Which verses are Catholics supposed to interpret the "Catholic" way

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The OP has not returned. I wonder if we helped answer his question or not?
 
I’ve been following the thread and for the most part the question was somewhat tongue in cheek though some of the early responses with quotes from the different councils were very helpful.
GraceSofia said:
The OP has not returned. I wonder if we helped answer his question or not?
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RedDawgMCM said:
I’ve been following the thread and for the most part the question was somewhat tongue in cheek though some of the early responses with quotes from the different councils were very helpful.
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So, would you agree with this statement?

All of the verses of the Bibles are the be interpreted in the “Catholic” way.
 
DV
I would agree with you, in so far as everything we do must be interpreted in a Catholic way.

But different contradictory interpretations can be Catholic.

For example, most of us here (presumably) think St Paul wrote the Epistle to Titus, bur some disagree. Both views are acceptable to Catholics.
 
davidv said:
So, would you agree with this statement?

All of the verses of the Bibles are the be interpreted in the “Catholic” way.
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Yes if your Catholic…But there are just a few that Orthodox/Protestant would not view in the 'Catholic" way…The majority in the NT that we use to grow and mature in our faith walk we
all understand together…(instructions how to know and follow Christ and to live out our
faith in everyday life).
 
But the Protestants and those 2100 “faiths” divorced from the Catholic Church never realize or vocalize that Martin Luther CHANGED the Bible to suit his version of what he thought it should say.I grew up Lutheran and was never- ever told that he
changed the translation- in research I could not find that he could translate Arameic and Greek- so that his translation/interpretation should be discounted. Yet this is what the over 1000 different Christian “sects” use to justify their existance.
 
RedDawgMCM said:
I’ve been following the thread and for the most part the question was somewhat tongue in cheek though some of the early responses with quotes from the different councils were very helpful.
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Tongue in cheek?!
You do realise that many people spent time and effort trying to help answer what they thought was a genuine question? I think that was really mean of you…
 
Scoobyshme

I’m afraid your links don’t work.

I found Fr. Corapi’s lectures here:

I want to thank you for pointing me to Fr. Corapi. He’s cleared up a lot for me.
 
I do and I got what I wanted out of it as I said the different quotes from various councils were quite enlightening. Tongue in cheek or not the question was very genuine and I had half expected some of our separated brethren to indulge their two cents into the discussion.

I hope I didn’t offend you Grace or anyone else. That was definitely not my intention.
GraceSofia said:
Tongue in cheek?!
You do realise that many people spent time and effort trying to help answer what they thought was a genuine question? I think that was really mean of you…
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NoelFitz said:
Evan
In school, years ago, I learned there is also baptism by blood (martyrdom) and of desire (living a good life).

Regards,

Noelfitz.
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You are quite right. I was thinking of baptism one can seek out. But as far as baptisms acceptable to the Church and to God, there are 3. The Baptism of water and the spirit, of martyrdom and of desire.
 
Evan

many thanks.

At Mass yesterday the priest in his sermon told us not to worry about the fate of unbaptized children, as a merciful God will bring them to heaven. It seems limbo has been sent to limbo or has vanished completely.

The homily gave me the idea that everyone is baptized, as all can get to heaven, and for this baptism is necessary
14 When Gentiles, who do not possess the law, do instinctively what the law requires, these, though not having the law, are a law to themselves. 15 They show that what the law requires is written on their hearts, to which their own conscience also bears witness; and their conflicting thoughts will accuse or perhaps excuse them 16 on the day when, according to my gospel, God, through Jesus Christ, will judge the secret thoughts of all.
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The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989), Ro 2:13–16.
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NoelFitz said:
Evan

many thanks.

At Mass yesterday the priest in his sermon told us not to worry about the fate of unbaptized children, as a merciful God will bring them to heaven. It seems limbo has been sent to limbo or has vanished completely.

The homily gave me the idea that everyone is baptized, as all can get to heaven, and for this baptism is necessary
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I’m afraid your priest had some wishful thinking goin’ there. The theological option of Limbo is still on the table. As is the option that some go to hell and some to heaven. I still pray for unbaptized children. Youth does not abrogate our gift of a free will. Even children must choose to serve God or serve themselves or serve Satan. OR… remain forever in Limbo.

I think the only choices are: Limbo exists, or God will find a way for them to use their free will to choose heaven (or reject heaven).

I pray that God will give them the grace to choose Him if they need to choose.
 
Addressing unbaptized infants, the International Theological Commission, under the direction of the vatican, did develop an official document concerning their fate. It was begun in 2005 and was approved in 2007, so I would expect it to be contemporary (as well as its presence on the vatican website). It states a couple of things about the issue.

First, it begins by saying that the idea of Limbo has no scriptural or originally traditional background and therefore holds no water. It doesn’t directly discount the possibility, but goes on to explain its unlikely nature. As scripture contains little on the matter (besides the murder of the holy innocents in Matthew 2:16-18), we must then turn to tradition. Our tradition teaches of the perfect mercy of God, and thus the Church issues two statements.

“The Catechism of the Catholic Church (1992) adds that: “the great mercy of God who desires that all men should be saved [1Tim 2:4], and Jesus’ tenderness toward children which caused him to say: ‘Let the children come to me, do not hinder them’ (Mk 10:14), allow us to hope that there is a way of salvation for children who have died without Baptism”.[5]”

The first is in order to support His mercy, while the second is to assure a lack of damnation.
Code: 
  "Grace is totally free, because it is always a pure gift of God. Damnation, however, is deserved, because it is the consequence of free human choice.[10] The infant who dies with Baptism is saved by the grace of Christ and through the intercession of the Church, even without his or her cooperation. It can be asked whether the infant who dies without Baptism, but for whom the Church in its prayer expresses the desire for salvation, can be deprived of the vision of God even without his or her cooperation."
Essentially, this means that infants, by the nature of God’s mercy, are hoped for salvation, as they can not be damned.

