well
actually it's an another letter of Saint
Paul to Timothy the first letter of st.
Paul to Timothy also chapter three
because in that letter st. Paul says
this he says I'm writing to you but
these matters right Timothy right
although I hope to visit you soon but if
I should be delayed you should know how
to behave in the household of God which
is the Church of the Living God which is
the pillar and foundation of truth the
pillar and foundation of truth I see see
even even the Bible even the Sacred
Scripture calls the church the pillar
and foundation of truth doesn't call
itself the pillar and foundation of
truth that calls the church and there
again at this point there's only one
church the church that would become to
be known as the Catholic Church the one
Holy Catholic Apostolic Church the Roman
Catholic Church okay so Sacred Scripture
is one of God's gifts to us absolutely
but as st. Paul wrote in his second let
second letter to the Thessalonians he
says hold fast to the teachings that you
were taught whether by word of mouth
sacred tradition or by letter yes the
Bible
a huge gift of God to us but it's not
the only gift God has given us he wants
us to know him and he wants us to know
whom clearly and he wants he wants you
to know him clearly that's one of the
reasons why he gave us the gift of
stickers Scripture but it's also the
reason why he gave us the gift of sacred
tradition and it's also what he gave us
the gift of the Magisterium the teaching
office of the church so here's the
question why not just be grateful for
all of the gifts and to be able to say
okay if that's not clearly you know
always always something clearly clearly
expressed in the Bible what has
tradition taught about it
what has the teaching office of the
church taught about it because these are
all God's gifts to the world that we can
come to have knowledge of him and fall
more and more in love with them and
follow him better that's it for all of
us here at essentia presents my name is
father mike god bless