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WHY NOT JUST THE BIBLE

by Lois Donahue

I'm inclined to think that, if not a great majority, at least a large number of you, as Catholics, have at some time wondered or been asked why our Church turns to BOTH the Bible and Tradition to find the truths on which to base its teaching.

Without hesitation, I recommend that you turn to reliable sources wherein the words of those educated, trained and authorized to do so by the Roman Catholic Church can answer any questions. However, to begin, let me offer to you ways in which some of such sources have explained the Bible, Tradition and the essential role each plays as a bearer of God's truths.

First let's start with the basic definition of tradition - to hand on, to transmit, to convey, to impart, to pass on. Here we might take note of the fact that tradition spelled with a small "t", as I've done at the opening of this paragraph, refers to tradition in the broadest sense including the wide range of traditions passed on within cultures and families. Even "various theological, disciplinary, liturgical or devotional traditions born in local churches over time" can be judged a "t" tradition by Church authority and therefore "can be retained, modified or even abandoned." (Catechism of the Catholic Church) Tradition with a capital "T", the one we are discussing today, is more specific and limited to what our Church, in its authoritative role, knows and holds to be the authentic message of God as it is applicable throughout time.

Tradition with a capital "T" is also known as "Apostolic Tradition" which is a clear reminder that it is the unchangeable teaching of the Apostles either directly received from Christ or prompted by the Holy Spirit which God expects to be 'handed on' to all generations yet to come. At the end of the Gospel according to Matthew, Jesus commissions the remaining eleven Apostles with these words - "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching all that I have commanded you."

Then too, Tradition is referred to as "Sacred Tradition" which, in a way, reinforces its equality with Sacred Scripture in that they share the descriptive word "Sacred" meaning holy or divine - that which pertains to God rather than to human beings - which is eternal not temporary - heavenly not earthly - mysterious and therefore not necessarily explainable in human terms. The definition of 'Sacred' and the use of that word with both Scripture and Tradition would certainly seem to tell, me at least, that there are indeed dual strands of equal significance intertwined to form a connecting bond of love and caring between the Divine - which is God and the human - which is us.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us that through Sacred Tradition - as "the living transmission accomplished in the Holy Spirit, the Church, in her doctrine, life, and worship, perpetuates and transmits to every generation all that she herself is, all that she believes."---and, it goes without saying - all that each true Catholic is expected to believe. The Catechism further says in (#66) that although "Revelation is already complete, it has not been made completely explicit".

By way of explaining Tradition, I think these words of Pope John Paul II pretty much 'tell it like it is' - "Tradition means something delivered or handed down, not something dreamed up to fit the supposed needs or requirements of the moment."

Scripture and tradition have been called channels of revelation and the Council of Trent told us each must be given "equal disposition of piety and equal reverence." It is also said that they are never "separated or independent" - that "Scripture embodies early tradition and subsequent Tradition explains and completes Scripture.", that "much of what is explicit in tradition is only implicit in Scripture" and that "Tradition not only interprets Scripture, it also (explains and) completes it. (The Catholic Encyclopedia for School and Home) Another source says that Scripture is the heart of Tradition and emphasizes the fact that Tradition will never contradict Scripture.

In the Bible itself, in the opening words of Luke's Gospel, we find reference to these two channels of revelation when he tells us he wrote his Gospel only after first "investigating everything accurately anew" regarding what Jesus has taught, and which had been handed on (both orally and in writing) by "eyewitnesses from the beginning and ministers of the of the word" to assure those who would follow Him of the "certainty of the teaching" passed on to them. It is also interesting that in the final chapter of that same Gospel, verses 44-47, Jesus speaks of things both 'written' and 'preached' about Him.

So much for knowing what Tradition is and what it does but not necessarily answering the question - 'Why do we need it along with the Bible?' Strangely enough it was some things I looked up in the Bible itself which answered that question for me. For example -

2 Tim 4:3 "For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine but, following their own desires and insatiable curiosity, will accumulate teachers and will stop listening to the truth and will be diverted to myths."

2 Peter 2:1-3 "…just as there will be false teachers among you, who will introduce destructive heresies and even deny the Master" - "Many will follow their licentious ways and because of them the way of truth will be reviled. In their greed they will exploit you with fabrications."

