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| 2 THESSALONIANS 2:15 "THE WORD IS A LAMP UNTO MY FEET" |
| Therefore, brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught, either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours. 2 Thessalonians 2:15 |
"Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." [Psalm 119:105]
'Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture are bound closely together, and communicate
one with the other. For both of them, flowing from the same divine well-spring, come
together in some fashion to form one thing, and move toward the same goal. Sacred
Scripture is the speech of God, as it is put down in writing under the breath of the Holy Spirit...
Tradition transmits in its entirety the Word of God which has been entrusted to the apostles
by Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit." [Dei Verbum 11-9]
What I want to convey is my love for the Word of God in both Sacred Tradition and Sacred
Scripture.., and my ever increasing conviction that, for a Christian to survive as a Christian in
today's world, it is essential to be equipped with and always be growing in one's knowledge
and love of the "Word of God'. When Jesus was confronted with Satan, He rebuked him and
He used Scripture to refute his lies [Mt. 4].
Jesus has given us the example and has shown us the way.
Jesus tells His followers in the Gospel of Luke: 1o:16 "Whoever listens to you listens to me.
Whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me." Jesus
only mentions the word church' twice in Scripture. Once in Mt. 18:17 where He tells His
followers that if (someone) "refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as you would
a Gentile or a tax collector." (This is one place where we would get the idea of
excommunication in Scripture).
And the other place where Jesus mentions 'church' is when He promises to build His church
on the rock of Peter, and He promises that the 'gates of hell will not prevail against it'. Mat
t6:i8 And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock! will build my church, and the
gates of the net herworld shall not prevail against it.
The 'gates' is part of the fulfillment of the 'prophecy' made to Abraham in Gen 22:17 "I will
bless you abundantly and make your descendants as countless as the stars of the sky and
the sands of the seashore; your descendants shall take possession of the gates of their
enemies,"
Jesus is stating in no uncertain terms that those who refuse to listen to the Church He
founded on the 'apostles' (Eph 2:20 built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets,
with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone.), refuse to listen to Him and the Father who sent
Him!
St. Paul in his 'Letter' to his protege Timothy says: 2 Tim 3:16 "All Scripture is inspired by God
and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
2Ti 3:17 so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work".
When we read the Holy Scriptures we are invited to enter into a relationship. Unlike any other
book, this book is a direct communication between God (the author) to His beloved 'children'
(Jn. 1:12), His 'bride' (Rev. 19:7), His 'Beloved' (Rom. 1:7). God Himself, is the author of both
Sacred Scripture and Sacred Traition (1 Cor. 11:2; 2 Thess. 2:15). These divinely revealed
realities were given under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. God chose the human authors He
desired to use, and it was under the power of the Holy Spirit that they wrote and they said
whatever He wanted, and no more. They, therefore, teach the truth without error that God
desired to see confided to us for the sake of our salvation (Acts 10:41-42). [CCC #105-108]
The Word of God is alive and active [Heb. 4:12] and it is sent out to accomplish the work that
God has sent it to do. [IS. 56:11] It is planted into the hearts and minds of all who hear and
read it, [Mt. 131 to bear fruit in due season.] As one's heart and mind is opened. the Holy
Spirit brings alive the Word, and it bears fruit.
It is advisable to always begin any reading and study of the Scriptures & Sacred Tradition with
a prayer to the Holy Spirit for wisdom. He, whose primary work is to bear witness to the Father
and to Jesus, who is the Word and for whom He speaks, rises up within us as a spring of
water in the desert, refreshing the soul, instructing and comforting us. [Is. 44:3,4; 61:14; Jn.16]
As we begin with coming into God's presence and praying for wisdom, our hearts are in a
disposition to be taught by the Holy Spirit. He will instruct us about life, about the intimacy of
this relationship with God, about everything that we need to know. As we seek wisdom and
the Lord's meaning of the words and ways of saying things that seem strange, and sometimes
unacceptable and confusing, it is most essential to allow the Holy Spirit to lead us to all truth.
[Jn. 16:13] An open seeking of God presupposes that we allow the Holy Spirit to conform our
minds to His Word through the Church and through the Scriptures. Not that we conform God's
Word' to our way of thinking, that is simply pride and arrogance.
Those traditions to be kept:
1 Cor. 11:2 I praise you because you remember me in everything and hold fast to the
traditions, just as I handed them on to you.
Col. 2:8 See to it that no one captivate you with an empty, seductive philosophy according to
human tradition, according to the elemental powers of the world and not according to Christ.
2 Thess. 2:15 Therefore, brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were
taught, either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours.
2 Thess. 3:6 We instruct you, brothers, in the name of (our) Lord Jesus Christ,to shun any
brother who conducts himself in a disorderly way and not according to the tradition they
received from us.
EPHRAIM
"[Jesus said:] Simon, my follower, I have made you the foundation of the holy Church. I
betimes called you Peter, because you will support all its buildings. You are the inspector of
those who will build on earth a Church for me. If they should wish to build what is false, you,
the foundation, will condemn them. You are the head of the fountain from which my teaching
flows; you are the chief of my disciples. Through you I will give drink to all peoples. Yours is
that life-giving sweetness which I dispense. I have chosen you to be, as it were, the first-born
in my institution so that, as the heir, you may be executor of my treasures. I have given you
the keys of my kingdom. Behold, I have given you authority over all my treasures" (Homilies
4:1 [a.d. 351]).
one with the other. For both of them, flowing from the same divine well-spring, come
together in some fashion to form one thing, and move toward the same goal. Sacred
Scripture is the speech of God, as it is put down in writing under the breath of the Holy Spirit...
