Understanding Catholic Beliefs: Scripture, Tradition, and Magisterium Explained

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