Scripture and Sacred Tradition

From the Catechism:
75 “Christ the Lord, in whom the entire Revelation of the most high God is summed up, commanded the apostles to preach the Gospel, which had been promised beforehand by the prophets, and which he fulfilled in his own person and promulgated with his own lips. In preaching the Gospel, they were to communicate the gifts of God to all men. This Gospel was to be the source of all saving truth and moral discipline.”
76 In keeping with the Lord's command, the Gospel was handed on in two ways:
- orally "by the apostles who handed on, by the spoken word of their preaching, by the example they gave, by the institutions they established, what they themselves had received - whether from the lips of Christ, from his way of life and his works, or whether they had learned it at the prompting of the Holy Spirit";
- in writing "by those apostles and other men associated with the apostles who, under the inspiration of the same Holy Spirit, committed the message of salvation to writing".
80 "Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture, then, are bound closely together, and communicate one with the other. For both of them, flowing out from the same divine well-spring, come together in some fashion to form one thing, and move towards the same goal."[40] Each of them makes present and fruitful in the Church the mystery of Christ, who promised to remain with his own "always, to the close of the age"
81 "Sacred Scripture is the speech of God as it is put down in writing under the breath of the Holy Spirit."
"And [Holy] Tradition transmits in its entirety the Word of God which has been entrusted to the apostles by Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit. It transmits it to the successors of the apostles so that, enlightened by the Spirit of truth, they may faithfully preserve, expound and spread it abroad by their preaching."
82 As a result the Church, to whom the transmission and interpretation of Revelation is entrusted, "does not derive her certainty about all revealed truths from the holy Scriptures alone. Both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honored with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence."
83 The Tradition here in question comes from the apostles and hands on what they received from Jesus' teaching and example and what they learned from the Holy Spirit. The first generation of Christians did not yet have a written New Testament, and the New Testament itself demonstrates the process of living Tradition.
Tradition is to be distinguished from the various theological, disciplinary, liturgical or devotional traditions, born in the local churches over time. These are the particular forms, adapted to different places and times, in which the great Tradition is expressed. In the light of Tradition, these traditions can be retained, modified or even abandoned under the guidance of the Church's Magisterium.
97 "Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture make up a single sacred deposit of the Word of God" in which, as in a mirror, the pilgrim Church contemplates God, the source of all her riches.

The Teaching Authority of the Church

From the Catechism:

77 "In order that the full and living Gospel might always be preserved in the Church the apostles left bishops as their successors. They gave them their own position of teaching authority." Indeed, "the apostolic preaching, which is expressed in a special way in the inspired books, was to be preserved in a continuous line of succession until the end of time."

79 The Father's self-communication made through his Word in the Holy Spirit, remains present and active in the Church: "God, who spoke in the past, continues to converse with the Spouse of his beloved Son. And the Holy Spirit, through whom the living voice of the Gospel rings out in the Church - and through her in the world - leads believers to the full truth, and makes the Word of Christ dwell in them in all its richness."

85 "The task of giving an authentic interpretation of the Word of God, whether in its written form or in the form of Tradition, has been entrusted to the living teaching office of the Church alone. Its authority in this matter is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ." This means that the task of interpretation has been entrusted to the bishops in communion with the successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome.

86 "Yet this Magisterium is not superior to the Word of God, but is its servant. It teaches only what has been handed on to it. At the divine command and with the help of the Holy Spirit, it listens to this devotedly, guards it with dedication and expounds it faithfully. All that it proposes for belief as being divinely revealed is drawn from this single deposit of faith."

87 Mindful of Christ's words to his apostles: "He who hears you, hears me," the faithful receive with docility the teachings and directives that their pastors give them in different forms.

88 The Church's Magisterium exercises the authority it holds from Christ to the fullest extent when it defines dogmas, that is, when it proposes truths contained in divine Revelation or also when it proposes in a definitive way truths having a necessary connection with them.

91 All the faithful share in understanding and handing on revealed truth. They have received the anointing of the Holy Spirit, who instructs them and guides them into all truth.

