The Holy Spirit will guide you when you read the bible

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heisenburg

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I am a little confused…

And I mean this as NO offense to anyone… I am confused by some statements made by protestants, but again, not an attack.

Often, Catholics in general are told by protestants in general that if we read the bible, we will be led out of the church.

We are also told that if we read the bible, and pray about ti, we will be led to the correct understanding by the Holy spirit…

Why then is it, that if a Catholic reads the bible, and sees support for a Catholic Understanding, is prayerful about it, etc, it is because we misunderstand it…

In other words…
Why do protestants in general feel that they can read the bible and be guided… But Catholics cannot…

So…

Looking at it logically, what does this mean
  1. Catholics and Catholics alone are NOT guided by the Holy Spirit when we prayerfully read scripture. It is as if Catholics are forgotten. This is why a Catholic that is prayerful, and submissive to Jesus cannot properly understand Scripture
  2. Catholics CAN be led by the HS, but the devil is more likely to attack a Catholic and thus this is why we cannot understand
  3. Protestants the teach this are wrong. We are not each guided individually to a proper understanding of scripture if all we do is read and pray.
These are the only three options.
One MUST be right as these are the only LOGICAL conclusions that can be drawn…

So, lets look at the which is most likely

if (1) is the answer… this means that Catholics as a whole are considered a lost cause by the HS. In other words, God has abandoned those in the Catholic Church …

But this Violates where Jesus says he will not abandon his sheep

if (2) is correct… This means that Catholics do not get the same protection that other individuals seeking to be followers of Christ have. Again, we have a situation what God says…“Because you are Catholic, I will not protect you, even though you are seeking me”

But this violates where God says if we come near to him, he will come nearer to us.

If (3) is correct… that this simply means that all people everywhere have the same problem… That the HS did NOT promise each and everyone of us the truth, but rather a select few that have this charisma.

This option does NOT violate anything in scripture

Which is most likely?

Are Catholics singled out by God and denied the right to seek him?

Or do protestants that claim the “HS will Guide you” wrong?

In Christ
 
Friends believe that we are guided by the Light Within to understand scripture and the leading of the Spirit, not only individually, but corporately. Areas of living…how we treat one another, how we care for those who need help…those who are hungry, sick or in prison. These are the areas God leads us in…we are led in our understanding of how to live as the People of God.

Areas of religious doctrine and the fine points of dogma…is something we get bogged down with…interesting to be sure, but the discussion and debate of doctrine and dogma does little to alleviate the suffering in our world…and bring peace to the hearts of those we have contact with.
 
Actually…

I don’t think the CC would disagree with you in regards to an inner light by God that inherently knows what is the right and wrong thing do with respect to each other (not doctrine related). It is something He gave all humans…

My area of contention is with those (not all protestants) that claim if you read the bible and pray about it, the HS will guide you to doctrinal truth

In Christ
 
When I was in high school, I often heard friends say, “if you read the Bible you will find the answer.” I went to a public school and was happy to be accepted into a Catholic college. One of the requirements for graduation was a Theology course that I never took. What I remember from orientation was the very freeing statement, “Don’t look for the answers [when reading the Bible], look for the questions.” It is true that the Holy Spirit guides us as we read scripture. He enlightens our understanding as we cross seemingly contradictory statements which raise the questions that we are facing during our lifetime.
When Catholics read scripture, we do not simply read it sola scriptura. We read scripture in light of life’s circumstances. This is true for everybody as each book of the Bible was written within a cultural setting and we read from our own cultural bias. That is the human element involved in our understanding. The written Word of God came out of apostolic Tradition. This Tradition is protected by the Holy Spirit in the magisterium of the Church. We read scripture in this light allowing us individually and collectively, as the community of God, to apply scripture to our person lives.
 
heisenburg said:
I am a little confused…

And I mean this as NO offense to anyone… I am confused by some statements made by protestants, but again, not an attack.

Often, Catholics in general are told by protestants in general that if we read the bible, we will be led out of the church.

