Day 11 (CCC 80 - 87): The three-legged stool upon which the deposit of faith stands upon is Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and the Magisterium. Sacred Tradition preceded Sacred Scripture because the Bible as we know it was not compiled until centuries after the time of Jesus Christ. Therefore, our early Christian brothers and sisters relied on Sacred Tradition to transmit the faith orally. The Magisterium is the teaching "leg" in which the bishops, in union with the Bishop of Rome, interpret Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition for the faithful. The faithful in response are called to be docile to the teachings entrusted to their bishops in union with the Pope; however, the Magisterium is a servant of Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition. I have always believed that, while we may have personal interpretations of Scripture to help us live lives faith to Christ, we must be docile and faithful to Church authority and what our bishops tell us. This is the great challenge of our time - obedience - when the rest of the world is telling us "do you". But when it comes to faith, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ entrusted his teachings to his one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church and her bishops. We should trust our bishops and learn from them.
Day 12 (CCC 88 - 95): Sensei fidei is our "senses of the faith." The degree in which we accept or reject the dogmas of the Catholic faith reveals a lot about our hearts. If our life is upright, then we are more receptive of the dogmas in our hearts and live by them in our lives. In the analogy from G.K. Chesterton that Fr. Mike shared, dogmas give us boundaries so that we do not "fall off the cliff". Dogmas also give us the freedom to live fully within the boundaries to encounter and nurture a relationship with our Father in heaven. The dogmas are also gifts of God to the Church that we ought to receive with gratitude. Thinking about this in another way, dogmas are like the secular laws. Laws restrict our actions but, at the same time, they give us freedom to live life without fear. For example, if we abolish traffic laws, then none of us would be willing to drive anywhere because when we get to an intersection, we do not have the assurance that the other drivers will stop to let us through the intersection safely. Absolute freedom is no freedom at all.
From G.K. Chesterton (Orthodoxy, p. 53):
“We might fancy some children playing on the flat grassy top of some tall island in the sea. So long as there was a wall round the cliff’s edge they could fling themselves into every frantic game and make the place the noisiest of nurseries. But the walls were knocked down, leaving the naked peril of the precipice. They did not fall over; but when their friends returned to them they were all huddled in terror in the centre of the island; and their song had ceased.”
Day 13 (CCC 96 - 100): Today is a recap. "Lex orendi lex credendi" means the law of prayer is the law of belief. The way we pray reveals what we believe and, when we add "lex vivendi", guides how we live. Moreover, in 1 Timothy 3:15 tells us that "the household of God, which is the church of the living God, [is] the pillar and foundation of truth." While there is a lot of important things written in the Bible but there are also many important things that were passed on by the Apostles - Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition (the deposit of faith) - and authentically taught and upheld by the Magisterium of the Catholic Church.
Day 14 (CCC 101 - 108): God the Father, in his love for us, like a father does with his child, stoops to our lowliness in His Word - our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ - and in His word - Holy Scriptures - to reveal himself to us so that we made come to know Him. The Bible is true and speaks the Truth because it firmly, faithfully, and without error speaks the Truth that God wishes to speak to us for our salvation, from Genesis to Revelation. We should read Holy Scripture as inspired word of God, and the Christian faith is a religious of the Word of God that is living.
Day 15 (CCC 109 - 114): The three criteria for interpreting Scripture in accordance with the Holy Spirit who inspired Scripture: (1) attentive to content and unity of the whole Scripture; (2) read Scripture within the living tradition of the whole Church (the Fathers of the Church, Sacred Tradition, etc.); and attentive to the analogy of faith. Scripture is the heart of Christ opened to interpretation guided by the Holy Spirit and within the whole plan of revelation by God. What is the author's intention and time period in which they wrote and what is the literary genre? For example, Genesis 1 & 2 are a true account of the creation of the world - science asks what and who and faith asks who and why. We recognize that there are human authors of Scripture but Scripture also has a divine author. Therefore, we should never take a text out of context but read and interpret the text in the context of the whole of Scripture. Moreover, the third criterion (the analogy of faith) means every truth of faith must be in line (in proportion or relationship) with other truths, and this idea goes back to what Saint Paul wrote in Romans 12:6. When we stay within these three criteria, then we are free to interpret and understand Scripture, without fear of going off track.
From Pope Benedict XVI:
“The Catechism was not written to please you. It will not make life easy for you because it demands of you a new life.”
Day 16 (CCC 115 - 119): When reading the living word of God, there are two senses of Scripture - the literal and the spiritual. The spiritual sense is further subdivided into the allegorical, moral, and anagogical senses. When reading Scripture, the literal sense helps to us read the words of Scriptures as they are written. The spiritual sense helps us to understand the events of Scripture in the context of God's plan of salvation as a whole. The spiritual sense also helps us understand the significance of events in Scripture in Christ (allegorical); the moral teachings that Christ wants us to understand and live by (moral); and how these events help us to prepare ourselves for eternal life (anagogical). Remember: "The Letter speaks of deeds; Allegory to faith; the Moral how to act; Anagogy our destiny (CCC 118).
Day 17 (CCC 120 - 127): The key point of these paragraphs is the "Gospels are at the heart of all the Scriptures" because includes the life and teachings of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The Old Testament is fulfilled in the New Testament; the New Testament is hidden in the Old Testament. Moreover, the Old Testament is an indispensable part of Scripture has never been revoked. In other words, the New Testament does not render the Old Testament void (Marcionism). Finally, there fore 73 books in the official canon of Scripture.
Day 18 (CCC 128 - 133): The unity of the Old Testament and New Testament is essential because it is the inspired word revealed to us by the one true God. The New Testament is hidden in the Old Testament and the Old Testament is revealed in the New Testament. Access to Sacred Scripture must be accessible to all because, as Saint Jerome said, "Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ." The Church protects Sacred Scripture, that the translation of the Bible is as accurate as possible.
Day 19 (CCC 134 - 141): Today is a recap. Isegesis is preferred over exegesis. Psalm 119: . . .your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. . .
Day 20 (CCC 142 - 149): Jesus is the fulfillment of God's revelation to man because in the fullness of time and in the fullness of his love, Christ moves among man. Abraham is the father of our faith. Mary most perfectly embody the obedience of faith. Saving faith is not merely intellectual assent because even the demons believe in God. Saving faith is "man completely submits his intellect and his will to God. . . [this is] the obedience of faith" (CCC 143). Therefore, we much not only acknowledge the existence of God, but also obey His will for our lives. Abraham did not know the entire plan of God and, yet, he sojourned in obedience. The Angel Gabriel did not reveal the entire plan of salvation to Mary and, yet, she was obedient to God's will. We are called to walk by faith in the same way.
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