92 "The whole body of the faithful. . . cannot err in matters of belief. This characteristic is shown in the supernatural appreciation of faith (sensus fidei) on the part of the whole people, when, from the bishops to the last of the faithful, they manifest a universal consent in matters of faith and morals."

94 Thanks to the assistance of the Holy Spirit, the understanding of both the realities and the words of the heritage of faith is able to grow in the life of the Church:

- "through the contemplation and study of believers who ponder these things in their hearts"; it is in particular "theological research [which] deepens knowledge of revealed truth".

- "from the intimate sense of spiritual realities which [believers] experience," the sacred Scriptures "grow with the one who reads them."

- "from the preaching of those who have received, along with their right of succession in the episcopate, the sure charism of truth".

95 "It is clear therefore that, in the supremely wise arrangement of God, sacred Tradition, Sacred Scripture and the Magisterium of the Church are so connected and associated that one of them cannot stand without the others. Working together, each in its own way, under the action of the one Holy Spirit, they all contribute effectively to the salvation of souls."

Fourth of July

In honor of the Fourth of July, I thought I would post a few quotes that are relevant to our nation’s founding principles. First a quote from the Declaration of Independence:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men…”

Our Founders recognized that our rights and freedom come ultimately, not from government or politics, but from a Higher Being - a Creator. Governments are established to protect these God-given rights, not to grant new rights where none existed before, and not to redefine human value and worth, but to protect what has already been give by our Creator. Absent this Truth, our system of government cannot survive. If we deny the source of our being and succumb to a Relativism devoid of God and unchanging Truth, the foundation of our nation crumbles, as John Adams pointed out:

"We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry, would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."

Our Republic was founded on the idea that there is a higher Being (a “Creator”) from Whom we derive our rights, and that moral Truth must inform the conscience of the people. We are all subject to a Greater Truth which defines our rights and our freedom and to which we are morally responsible. If our nation rejects this Truth then our man-made laws and our government will fill the void created in such a Godless society – our government would then assume the role of Supreme Granter of Rights and tyranny would ensue. Our basic rights and fundamental human dignity would be subject to the whims of our government unchained from God and Truth, and our rights could easily be changed or revoked. This is the "dictatorship of relativism" about which our current Pope spoke upon his election. And so, to Pope Benedict we turn for more on this subject [taken from the book Church, Ecumenism, & Politics]:

“The Christian faith awakens the conscience and substantiates ethics. It gives practical reason its contents and shows it the way. The real danger of our time, the crux of our cultural crisis, is the destabilization of ethics, which results from the fact that we can no longer grasp moral reasoning and have reduced reason to what is calculable…There is no way to get around it: we have to be converted again to a broader concept of reason as something rational. For the political system that means that society is never done but must be built anew again and again starting from conscience, which is the only way of securing it…Reason needs revelation in order to be able to function as reason. The reference of the state to the Christian foundation is indispensable for its continuance as a state, especially if it is supposed to be pluralistic.” (Chapter 11, pages 204-206)

“The state must recognize that a fundamental system of values based on Christianity is the precondition for its existence. In this sense it simply has to know its historical place, so to speak: the ground from which it cannot completely detach itself without falling apart. It has to learn that there is a fund of truth that is not subject to consensus but rather precedes it and makes it possible.” (Chapter 11, page 207)

“I am convinced that in the long term the rule of law has no chance of survival in a state that is radically and dogmatically atheistic and that it is necessary to reconsider this question fundamentally – as a matter of survival. I likewise venture to declare that democracy is capable of functioning only when conscience is functioning, and that the latter has nothing to say if it is not oriented to the validity of the fundamental moral values of Christianity, which can be put into action even without a Christian profession of faith, indeed, even in the context of a non-Christian religion.” (Chapter 12, pages 220-221)

It is not necessary that all citizens profess belief in the Christian God, but it is necessary that the state recognize a Higher Power to which it is answerable as a source of moral Truth. Christianity provides this higher Truth for us here in the West, and forms the cornerstone for the founding of our nation:

“The general principles upon which the Fathers achieved independence were the general principals of Christianity… I will avow that I believed and now believe that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes of God.” (John Adams)

This is not a radical, far-right, Christian fundamentalist claim. It is as basic to our nation’s founding as the Constitution itself. Catholics should heed the voice of history and of our current pontiff and join the cause for recognizing the importance of faith and traditional moral values within society. We have as a forbearer the only Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence, the American patriot, Charles Carroll:

“Without morals a republic cannot subsist any length of time; they therefore who are decrying the Christian religion, whose morality is so sublime and pure...are undermining the solid foundation of morals, the best security for the duration of free governments."

With this in mind, and in the spirit of the holiday, this Fourth of July we should follow the recommendation of John Adams: “[July 4th] ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty.”

A few changes to the blog...

I added a few things to the blog…
In the sidebar to the right, I added some links to some posts that I consider important. Among these are: Patristics, Question and Answer, and the book reviews that I have written for The Catholic Company. All of these are ongoing projects and I will add new links as they grow.
A few words about each one:
Patristics is the study of the earliest Christian writings from the first few Centuries A.D. These texts teach us how the early Church understood the faith, how they worshiped, and what they believed doctrinally. I have been slowly reviewing the writings of these first Christians beginning with the First Century and moving forward. More to come in future posts.
Question and Answer: I have received many questions over the years concerning Catholic belief and practices. Periodically I will be selecting from those questions and posting a reply here on the blog. If you have a question to ask (anonymously if you prefer) please post a comment. (I recommend commenting on the most recent blog entry on the home page of this blog, even if your question is not relevant to the topic in that post. I will be more likely to see the comment in a timely manner if it appears in a current post.)
Book Reviews: I recently partnered with The Catholic Company website to write reviews of books here on my blog. Links to the book reviews I have written are listed under The Catholic Company Logo in the bottom sidebar of this blog. Just to be clear, I am under no obligation to write a favorable review – I write what I honestly think about the book and submit the review to The Catholic Company for use on their site. If you are shopping for Catholic books, religious items such as rosaries, statues, devotional items, etc. check out The Catholic Company on the web. They sell more than just books.
…Also I will be starting a new series based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The posts in this series will contain selected quotes from the Catechism on specific topics or with a common theme. I will not add any comments or explanations of my own, but will simply allow the Catechism to speak for itself. Under the heading “Catechism Quotes” (or something to that effect) in the sidebar I will give links to these posts for quick reference.

The Power of Artistic Expression

It has been said that, regarding pop music, you are either a Beatles fan or an Elvis fan. That’s not to say that you can’t like both, but most people do prefer one over the other. Supposedly this preference says something about your general outlook on life, and considering how very different these two icons of music are, there may be something to this musical test. Artists such as Elvis and the Beatles use their medium (in this case music and song) to convey messages, express the stirrings of their souls, and to arouse emotions. The type of music that appeals to each of us may indicate something about our own longings and beliefs and can even shape our psyche, stirring up emotions and evoking a personal response in us. All art (painting, sculpture, music, film, theatre, and even architecture and commercial graphics) can have this power to influence us and provoke. In this way, life certainly imitates art – and we often imitate without consciously realizing the power that it has over us.

This is not to say that music and art controls us. We do maintain our free will – we can freely choose to reject the message of a song or the power of a masterfully rendered painting. Art can be appreciated without being manipulated by the artist. For example, viewing a violent film does not necessarily mean that a person will act out violently, as long as that person can distinguish between reality and the art that is presented on the screen and choose to reject the violence. But studies have shown that repeated viewing of violence can lead to an increase in violent behavior, especially in young children who have a difficult time separating truth from fiction. And someone who is prone to violent behavior may have that behavior reinforced by viewing violent images. The same is true of sexual references in music, for instance, or the influence of pornography. When something ceases to be “art” and becomes purely provocative and sensual, it is easy to see how we can be manipulated by our senses and society can be negatively impacted.

