How do Catholics use and find guidance in the Magisterium and the Bible?

Answer 1

Roman Catholic AnswerWhen Our Blessed Lord left this earth, He established His Church with St. Peter as Its first Vicar (what we call the Pope in modern times). His preaching and teaching was all that He taught the Apostles. They, in their turn make up His Church as the first Bishops, with St. Peter at their head. This is what we call the Magisterium, and Our Blessed Lord sent the Holy Spirit on them at Pentecost to guide them into all truth. During the first century, the Apostles and others (St. Luke) wrote the different books which we now call the Gospels, Epistles, and the Apocalypse. The Magisterium, guided by the Holy Spirit, gathered this into one volume, eliminated other works and at the end of nearly four centuries, approved what we now know as the New Testament. Through the next 16 centuries, the Church has zealously guarded the Holy Bible, which was written by the Holy Spirit working through the Sacred Authors. The Church, specifically the Magisterium, thus teaches all truth, guards it, and guides us to our final end. One of the ways that It does this is through the Sacred Scriptures which is truly the Word of God in God's own Words. As St. Jerome (the famous saint who translated the entire Bible into the Vulgate or popular tongue of the people, which at that time was Latin) said: "Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ". The Bible is used throughout the Mass, but directly in the first part where the Church presents us with three separate readings each Sunday, and in the homily, by the priest, which is an explanation of the Sacred Scriptures. We must never interpret Sacred Scripture outside the Tradition of the Church as it is the Church which wrote It and preserved It to this day. Further the Church encourages all to own a Bible, and St. Benedict, in the sixth century, taught us how to use Lectio Divina, which is a slow, meditative reading of Sacred Scriptures, asking the Holy Spirit to help us understand what we are reading, and to use that to pray to God. Further, the Church usually provides Scripture study classes, and there are many, many books written to help people understand the Scriptures. In over twenty centuries, the Church has dealt with most problems, and we can always turn to a prayerful priest for guidance, and certainly find such in the many classes, Bible study groups, and other interest groups that our local parish offers.