How should a Catholic read and interpret Sacred Scripture?
Because Sacred Scripture is inspired by the Holy Spirit, it must also be read and interpreted in the same Spirit by whom it was written.
The Second Vatican Council gave three golden criteria for authentic Catholic interpretation. First, pay attentive heed to the content and unity of the whole Scripture: individual verses cannot be ripped out of context to contradict the overall narrative of salvation. Second, read Scripture within the living Tradition of the whole Church, listening to the Fathers and liturgical practice. Third, maintain the analogy of faith: the coherence of the truths of faith among themselves.
Catholics are encouraged to study both the literal sense (what the words intended by the human author convey) and the spiritual senses (allegorical, moral, and anagogical), allowing Scripture to illuminate prayer and daily life.
Sources
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 111
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 112
- Dei Verbum, no. 12, 1965
Awaiting review by the chaplaincy. Written in our own words; the Church's own texts are the authority.