Besides these concerns about violence and other behavioral issues we must also remember that the artist often uses his or her medium to convey some “truth” as he or she perceives it in the world. Thus the ideology, faith, and/or philosophical and political leanings of the artist must be accounted for in evaluating the impact of the art. The artist often has in mind an agenda, a purpose for producing his or her work. Religious artwork (a Madonna and Child, a Reclining Buddha, a Muslim prayer rug) or political propaganda (Soviet-style images of workers, or the World War II “Rosie the Riveter” posters in the United States) convey different messages depending on the artist’s beliefs. But in the world of ideas there are many competing concepts of the “truth.” Not all artistic representations can be correct. A painting that depicts the wonder of the incarnate God held in His mother’s arms, cannot be embraced on equal grounds with a statue of Buddha as he meditates on the mystery of his existence. One piece of artwork may be technically better executed, more beautiful, or striking, but the “truth” or ideological insight behind the art may be flawed. Meanwhile a lesser quality piece may convey a “truth” beyond words.

It is sometimes easy to be fooled into believing a “truth,” not because it is TRUE, but because it is beautifully portrayed: visually, poetically, musically, or on film, etc. But we must always remember that the artist manipulates the composition of the artwork to arrive at this desired effect. A well executed piece of artwork becomes believable when the artist’s treatment of the various elements blends together in such a way that his “truth” appears as the only possible explanation. We then enter into his world and understand things from his perspective. The messages conveyed in this way can be as varied and conflicting as there are artists who ply the trade. The important thing for us to remember is that these themes can subtly influence our thinking if we do not take the time to discern them and carefully weigh their worth. Some are more valuable and “true” than others.

Along the same lines as the Beatles/Elvis analogy mentioned above, the science fiction genera gives us two franchises that exemplify the meshing of art and ideology and the divergent results that can come from two creators’ differing visions. Star Wars and Star Trek present sci-fi junkies with two separate worlds to explore and to be entertained by. While the spaceships, lasers, and alien creatures may seem cut from the same cloth, there are stark differences in how these two worlds explain life, the struggles of humanity, and the world around us.

George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars, researched ancient myth, religion, and mysticism to come up with a fictional world in which Good and Evil clash and an unseen power known as the “Force” binds the universe together. In Star Trek, Gene Rodenberry, an avowed atheist, constructs a future for our own galaxy in which science rules the day and religion and myth play only a tangential role. In Star Wars, the Empire is clearly evil, while the Rebels are on the side of good. In Star Trek, good and evil are sometimes relative, depending on the alien culture encountered in a particular episode and the situation confronted by the crew of the Enterprise. In Star Wars, the good guys include the Jedi – the practitioners of an ancient “religion” with seemingly supernatural powers whose main objective is to ensure that good triumphs and their cause for justice spreads to every world in the galaxy. In Star Trek the heroes are the Federation – a group of non-religious (or at least not specifically religious) scientific space explorers whose main goal is to discover new worlds and observe them, but avoid influencing those worlds.

From their opening credits these two science fiction icons show their differences. Star Wars is set in a time “long ago.” This mythical story is meant to evoke ancient truths. Star Trek is set in the future. It leaves the past behind us and pushes forward, “where no man has gone before.” These tag lines tell much about how these two epic tales should be interpreted. A closer examination reveals more.

Gene Rodenberry had this to say about religion: “Religions vary in their degree of idiocy, but I reject them all. For most people, religion is nothing more than a substitute for a malfunctioning brain.” While religion was sometimes viewed favorably in some episodes of Star Trek, it was never a key component of the overall story arc and was occasionally seen as a flaw in some alien cultures. At best Star Trek is ambivalent toward religion. As Brannon Braga, a Star Trek producer, said concerning God and faith: “We wanted to avoid it to be quite frank. But we did very often explore theology through alien characters. Which frankly is much more interesting anyway. Whether it was the Bajorans and their religion or the Borg and their religion…That, I think, was more interesting. We wanted to keep Star Trek secular. The human facet of Star Trek secular.”