We are also told that if we read the bible, and pray about ti, we will be led to the correct understanding by the Holy spirit…

Why then is it, that if a Catholic reads the bible, and sees support for a Catholic Understanding, is prayerful about it, etc, it is because we misunderstand it…

In other words…
Why do protestants in general feel that they can read the bible and be guided… But Catholics cannot…

So…

Looking at it logically, what does this mean
  1. Catholics and Catholics alone are NOT guided by the Holy Spirit when we prayerfully read scripture. It is as if Catholics are forgotten. This is why a Catholic that is prayerful, and submissive to Jesus cannot properly understand Scripture
  2. Catholics CAN be led by the HS, but the devil is more likely to attack a Catholic and thus this is why we cannot understand
  3. Protestants the teach this are wrong. We are not each guided individually to a proper understanding of scripture if all we do is read and pray.
These are the only three options.
One MUST be right as these are the only LOGICAL conclusions that can be drawn…

So, lets look at the which is most likely

if (1) is the answer… this means that Catholics as a whole are considered a lost cause by the HS. In other words, God has abandoned those in the Catholic Church …

But this Violates where Jesus says he will not abandon his sheep

if (2) is correct… This means that Catholics do not get the same protection that other individuals seeking to be followers of Christ have. Again, we have a situation what God says…“Because you are Catholic, I will not protect you, even though you are seeking me”

But this violates where God says if we come near to him, he will come nearer to us.

If (3) is correct… that this simply means that all people everywhere have the same problem… That the HS did NOT promise each and everyone of us the truth, but rather a select few that have this charisma.

This option does NOT violate anything in scripture

Which is most likely?

Are Catholics singled out by God and denied the right to seek him?

Or do protestants that claim the “HS will Guide you” wrong?

In Christ
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THE CHURCH CAME BEFORE THE BIBLE. THE CHURCH CAME BEFORE THE NEW TESTAMENT.
 
One of my Catholic Bibles has a prayer to the Holy Spirit on the inside of the cover. It says:
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Thy love.
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V. Send forth Thy spirit and they shall be created.
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R. And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth.
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Let Us Pray
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O God, Who didst instruct the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit, grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgement in all things and ever to rejoice in His consolation. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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I do not see how Catholics cannot ever be guided by the Holy Spirit when reading the Bible. That premise makes no sense.
 
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Thy love.
V. Send forth Thy spirit and they shall be created.
R. And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth.
Let Us Pray
O God, Who didst instruct the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit, grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgement in
Click to expand...
lak611 said:
One of my Catholic Bibles has a prayer to the Holy Spirit on the inside of the cover. It says:I do not see how Catholics cannot ever be guided by the Holy Spirit when reading the Bible. That premise makes no sense.
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Hi

Please don’t mind.

Was Jesus guided for this prayer-wording when he met the HolySpirit? If yes, please mention the reference. If, no, then who started it. Did the person who started it thought the HolySpirit is obliged to guide one come what may?

We only want to share your experience.

Thanks
 
paarsurrey said:
Hi

Please don’t mind.

Was Jesus guided for this prayer-wording when he met the HolySpirit? If yes, please mention the reference. If, no, then who started it. Did the person who started it thought the HolySpirit is obliged to guide one come what may?

We only want to share your experience.

Thanks
Click to expand...
I understand that you are Muslim and I am not exactly sure what your question is or how to answer it.
As Christians, we speak of the Trinity as three persons in one God. These three persons have always been together in an intimate relationship that is beyond human description and understanding. It is a mystery of our Faith. Because of this mystery of unity, I would say that yes, Jesus was guided by the Holy Spirit when He prayed, as well as everything He did.
In a discussion with a Sunni, she talked about Elizabeth and Mary. Mary went to her cousin’s aid when she heard of Elizabeth’s pregnancy. On seeing Mary, Elizabeth exclaims (Gospel of Luke) that the baby within her womb “leapt with joy.” This leap of joy is seen as John’s being filled with the Holy Spirit so that he could do the work that he was called to do. It is understood by Christians as the first miracle of grace worked through Jesus. The first physical miracle takes place at the wedding feast at Cana.
I do not think that I have really answered the question. Know that Jesus in the Christian Scriptures (what is often called the New Testament) said that His heavenly Father would give His Spirit (the Holy Spirit) to any person who asked. In order to receive this gift, we must be receptive to the possibility that a God whom the universe cannot contain would choose to live within our hearts.
This is just the start of what could develop into a very long conversation.
In order to be guided by the Holy Spirit, we must be open to the gift of the Holy Spirit. We must be willing to listen.
 
The Bible itself says in Acts 8:31, that NOBODY can understand it unless someone explains it.

So this leads to the question, “Whose explanation do we accept as helpful?”
 
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved, and then you will receive the Holy Spirit through out to guide you in prayers and your everyday walk.
 
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