Quote for the Night

[Shin]

'I recommend to you simplicity, purity of intention, and practical examen on this virtue; mark well that, in order to labor for the glory of God, our soul must be free and detached from all things, with God alone in view.'

St. Paul of the Cross

[Shin]

'Avoid every kind of singularity, for it is generally the hot-bed of pride, especially spiritual pride.'

St. Philip Neri

[Shin]

'My son, forget not my law, and let thy heart keep my precepts. For they shall add to thee length of days, and years of life and peace.'

Proverbs 3:1-2

[Shin]

'A blessing on the man who puts his trust in the Lord, with the Lord for his hope. He is like a tree by the waterside that thrusts its roots to the stream: when the heat comes it feels no alarm, its foliage stays green; it has no worries in a year of drought, and never ceases to bear fruit.'

Jeremias 17:7-8

[Shin]

"The Scriptures," says S. Jerome, (Adv. Lucif. 28.) "consist not in the reading but in the understanding:" that is, faith is not in the knowing the words but the sense. And it is here that I think I have thoroughly proved that we have need of another rule for our faith, besides the rule of Holy Scripture.'

St. Francis de Sales

[eschator83]

It happens quite often that a quote puzzles me, and I feel pressed to ask for some explanation of the context from which it was taken.  Almost always I resist making the request to avoid distraction or confusion, but in the case above of both Ss Francis de Sales and Jerome I would be very grateful for further comment.

[Shin]

This is from St. Francis de Sales 'The Catholic Controversy', which is apologetic work against Protestantism, one of the popular heresies of which is somehow relying on the Bible alone without the Church.

I take it as along the lines of those who only read the surface meanings of the scriptures, rather than the true meaning and take the Holy Scriptures outside of their true context in the Faith. In other words, their understanding of the words is often superficial and flawed due to their lack of knowledge of the spirit or deeper meaning of of the passages as well as the source and context within Church history. This repeatedly occurring causes quite immense misunderstandings and heresies.

Who can properly understand the book of Apocalypse without referring to the teachings of the Church and the saints on the subject for one example?

The Church's authority and the unchanging rule of Faith handed down from the apostles is necessary to even begin to truly understand Holy Scripture.

[Shin]

If I come across a difficult passage in scriptures or a particular subject that is difficult I always look for any authoritative Church decrees on the subject and the consensus of the saints in their writings.

[Shin]

'And it is clear that this dark contemplation is in these its beginnings painful likewise to the soul; for, as this Divine infused contemplation has many excellences that are extremely good, and the soul that receives them, not being purged, has many miseries that are likewise extremely bad, hence it follows that, as two contraries cannot coexist in one subject - the soul - it must of necessity have pain and suffering, since it is the subject wherein these two contraries war against each other, working the one against the other, by reason of the purgation of the imperfections of the soul which comes to pass through this contemplation.'

St. John of the Cross

[eschator83]

This is from St. Francis de Sales 'The Catholic Controversy', which is apologetic work against Protestantism, one of the popular heresies of which is somehow relying on the Bible alone without the Church.

I take it as along the lines of those who only read the surface meanings of the scriptures, rather than the true meaning and take the Holy Scriptures outside of their true context in the Faith. In other words, their understanding of the words is often superficial and flawed due to their lack of knowledge of the spirit or deeper meaning of of the passages as well as the source and context within Church history. This repeatedly occurring causes quite immense misunderstandings and heresies.

Who can properly understand the book of Apocalypse without referring to the teachings of the Church and the saints on the subject for one example?


The Church's authority and the unchanging rule of Faith handed down from the apostles is necessary to even begin to truly understand Holy Scripture.

Many thanks for your comment.  I had searched without success all 16 references to St Jerome in St Francis' Introduction to the Devout Life.  I also have The Catholic Controversy, but it has 31 references to St Jerome, some of which are multiple pages.  I'm sad to admit I can be impatient-would it be a bit better to say over-zealous?  I will keep searching, but if it's available the page number would be a great help.  And would you know if St Jerome was justifying the Vulgate or perhaps some other text altogether?