The link to the document isvatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/cti_documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20070419_un-baptised-infants_en.html.

Thanks, I hope this helps
 
RedDawgMCM said:
I do and I got what I wanted out of it as I said the different quotes from various councils were quite enlightening. Tongue in cheek or not the question was very genuine and I had half expected some of our separated brethren to indulge their two cents into the discussion.

I hope I didn’t offend you Grace or anyone else. That was definitely not my intention.
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Ah, okay, thank you for clarifying that. 🙂
 
michaelSP said:
Essentially, this means that infants, by the nature of God’s mercy, are hoped for salvation, as they can not be damned.
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They cannot be damned without cause. Nor can they be saved. Hence the paragraph:
It is clear that the traditional teaching on this topic has concentrated on the theory of limbo, understood as a state which includes the souls of infants who die subject to original sin and without baptism, and who, therefore, neither merit the beatific vision, nor yet are subjected to any punishment, because they are not guilty of any personal sin. This theory, elaborated by theologians beginning in the Middle Ages, never entered into the dogmatic definitions of the Magisterium, even if that same Magisterium did at times mention the theory in its ordinary teaching up until the Second Vatican Council.** It remains therefore a possible theological hypothesis. **However, in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1992), the theory of limbo is not mentioned. Rather, the Catechism teaches that infants who die without baptism are entrusted by the Church to the mercy of God, as is shown in the specific funeral rite for such children. **The principle that God desires the salvation of all people gives rise to the hope that there is a path to salvation for infants who die without baptism **(cf. CCC, 1261), and therefore also to the theological desire to find a coherent and logical connection between the diverse affirmations of the Catholic faith: the universal salvific will of God; the unicity of the mediation of Christ; the necessity of baptism for salvation; the universal action of grace in relation to the sacraments; the link between original sin and the deprivation of the beatific vision; the creation of man “in Christ”.
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So at least we can hope there is a path to heaven and don’t have to end our considerations with the judgment of the Father and Doctor of the Church, St Augustine who opined that all unbaptized children are consigned to hell. Which was the opinion before the theory of Limbo was presented and has a much longer tradition. We will have to wait for the Holy Spirit to make clear the possibilities and, perhaps, someday, clarify this issue.
 
RedDawgMCM said:
Since this is a common objection leveled by our separated brethren, does anyone have the definitive list of verses that we are supposed to interpret in one and only one way. Or does anyone know where I can find them?

I see the argument all the time in SS threads and I know good sources who have said that there are very very few verses that are supposed to be interpreted in a certain way.
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I believe there are 7 verses that has been infallibly interpreted (which means it is only interpreted one way), but I only know two of them:

Jn 3: 5 is referring to the Sacrament of Baptism
Rm 5: 12-17 is showing Jesus is the new Adam

There is an article on Catholic Answer website that you can pull up (I believe Jimmy Akins wrote it).

The only time a verse is infallibly interpreted is when the Church is deciding a doctrine on faith and morals. Scripture can be interpreted multiple ways. That is the main reason why the Church did not put an infallible interpretation on all of them. In order to have a good interpretation on Scripture, we should meet three criterias which is explained in CCC 112-114:


  1. *]Interpret Scripture as a whole
    *]Interpret Scripture in light of Tradition (how a verse in the Bible was interpreted for generations; that is why Jn 3: 5 has one interpretation when you read quotes from the Church Fathers)
    *]Interpret Scripture in Analogy of Faith
 
Hiskid1973 said:
So not all catholics believe in a heart conversion experience? repentance then baptism ?
So that’s why there have been some catholics making fun of my "born anew " experience.
Like the Philippian jailer ect…
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Most cradle Catholics were baptized as infants so as to not deprive us of the grace flowing from baptism.

I can’t say I ever had a typical Evangelical Protestant “born again” experience. I had left the faith for many years and one summer just picked up the New Testament and read it through cover to cover. Then that September I walked back into a Catholic church for the first time in 22 years. I felt instantly at home, as if I was in the warm loving household of a doting parent. The next week I went back, and asked the priest to hear my confession.

As for the “born anew” experience, I guess you could say that I feel that every time I emerge from sacramental confession. As Christians we separate ourselves from God daily. Sacramental confession helps heal us and repair that breach.

Like many believers I have periods of doubt and periods of great fervor. Most recently I have felt my faith much more profoundly.

Sometimes we need to approach Him with our hearts. But sometimes our hearts are in great pain, and going there just worsens things and makes us feel abandoned by God. When that happens I approach Him with my brain, through the Eucharist and the Liturgy of the Hours. I literally force myself kicking and screaming into His loving presence, I force myself to pray the psalms while blotting out my own hurts. That’s when I feel healing in the heart and am able to safely return to within my heart.

I think things like being “slain in the spirit” and rebirth experiences are real and heartfelt by those who experience them but I also think that they are often an expression of emotional ecstasy when the reality of faith is much deeper and more mysterious than that. We are often fooled by our emotions to be carried away into faith directions that are ultimately destructive. God gave us a brain and a heart and any faith conversion that does not involve the both of them is to me, rather suspect.

The same thing can happen from scripture interpretation that is taken out of context, or that strike an emotional chord in us. We have to be careful with those lest we be taken away into the wrong direction and ultimately into Satan’s hands. What is often lacking, I find, in emotional responses to scripture or faith, is the concept of discernment.

Just some miscellaneous ramblings from someone who recently emerged from his dark night of the soul.
 
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