Tradition transmits in its entirety the Word of God which has been entrusted to the apostles
by Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit." [Dei Verbum 11-9]
What I want to convey is my love for the Word of God in both Sacred Tradition and Sacred
Scripture.., and my ever increasing conviction that, for a Christian to survive as a Christian in
today's world, it is essential to be equipped with and always be growing in one's knowledge
and love of the "Word of God'. When Jesus was confronted with Satan, He rebuked him and
He used Scripture to refute his lies [Mt. 4].
Jesus has given us the example and has shown us the way.
Jesus tells His followers in the Gospel of Luke: 1o:16 "Whoever listens to you listens to me.
Whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me." Jesus
only mentions the word church' twice in Scripture. Once in Mt. 18:17 where He tells His
followers that if (someone) "refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as you would
a Gentile or a tax collector." (This is one place where we would get the idea of
excommunication in Scripture).
And the other place where Jesus mentions 'church' is when He promises to build His church
on the rock of Peter, and He promises that the 'gates of hell will not prevail against it'. Mat
t6:i8 And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock! will build my church, and the
gates of the net herworld shall not prevail against it.
The 'gates' is part of the fulfillment of the 'prophecy' made to Abraham in Gen 22:17 "I will
bless you abundantly and make your descendants as countless as the stars of the sky and
the sands of the seashore; your descendants shall take possession of the gates of their
enemies,"
Jesus is stating in no uncertain terms that those who refuse to listen to the Church He
founded on the 'apostles' (Eph 2:20 built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets,
with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone.), refuse to listen to Him and the Father who sent
Him!
St. Paul in his 'Letter' to his protege Timothy says: 2 Tim 3:16 "All Scripture is inspired by God
and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
2Ti 3:17 so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work".
When we read the Holy Scriptures we are invited to enter into a relationship. Unlike any other
book, this book is a direct communication between God (the author) to His beloved 'children'
(Jn. 1:12), His 'bride' (Rev. 19:7), His 'Beloved' (Rom. 1:7). God Himself, is the author of both
Sacred Scripture and Sacred Traition (1 Cor. 11:2; 2 Thess. 2:15). These divinely revealed
realities were given under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. God chose the human authors He
desired to use, and it was under the power of the Holy Spirit that they wrote and they said
whatever He wanted, and no more. They, therefore, teach the truth without error that God
desired to see confided to us for the sake of our salvation (Acts 10:41-42). [CCC #105-108]
The Word of God is alive and active [Heb. 4:12] and it is sent out to accomplish the work that
God has sent it to do. [IS. 56:11] It is planted into the hearts and minds of all who hear and
read it, [Mt. 131 to bear fruit in due season.] As one's heart and mind is opened. the Holy
Spirit brings alive the Word, and it bears fruit.
It is advisable to always begin any reading and study of the Scriptures & Sacred Tradition with
a prayer to the Holy Spirit for wisdom. He, whose primary work is to bear witness to the Father
and to Jesus, who is the Word and for whom He speaks, rises up within us as a spring of
water in the desert, refreshing the soul, instructing and comforting us. [Is. 44:3,4; 61:14; Jn.16]
As we begin with coming into God's presence and praying for wisdom, our hearts are in a
disposition to be taught by the Holy Spirit. He will instruct us about life, about the intimacy of
this relationship with God, about everything that we need to know. As we seek wisdom and
the Lord's meaning of the words and ways of saying things that seem strange, and sometimes
unacceptable and confusing, it is most essential to allow the Holy Spirit to lead us to all truth.
[Jn. 16:13] An open seeking of God presupposes that we allow the Holy Spirit to conform our
minds to His Word through the Church and through the Scriptures. Not that we conform God's
Word' to our way of thinking, that is simply pride and arrogance.
Those traditions to be kept:
1 Cor. 11:2 I praise you because you remember me in everything and hold fast to the
traditions, just as I handed them on to you.
Col. 2:8 See to it that no one captivate you with an empty, seductive philosophy according to
human tradition, according to the elemental powers of the world and not according to Christ.
2 Thess. 2:15 Therefore, brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were
taught, either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours.
2 Thess. 3:6 We instruct you, brothers, in the name of (our) Lord Jesus Christ,to shun any
brother who conducts himself in a disorderly way and not according to the tradition they
received from us.
EPHRAIM
"[Jesus said:] Simon, my follower, I have made you the foundation of the holy Church. I
betimes called you Peter, because you will support all its buildings. You are the inspector of
those who will build on earth a Church for me. If they should wish to build what is false, you,
the foundation, will condemn them. You are the head of the fountain from which my teaching
flows; you are the chief of my disciples. Through you I will give drink to all peoples. Yours is
that life-giving sweetness which I dispense. I have chosen you to be, as it were, the first-born
in my institution so that, as the heir, you may be executor of my treasures. I have given you
the keys of my kingdom. Behold, I have given you authority over all my treasures" (Homilies
4:1 [a.d. 351]).