[Shin]

This is from St. Francis de Sales 'The Catholic Controversy', which is apologetic work against Protestantism, one of the popular heresies of which is somehow relying on the Bible alone without the Church.

I take it as along the lines of those who only read the surface meanings of the scriptures, rather than the true meaning and take the Holy Scriptures outside of their true context in the Faith. In other words, their understanding of the words is often superficial and flawed due to their lack of knowledge of the spirit or deeper meaning of of the passages as well as the source and context within Church history. This repeatedly occurring causes quite immense misunderstandings and heresies.

Who can properly understand the book of Apocalypse without referring to the teachings of the Church and the saints on the subject for one example?


The Church's authority and the unchanging rule of Faith handed down from the apostles is necessary to even begin to truly understand Holy Scripture.

Many thanks for your comment.  I had searched without success all 16 references to St Jerome in St Francis' Introduction to the Devout Life.  I also have The Catholic Controversy, but it has 31 references to St Jerome, some of which are multiple pages.  I'm sad to admit I can be impatient-would it be a bit better to say over-zealous?  I will keep searching, but if it's available the page number would be a great help.  And would you know if St Jerome was justifying the Vulgate or perhaps some other text altogether?

The quote is from Article III, Chapter 1 which is page 155 in the old edition I have. Here is a larger extract of it:

' S. Hilary says excellently (Lib. 2 de Trin. xviii.) "Heresy is in the understanding, not in the Scripture, and the fault is in the meaning, not in the words." and S. Augustine (In Joan. Tr. xviii, i.): "Heresies arise simply from this, that good Scriptures are ill-understood, and what is ill-understood in them is also rashly and presumptuously given forth." It is a true Michol's game; it is to cover a statue, made expressly, with the clothes of David (1 Kings xix.) He who looks at it thinks he has seen David, but he is deceived, David is not there. Heresy covers up, in the bed of its brain, the statue of its own opinion in the clothes of Holy Scripture. He who sees this doctrine thinks he has seen the Holy Word of God, but he is mistaken; it is not there. The words are there, but not the meaning. "The Scriptures," says S. Jerome, ( Adv. Lucif. 28. ) "consist not in the reading but in the understanding:" that is, faith is not in the knowing the words but the sense. And it is here that I think I have thoroughly proved that we have need of another rule for our faith, besides the rule of Holy Scripture. "If the world last long (said Luther once by good hap |) (Contr. Zwin. et. Oecol), it will be again necessary, on account of the different interpretations of Scripture which now exist, that to preserve the unity of the faith we should receive the Councils and decrees and fly to them for refuge." He acknowledges that formerly they were received, and that afterwards they will have to be. '

[Shin]

Oh and thank you for asking about the passage, it's been a pleasure to open up the Catholic Controversy again and read a little more from it.

[Shin]

'Without faith it is impossible to please God.'

Hebrews 11:6

[Shin]

'Your prayer ought to be continual. The place wherein we ought to pray is the spirit of God.'

St. Paul of the Cross

[Shin]

And here is the passage from St. Jerome's work:

'I might spend the day in speaking to the same effect, and dry up all the streams of argument with the single Sun of the Church. But as we have already had a long discussion and the protracted controversy has wearied out the attention of our audience, I will tell you my opinion briefly and without reserve. We ought to remain in that Church which was founded by the Apostles and continues to this day. If ever you hear of any that are called Christians taking their name not from the Lord Jesus Christ, but from some other, for instance, Marcionites, Valentinians, Men of the mountain or the plain, you may be sure that you have there not the Church of Christ, but the synagogue of Antichrist. For the fact that they took their rise after the foundation of the Church is proof that they are those whose coming the Apostle foretold. And let them not flatter themselves if they think they have Scripture authority for their assertions, since the devil himself quoted Scripture, and the essence of the Scriptures is not the letter, but the meaning. Otherwise, if we follow the letter, we too can concoct a new dogma and assert that such persons as wear shoes and have two coats must not be received into the Church.'

I think that St. Jerome was not referring to any particular translation but rather referring more broadly to Holy Scripture when he wrote the above.

[Shin]

'The cause of depraved thoughts is an evil disposition made up of pride and boastfulness.'

St. Thalassios the Libyan