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The following is taken from "God's News to Man" by the Catholic Information Service, Imprimatur Joseph Cardinal Ritter, Archbishop of St. Louis:
The Bible came into being through God’s personal action on members of His
Church. It came into being as God’s legacy to that Church, so that the Church
could always keep before her members what God had done to bring them into His
own Church. God gave this Church many blessings by which it would unite all men
with God. The living, indwelling Holy Spirit will always see to it that this
Church can never, under any circumstances, abandon the truths and the divine
gifts that make up her nature; otherwise, the salvation of Christ would have
been worked in vain; the work of sin would have completely taken hold of the
world again, as it had before the call of Abraham. The very fact that we
recognize that the whole Bible is the word of God is witness to the fact that we
know that God’s Church has continued on in the world long after His Ascension–a
visible body of men that can distinguish divine truth from mere human teachings
through the indwelling Holy Spirit.
Once given to man, the Bible does not supplant the living Church. The Bible
does not supplant the Holy Spirit Who leads the Church at every age into all the
truth it needs for the guidance of men of that age. But as the measure of what
God has done in the world, the Bible is of supreme importance in the teaching
and worship of the Church. The Bible is not everyman’s Bible; it is the Church’s
Bible. Like every sacred gift of God, it must be carefully treasured and
preserved wholly for every generation of men.
In making Himself known to His people, God used men of the Old Testament,
whose language was mostly the Hebrew language; in the New Testament the language
was the Greek language. But when our Lord gave His Church the commission to
preach to all nations, He gave them the commission to bring them His words in a
language that they could understand. The practice of putting the Scriptures into
a language more easily understood had begun about 250 years before Christ. This
was the start of the Greek translation of the Old Testament, made in Egypt for
those who spoke Greek, not Hebrew. It was this translation that contained the
seven additional books of the Old Testament that we have spoken about. This
translation was used, to a large extent, as the source of the quotations of the
Old Testament in the writings of the New.
TRANSLATIONS OF THE BIBLE
About the third century after Christ, as the Church became more widespread
among those who spoke only Latin in the West and only Syriac in the East,
translations into these languages were used alongside the official Greek Bible
of the early Church. These translations, however, were carefully watched over by
the Church, whose mission is to safeguard her members against translations that
would betray the meaning of God as contained in the Scriptures. Just as the New
Testament Scriptures were being gathered by the Church during these centuries
and were being judged first of all by their conformity to the teaching of the
living Church, the translations of the accepted Scriptures also had to measure
up to this same norm. As the Church spread into newer regions of the world and
came into contact with newer or different languages, the Bible was translated
into these also.
The barbarian invasion of Europe in the early Christian centuries produced
tremendous changes not only in political organization but also in culture and
language. The Latin language was gradually supplanted by newer languages that
developed out of the Latin. In Northern Europe and Britain, newer Germanic
languages developed. It took centuries before these newer languages came to
stable literary forms which could be the basis of lasting books. This was a
period that had not seen the printing press, the easy means of communication
between different regions, and still less the modern inventions of radio and
television.
As in ancient times, most of the people of those times could not have read
a Bible, no matter what language it was written in. Those who could read
anything at all could generally read Latin. And yet, there were numerous
sections of the Bible translated into the shifting languages of the day for the
benefit of those who might be able to read them. For those who could not read,
the stained glass windows of their churches provided pictorial explanations of
the events of the Bible. In addition to this, they were instructed through the
miracle plays, through the preaching of the Church, through the dramatic actions
of the Sacraments and Holy Mass, and through their prayers which taught them as
well as expressed their needs and hopes. It was not unusual in those times for
men to learn the whole book of the Psalms by heart, as well as large sections of
other parts of the Bible.
In our present circumstances, we have a hard time realizing what our
civilization would be like without the printed word–if the only reproduction of
books were by the laborious process of copying word by word. The abundance of
writing material that we rarely think about simply was lacking in those times.
The ease of buying a book with the very wealthy could afford to buy any book in
medieval times. The myth of “the chained Bible” shows how far we can
misunderstand those times. Yes, there were chained Bibles. But they were not
chained shut. They were chained to a reading stand so that no one could carry
away this precious source of teaching which was for the benefit of all. Chained
telephone directories in public places are chained for the same reason the Bible
was–so that all can have their use. In the light of these things, then, you can
appreciate the care and love of the Church in providing for the copying of the
Bible. Every monastery in medieval times had its “writing room,” where copies of
the Bible were copied out by hand, sometimes on the most costly materials, so
that these copies would be always available for those who could appreciate them
and benefit by them.
PROPER USE OF THE BIBLE
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The main problem, then, is not just
having the Bible, but also profiting by its use. This should not be hard for
anyone of us to understand. Our lives are surrounded by gifts of God, everywhere
we look. Our own life itself is a gift from God. Yet, we don’t have to look far
to see how these gifts of God are constantly misused. The Bible is one of the
greatest of God’s gifts. But the fact that the Bible is God’s gift does not
automatically mean that everyone is going to make good use of it. Misuse of the
Bible is at least as old as Christianity itself. For St. Peter writes of St.
