IGNORANCE OF SCRIPTURE IS IGNORANCE OF CHRIST.

The reason that Jerome is quoted by those seeking to undermine the Church with a false interpretation of Scripture is a quote "Ignorance of Scripture is Ignorance of Christ"   I tried to find the quote, but Jerome was in so many disputes with others over Mary ever a Virgin, The Resurrection, the fallen angels being saved by taking human bodies, that I decided to leave it to scholars.   Some contend that it was a remark made during a dispute with someone over a correct interpretation of scripture.   It could be so, but the point is no matter how often we read scripture, if our interpretations are wrong, then we are still in ignorance of the true Christ, as over 25,000 Protestant sects and denominations proves.   I am sure that someone will have said before me that 'Ignorance of the Mass is ignorance of Christ'  or perhaps 'Ignorance of the teachings of the Church' is ignorance of Christ'   We must know in what context Jerome wrote these words before we take them out of context and somehow accuse the Catholic Church of ignoring the Bible, and being drawn to Protestant interpretations in some misled movement of reform.  

I am reminded of the story of Christ before Pilate.   "Are you a King then?"  Pilate asked.   "Yes, I am.  For this I was born into the world to give witness to the truth"   "What is truth!"  Pilate remarked.    Indeed what does the truth that Christ witnessed to mean today?   In this ecumenical age it is sheer triumphalism for any Church to claim to have the truth.   I remember a few years ago being at a catechist meeting, I was not meant to be there, but that is a different story.   A nun who was leading it and representing the bishop of the time told us that Vatican II had told us that no Church had the full truth and we all shared in it.   This of course made no sense whatsoever since I did not know the Truth the Catholics had that we could pass on to the Church of England and get their truth back.   It made a complete mockery of Christ.     I replied that Vatican II taught no such thing.   Immediately she got off the subject by asking me "Are you the only one that is going to Heaven?"    But the truth of Vatican II is there for the reading.  "Truth SUBSISTS in the Catholic Church".  You can read this in the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church.

But back to Jerome.   Because the Catholic Church is conducting the great Sacrifice of the Mass every day.   Because it involves itself in prayer every day.  Because it involves itself in the administration of the Sacraments, it is accused of ignoring the Bible.  Because the bible is the only source of Faith in the Protestant Church,  the  more biased against Catholicism assert that the Catholic Church ignores the Bible and they do not.    But we have readings from the bible at every Mass and on a daily basis when Mass is said.   We cover nearly all of the Books and Letters as the final Council of Carthage intended, and that includes the Letter of James , which Protestants refused to use since it contradicted their doctrine that 'Faith alone save us'.   Our priests teach on the bible as Protestant pastors do.    Another expert once claimed that Catholics were forbidden to read the Bible.   When I objected we had a pantomime as she tried to think up something to make init true.

Concluding, I would agree that Ignorance of Scripture is indeed ignorance of Christ.  In my early years I loved reading the bible and the words of Christ and I still do, but do not try and tell me that my Church does not teach the Bible.

















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