While the crew of the Enterprise in Star Trek examined religion from the outside as just another facet of human (or alien) behavior to be studied and analyzed scientifically, the main characters of Star Wars absorb religion into their lives. In the end, their faith in the Force wins the day. The climax of any episode of Star Trek likely includes Spock (the uber-logical science officer) analyzing and solving some mind-puzzle; whereas Star Wars ends with Luke switching off his targeting computer and blowing up the Death Star, demonstrating that the Force is certainly with him. And Obi Wan speaks words of encouragement from the afterlife.

This is not to say that Star Trek should be avoided by people of faith. There are many insightful truths and entertaining stories offered up in the Star Trek world. Some are very favorable toward faith and religion and even explicitly Christian in nature. Nor, on the other hand, is Star Wars a perfect example of Christian story-telling. The “Force” and the Jedi Order include elements of New Age mysticism, pantheism, and Gnosticism, and Lucas blends together so many different mythical elements that it becomes almost absurd in some of its contradictions and implausible assumptions.

As I have said on this blog before, Catholics should not mindlessly absorb the cultural trends and pop art that surrounds us on a daily basis. No art or mode of artistic expression should be taken at face value. But rather we should assess the relevance and moral worth of each piece produced for our consumption. We should know the ideals and values that shape each piece and how the subject could be viewed from other angles, whether the artist’s conclusions are based on false assumptions and how the artist has manipulated the medium to achieve the desired goal. Artwork may be fictional or unreal, but there is always some element of real life that makes the story, the painting, the song, believable on some level. There are themes and ideals embedded in art that can influence us in more subtle ways than we may perceive on the surface. We must question the “truth” of art and base our own conclusions on a higher TRUTH to which we must one day answer.

Catholic MP3s

The start of the summer has been busier than expected, and it seems that I have begun to neglect my blog. With lawn work, gardening, family events, and vacation planning I just haven't had the time to dedicate to writing. That should change as I settle into a more stable routine (and drier weather causes the weeds in the garden and the grass in the lawn to not grow as quickly). In the meantime I have a few links I would like to post...
While I work around the yard or in the garden I often listen to music to pass the time. I purchased a cheap little mp3 player (nothing fancy, but it gets the job done), and I transferred music from CD into mp3 format and acquired some music from friends and family. But I also found some great sources for mp3s online...for free.

Specifically, I would like to point out some Catholic sites where you can download lectures and other apologectics materials from people like Scott Hahn, Patrick Madrid, Steve Ray, Karl Keating, Peter Kreeft, Father Neuhaus, Father Groeschel, Father Corapi, Archbishop Fulton Sheen, and many, many others. There are also many EWTN broadcasts found at these sites, such as The Journey Home program.

You will find the links below:

Sonitus Sanctus
Catholic Audio
Evangelical Catholic Apologetics
Catholic Ipod

The quality of some of these recordings is not stellar, but what do you expect for free? The content however is excellent, and they allow for hours of contemplation while doing otherwise mundane tasks around the house. Great for listening in the car as well.

Also I'd like to point out an excellent source for Classical recordings:

Classic Cat

This site offers a HUGE selection of royalty-free music to download for free. Much of it is orchestral pieces by the likes of Beethoven, Mozart, Handel, Bach, Haydn, and all the usual names in Classical music (along with many obscure composers as well). Among these works are some choral pieces such as chant and Mass settings and hymns.

Enjoy listening!

Book Review: Wisdom for Everyday Life from the Book of Revelation

Making John's Vision a Lived Experience

At the start of 2010, with Lent just around the corner, I received my copy of Wisdom for Everyday Life from the Book of Revelation by Father Richard Veras. Whenever possible I try to arrange my reading around the seasons of the Church’s liturgical year, and so initially I planned to begin reading Father Veras’ book on Ash Wednesday, hoping to conclude well before Easter. An overview of the Book of Revelation seemed an appropriate way to reflect on Scripture throughout Lent.