Paul’s epistles: “In these epistles there are certain things difficult to
understand, which the unlearned and the unstable distort, just as they do the
other Scriptures also, to their own destruction” (2 Peter 3:16).
The Bible is a religious book, one which teaches man how God acts with man
and in man for his salvation. Since it is a record of God’s dealings with His
people in the past, it reflects the times and customs of these men. But it is
not, as we have pointed out, simply a history of civilization. We have noted
also the startling differences of the times in which these men lived, the
language which they spoke, the customs which they followed. God used men of
those times, living by those customs to state the truth of what He was doing
through His own people.
Hence, to understand the Bible profitably, it must be read with a view of
understanding how the life of each man in the Church must be lived as
manifesting in every action of his day the truth of God Whom he worships.
Likewise, to understand the Bible fully, it must be read according to the ideas
and ways of speaking in ancient times. Records, for instance, carried by word of
tradition for centuries will have different characteristics from records of
current events which you read in the daily newspaper. In those days, men didn’t
encumber their memory with details that had no meaning for their daily living.
They were concerned first of all about God’s dealings with them among their own
people; what He was doing elsewhere would not help them to understand their own
religious obligations to God.
It is a gathering of the teachings of the people of God regarding their own
lives. Some of these teachings were in simple narrative form. Others were in the
form of customary laws. Others still were either stories told to explain a
situation or perhaps poetic compositions which delight in exaggeration and
startling contrasts. Sometimes fables were told to teach a lesson, just as we do
with children. Language was taken from the religions of surrounding peoples who
did not know the true God, and this language was used to show that the true God
was all the false god pretended to be and infinitely more. Surely, the preaching
of Jesus did not in any way deny the truth of God as revealed in previous times.
But it did lead men to understand the profound realities that God had been
referring to in those times.
You might come to the conclusion that the Bible is meaningless for the bulk
of mankind. But that would be going too far. It is God’s written message to
mankind; and His word will not return to Him empty, no more than the word of
creation was simply an echo in empty space. He has spoken to men in ancient
times to give them a dignity that is beyond any that man could possibly dream
of: to be the living image of the truth of God in the world. These messages to
men, God later put into writings that were His own writings, and entrusted thee
to the group which He had founded as His Kingdom on earth. Other men, not of
that Kingdom, would be able to read the truth of God as lived in the lives of
the members of His Church, and thus understand His written word.
BENEFITS OF READING THE BIBLE
The reading of the Bible, therefore, will lead you to a keener
understanding of the nature of God’s work among men. It will teach you that God
is not afar off, speaking to men through the pages of a book that most men could
not have read. Rather, He speaks to others through you and your loyalty to Him
if you don’t count the cost.
You will read the pages of the Bible to see the living examples of the
teachings which the Church sets before you. You will know that the Holy Spirit
dwells in the Church, leading it to all truth. Hence, if some passage of
Scripture seems to say to you something that is contrary to the teaching of the
Church, you will know that you have misunderstood it. There are many passages of
the Bible that still puzzle even scholars. But through the teaching of the
living Church, they know at least some things that these passages cannot be
saying. Otherwise, God could have made a mistake in one place or the other; or
He would have abandoned that very institution which He brought into the world as
the living pillar of truth. Neither of these is at all possible. What is
possible is that we do not know all things; there are many things which you
might know right now that would be practically or absolutely no value in your
relation to God. But when you look at the immensity of the truths proposed by
God through the Bible, you ought not be disappointed to admit that they must be
beyond you in all the wealth of their meaning.
Secondly, you will read the Bible as it was directed to the people of its
own time in the Church. What he said through them is what He says to us. Reading
into the Bible curious statements about modern times and political situations
that have no relation to salvation is the most fundamental and basic mistake.
What the Bible must means to us is what it meant to the men of those times;
nothing different. From these truths, the Church will draw many applications to
prevent conditions through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Or we ourselves may
draw conclusions of this kind; but in our case, we have to admit candidly that
we are neither infallible nor all-knowing. God guaranteed that His work and his
teaching through His people will not fail. But He has not guaranteed that each
individual will know all things with certainty.
DAILY READING RECOMMENDED
You should therefore undertake to read the Bible day by day. If you can do
so, read it out loud. You don’t need to set out to read as much as possible at
once, rather, read what you can thoroughly grasp as applying in some way to your
own life. It may even be possible to read passages with someone else; this, too,
is of great value because you have the benefit of their understanding as well as
your own. A slow and thoughtful reading of the passages of the Gospels and of
the Acts of the Apostles will be unquestionably of value if it is done in the
proper spirit.
And what is this proper spirit? It is the earnest and unflagging desire to
draw closer and closer to God. You are first of all using the Bible as the word
of God to you. God is your Savior. He wants you to live in peace with Him and
with others for His sake. He wants you to live the truth of His revelation not
only in church, but in the shop, in the home, in matters concerning our nation
and other nations. Knowing that you don’t know everything about the Bible, you
won’t be afraid to admit that certain passages are puzzling. But that will not
discourage you from reading further, where other passages will open your heart
to the light of the Holy Spirit. This desire to know God, joined with the effort
to practice His truth day by day, will bring you to realize the truth of the
saying of Jesus: “If anyone desires to do His will, he will know of the teaching
whether it is of God” (John 7:17).
