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Did
you ever notice that when Jesus is being tempted
by the devil in the desert, he uses phrases from
the Bible as a defense against the devil? (Lk
4.4, 8, 12). But also notice that the devil knows
the Scriptures and uses them to try to tempt Jesus
(verses 10-11)!
We should always be careful about misinterpreting
the Bible. That is why the Catholic church teaches
that our faith is based on both the Bible and
the sacred Tradition handed down by the apostles.
The
apostolic Tradition provides direction for understanding
the Bible, and the Bible provides background for
understanding the Tradition. The magisterium –
the pope and bishops – ensure that the Bible
and Tradition are correctly taught and misinterpretations
are corrected. That is why the Bible, Tradition
and the
magisterium are considered the three pillars of
the Catholic faith.
The
Bible is a reliable guide and companion as long
as we take care not to misuse it.
Reprinted from the Catholic Youth Bible by St.
Mary’s Press. To order your own Catholic
Youth Bible visit St.
Mary's Press.
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