Anyone remotely familiar with John’s Revelation, the final book of the New Testament, knows that the work is filled with bizarre creatures, strange prophesies of future events, battles that pit demonic forces against all that is good, and of course signs foretelling the end of the world. With that in mind, it is understandable that we might approach the Book of Revelation with a sense of dread, an acute awareness of our own failings and sinfulness, and a spirit of repentance - fitting stuff for the Lenten season. We might even ponder our own fate should the final epic battle take place in our own lifetime.

But as any good Catholic commentator on Scripture knows, and as the author of this book points out, the “battle” does indeed take place in our own lifetime, and for our very souls. As soldiers in this ongoing war, Revelation speaks directly to each of us, here and now. Of course, there are prophesies of future events (the precise meaning of which is unclear…no matter what any televangelist claims), but we also know that on some level the great “battle” against Satan, followed by God’s triumph over sin and evil, is happening within each of us now as we try to live out our call to Christian holiness. In this way the Book of Revelation has a personal relevance for each of us and is not simply a symbolic foreshadowing of geopolitical events that will precipitate the end of world. We must live out the Book of Revelation in our own lives just as we live out the rest of God’s Word.

The supernatural battle between good and evil happens every day in the decisions we make for or against Christ. With that in mind, Father Veras does not attempt to decipher some earth-shattering meaning for the Beast or the number 666, as many fundamentalists do. Nor does he claim to know when the world will end or who the Antichrist will be. What he offers instead (as the title suggests) is a personal application of the text of Revelation that can be used by every Christian in their daily life.

Certainly parts of Revelation are meant to address a broader worldview. Some of John’s vision encompasses whole peoples and nations and foreshadows things to come on a global scale; some passages apply to Christ and the Church as a whole. Father Veras does sketch out the general idea for these major themes. But throughout the text he consistently makes the case that the Book of Revelation speaks clearly to the average Christian, teaching us how to live the faith in a world that is at odds with Christian values.

On that note, one of the themes that spoke directly to me was that of marriage. Christ is the bridegroom awaiting His bride (the Church), who will be united to Him in the great heavenly wedding feast at the end of time. The image of marriage and the wedding banquet, the bride and the bridegroom, and spousal love stood out to me as a reoccurring symbol in Revelation - not only in the joy of our final union with Jesus, but also the contrasting “harlot” who represents unfaithfulness and a cheap imitation of marital love.

With marriage increasingly threatened in today’s culture and Christian morality in general under attack, the message of Revelation is more urgent than ever. Yet when reading John’s apocalyptic vision, it is easy for us to get distracted by images of seven-headed beasts and sinister horsemen We forget that God’s Word must reach into our souls and change us, not just put on a good show. The symbolic nature of apocalyptic writing often diverts our attention away from the deeper lessons hidden within the symbolism. But these lessons must be learned and applied to our everyday lives.

Father Richard Veras cuts through the difficult imagery and drives home the core message of Revelation. Behind the monsters and beasts, Revelation describes the kind of love that we must show to Christ and assures us of the love that even now He has for us. A chief example of this love can be found in our earthly marital unions which foretell the heavenly union we will one day share with God. In this regard, the Book of Revelation is a reminder for every Christian that we must live a spiritually chaste life in anticipation of our wedding day, as members of Christ’s Bride (the Church).

As it turns out, I did not read Father Veras’ book during Lent as I had initially planned. Much can be found there that would aid our Lenten experience (especially concerning sin and repentance as we evaluate the state of our own souls), but there is also much joy in these pages, the kind of joy and anticipation that is shared by a bride and groom as they approach their wedding day. Fittingly I read this book in the Easter Season, a time of rejoicing as we celebrate the Resurrection of Christ and await His final return when He will be united with His Bride. Equally significant, I began writing this review on the day of my tenth wedding anniversary, a traditionally symbolic number that coincides nicely with the numerology of John’s Apocalypse as well as its nuptial overtones. This chance convergence of events - of marital and Easter joy - made Father Veras’ insights both more relevant and more personal to me. Perhaps this was mere coincidence and should not be viewed as anything more. But it certainly caused me to appreciate more deeply the Wisdom for Everyday Life from the Book of Revelation.

To purchase this and other great books and Catholic products, visit The Catholic Company website.