"You must all obtain a
copy of the Book of life and love, the Bible. Do not accept the new mods. Try
to find in your bookstores the old Bibles, My children, for many are being
changed to suit the carnal nature of man. I repeat, sin has become a way of
life."
- Our Lady of the Roses, October 6,
1992
Our Lady of
the Roses Bayside messages:
These messages came from Jesus, Mary, and the saints to Veronica
Lueken at Bayside, NY, from 1968 to 1995.
OLD BIBLES
"You must all obtain a copy of the Book of life and love, the Bible. Do not
accept the new mods. Try to find in your bookstores the old Bibles, My children,
for many are being changed to suit the carnal nature of man. I repeat, sin has
become a way of life." - Our Lady, October 6, 1992
FEW SHORT CHAPTERS
"I must ask you all to read but a few short chapters a day now, the Book of
life and love, your Bible. Knowledge must be gained for all the disciples of My
Son, for you will be attacked by scientific minds. But do not be concerned what
you will say to them when accosted, for the words will be given to you by the
Spirit." - Our Lady, April 10, 1976
UNDERSTAND
"Your Bible must be studied well, and you will understand that the Eternal
Father gave you truly a simple way to follow. It goes far beyond much human
understanding, because without prayer and suffering and penance, you will not
have the gift from the Eternal Father to understand even the Sacred Scriptures."
- St. Theresa, October 2, 1979
IN YOUR HEART
"The Book of life and love, the Bible, shall never be taken from you. And
the words once read will remain in your heart. Fathers of families, and mothers,
give the example of this knowledge to your children. Take them with you to a
quiet corner and read, for in this manner will they learn the truth and be given
the light." - Our Lady, March 18, 1974
THEOLOGIANS
"There are many theologians, even in My Son's House now, that are bringing
to mankind doctrines of demons. They are teachings of man and not of God. Many
have set themselves in their arrogance to change the wordings in the Book of
love and life, the Bible. These changes were to seduce mankind into bondage of
sin." - Our Lady, June 2, 1979
SODOM AND GOMORRHA
"Your word of homosexuality can be explained by the story of Sodom and
Gomorrha. Read in your Bibles...." - Our Lady, October 6, 1992
FIFTEEN MINUTES
"I say now, My children, that you must understand there are great graces
given for reading the Bible, even a short time of fifteen minutes; you will be
graced by indulgences.* Have you forgotten, My children, in the modernization of
My Son's Church, have you forgotten the meaning of indulgences? They are
applicable to the time you may have to put in purgatory, My children." - Our
Lady, July 25, 1985
*The exhortations to the faithful from the Vicars of Christ to read the Word of God have resounded in unison the last 100 years. Numerous letters, discourses and especially the granting of indulgences bear out their ardent desire to encourage this pious exercise.
INDULGENCES
"Much of your Faith in graces and indulgences, My child, they have been
removed, Gather the books given to you in the past. Though mankind has set
himself above His God to remove these from among you, know that in the will of
the Father, they have not been removed. You will receive all the numerous graces
of indulgences as directed by your good leaders of old." - Our Lady,
September 13, 1974
HEIRLOOM
"The road to the Kingdom of God is found in the reading of the Scriptures.
Man does not know God. He no longer looks for Him in the revelations of the Holy
Bible.
"The soul in exile can only be nourished by the word of God, through Jesus
and His sacrifice on the cross. The Holy Bible is your family heirloom." -
Our Lady in locution, April 7, 1970
GOSPELS
Veronica - Theresa said she has always carried this small Book in the fold
of her garment. (She means her habit.) I can see now she is holding it very
close to me. It is the Gospels. Now Theresa said: "I was not a learned person or
a scholar upon earth, but all I had and all I needed was this little Book. And I
also treasured the Imitation of Christ." - St. Theresa, December 31, 1972
HEAD COVERINGS
"It is a defiant act, My children, that women no longer cover their heads at
the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. They will not obey, for they cannot understand
that man must not change the wording of the Bible. Man and the hierarchy must
not change the wording of the Bible to suit mankind's instincts." - Our Lady,
July 15, 1978
AS A WHOLE
"Those who have little knowledge of the Book of life and love, the Bible,
will fall easy prey to false witnesses who go about the world now, deceiving
even some of the elect. You must read your Bible so that you will not be deluded
by the written word. The Bible cannot be taken as sectional or piece by piece,
but you must know the whole, for satan has poisoned many minds. And Satan, too,
can expound the Scriptures." - Our Lady, May 26, 1979
Directives from Heaven
D33 - The Holy Bible PDF
D87 - Divinity of Jesus Christ PDF
D123 - Catholic Church, Part 1 PDF
D124 - Catholic Church, Part 2 PDF
D182 - Bible Rewritten PDF
Articles
The Primacy of Peter
http://www.nuestrasenoradelasrosas.org/news1/PrimacyOfPeter.htm
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Revised:
April 10, 2018