The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1952-02-15
Just Among Ourselves
Passing Comment Considered or Ineonsidsrsfs

Last sundays observance as blDicai SUNDAY
ought to endure in its good effects among the chill
dren of the Church. We all need an occasional re-
minder of the great value of the treasures that
come to us with the Faith Familiarity does not nee
essarily breed contempt but il does tend to breed
forgetfulness; living with wonderful things may lull
the spirit of gratitude and appreciation with which
they should be employed. The written Word of God
is treasure of inestimable value which the Church
places in our hands. With mothers care, the
Church sees that are regularly reminded of its
character and stirred TO its devoted use
Among the many silly lies that are told of Cath
ocs, none is absurd than the familiar state
ment that Catholics are not allowed to read the
Bible" The truth that anyone may prove to his
petes satisfaction throughout the whole history of
the Church, is that Catholics urged to read the
Bible. What is forbidden to them is the reading of
faulty and truncated versions of the Bible IL
Boards of Education were to prohibit the use
to American children of a history of the United
States prepared by Hitler Stain, would sane
people say american Children are not allowed to
read the history of the United States?" Hardly.
sss
There are versions of the Bible in which the text
Is mishanded and notes of faulty Interpretation pre-
Sened. Naturally The Church will not have her chill
dren touch such versions One does not draw the
water of life from polluted wells Nor is this un-
acknowledged charge. The who made revision
of the first authorized King James Bible found no
fewer than 10000 One of the revisers remark
ed. at is vain for us to console ourselves with the
thought that all these errors were unintentional"
II is the Church that gives us the Bible. Our
Lord gave to the Church the task and the authority
to feed with truth the flock of His beloved souls.
His own voice and command given to the
Church with the words, "He that heareth you, hear
eth Me" And, indeed, ii is the Church alone which
judges which of multitude of books claiming to
-
Were not for the authority and the decision of the
Church, no would know what the Bible is.
When mistaken zeaIots rail against the Catholic
Church and hold up the Bible as though ii were
something alien and hostile to the Church. should
ask them where the Bible comes from. We should
urge these people TO investigate their own re-
sources and to discover where they got the Bible.
For il is a demonstrable fact that, matter
how they have treated and changed IL since they
got the Bible from the Catholic Church.
The Church recognizes the Word of God and
receives and reverences it, she uses 1t constantly in
all her prayers and ceremonies; she reads ii pub
licly to the faithful on Sundays and holy days; her
priests build around ii their sermons and exhorta-
tons; her scholars draw upon ii first source and
proof in their systematic statements of Catholic doc
trine People who think that Catholics are not per-
mitted to the Bible ought to attend some Cath
olic ceremonies or devotionS or listen to course
of instruction in Catholic teaching They would ex
perience the shock of nonCatholic woman who
picked up Catholic prayer book to glance curiously
through its pages: after half hour of increasingly
interesting investigation she cried in amazement,
why, it's just full of texts from the Biblel'
The mistaken people who rebelled against the
Church about 400 years ago came gradually TO the
belief that the Bible alone is the whole Word of
God. THE Bible, and the Bible alone is the religion
of Protestants" Yet this doctrine is not contained
in the Bible Nowhere does the Bible say that 1t is
the full and only Word OF God. Therefore the doc
trine that the Bible is asufficent is without war
rant this doctrine stands sefconvicted,
The Bible is one of the two sources or fountains
of Gods revelation. The other has been called Sac
red Tradtion,-a word much misinterpreted, and
sometimes wiifuliy by enemies of the Catholic
Church For Sacred Tradition is no pous folklore
It is the living history of the Church diseernible
with certainty land not in vague changing accounts
grown gradually legendary in documents and
monuments other than the Bible. The Bible
is dvinely inspired writing; the documents oi
Tradition are thoroughly reliable and authentic
records but are not diviney inspired It is utter
Justification of fact to consider Tradition kline
of body OF musty legends and customs in the Church
II is the exact opposite of this.
Thus there are two fountains of revelation, tn,
Bible (or Sacred Scripture) and Sacred Tradition
But the rule of faith for Catholics is the living voic
and authority of the Church-her divnely givei
magsterium of teaching office-conferred by he