Although those two examples may well imply 'evil' people or those 'bold and arrogant', I am sure there were people then, as there are those today, who simply, on their own, misinterpret meaning, who misjudge as to what should or should not be taken literally or in most instances have merely accepted misinformation. These warnings from Scripture first showed me the need for on-going Tradition. However, let me share with you my thinking as I went back in Biblical time searching for an answer to "Why?".

When the first humans God created declined to do what He asked of them and thereby lost all the wonderful things He meant to be theirs (and, by the way, ours) God promised to give humanity a chance to regain the opportunity for an after-life of eternal happiness. After that, over a long period of time and in various ways, God let us know all He was lovingly and willingly offering us and what we were expected to do and not to do. Little by little His plan for our salvation was passed along -first by men like Abraham and Moses - next by the prophets - then by Jesus who taught and thus handed on to His chosen Apostles the complete and final message revealed directly by God. - the Apostles, in turn, formed the Church which Jesus had spoken of to Peter as "my" church (Mt. 16:18). From that Church came the Bible (a fact, by the way, for which we Catholics can be duly proud).

Unfortunately, throughout the following years, came differences of opinion regarding Biblical content along with the complexities of translation. Not surprisingly, a variety of contrary interpretations emerged which accounted for some half-truths and inaccurate teaching. Contributing to growing confusion was the fact that written words cannot, as they stand, settle arguments or explain to the satisfaction of everyone what the author meant to convey in writing them and that scattered pieces of truth cannot offer the complete truth any more than scattered puzzle pieces can offer a complete picture. Consequently, people, either as individuals or in groups, found reasons to argue about God and religion and Christian denominations found reasons to disagree regarding what to believe and how to live accordingly. Once more we see much the same thing in our own day and it seems quite likely to continue as long as our world is inhabited by us human beings. That conclusion certainly reinforced my belief that there will always be need for a single, on-going, ever present, the "buck stops here", Holy Spirit -guided voice to clarify and keep distortion-free what God tells us on down through generations of unpredictable humans making free-will choices.

Not completely satisfied, my search through the Bible went on. I found it apparent that from the beginning our wise, loving and impartial God had guided the selection of how and through whom His message of truth should be preserved and handed on. He obviously continued to do so as evidenced by Jesus' promise to the Apostles that the "Spirit of truth would guide them" (Jn 16:13) and that He would remain involved "always". (Jn 14:16)

So, when it came time for the Apostles to relinquish their personal responsibility of message-bearing and decide "what next?", I like to think that some of the words Jesus spoke to them might have surfaced in their thinking - words like 'throughout the world', 'all nations', 'every creature', 'always'. Who knows, this might even have been a way in which the Divine guidance of God-the-Holy Spirit let them know they needed to look and think way beyond their own collective life-span in determining how best to be certain that the 'good news' plan of salvation would, through all time, remain in completely reliable hands. So what was their decision? They began a Church through which, as Paul later said, the "wisdom of God" would be "made known" (Eph 3:10) and which, as history has shown us, became 'catholic', meaning 'universal'; thereby making it possible to proclaim the gospel to "every creature…in the whole world" (Mk 16:15) as Jesus had instructed be done.

Looking at the whole picture, I came to the full belief that the Church formed by the Apostles and credentialed by Christ Himself has proven to be the logical single voice best prepared not only to 'transmit' God's message to all coming generations of His children (no matter when, where or how they might live) but also to safeguard the legitimacy of its content --- and, in doing so, wouldn't "Tradition" be an acceptable word to use when defining the mission of the Catholic Church? It makes sense to me.

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So much for researched facts, learn'ed opinions and a bit of my kind of - "take it for what it's worth" - simplistic thinking.

Now, in closing, let me ask this of you. Should you be questioned by anyone regarding this subject, please be sure to tell them that our belief in Tradition does in no way minimize or replace the Bible and that our Roman Catholic Church always was, is now and will ever be -- a Bible-believing Church.

 

 

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"Nothing should
frighten or grieve you.
Let not your heart be troubled. Am I, your Mother,
not here with you?"

"Nothing should
frighten or grieve you.
Let not your heart be troubled. Am I, your Mother,
not here with you?"

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