Study

Study as if you were to live forever. Live as if you were to die tomorrow.---St. Isidore of Seville (7th century)

 

It is so important that we know the scripture. From Genesis to Revelation, this is God's story of our salvation. It must be studied with diligence and humility. It must never be taken out of context, and it must never be used for selfish gain. This is why we need the guidance of the Church in our individual devotions. One person could read the Sermon on the Mount and say, 'This is what it means.' Another person could say, 'No,  it means this.' Both can't be correct. There is a context to everything in Jesus' words and instructions. When Jesus changed Simon's name to Peter, which means "rock", and said that He would build His Church on Peter, they were standing in Caesarea Phillipi. Caesarea Phillipi is the place of a gigantic rock where the pagans had built their temple. Jesus uses this backdrop to teach the apostles that His Church will be the One True Church that He will build upon the leadership of Peter. When He tells Peter that He is giving Him the Keys to open and shut the things of God, the other apostles knew the context of these keys. They knew that the Steward of every King of the Davidic Kingdom was given the keys of authority and did the King's will concerning the people of God. From this point on the other disciples even called Simon, Peter, and all through the book of Acts, Peter is the leader of the new Church, just as Jesus said he would be. It is so important to dig into the treasure that is God's words! Without understanding the context, people can confuse the words of Jesus, and make them mean whatever they want. This leads to heresy. Whenever you hear someone quoting scripture out of context to make a point for something they are espousing, be very wary until you have studied it in it's full meaning, including what I am saying here.

 

wkm

 

St. Isidore of Seville