Weekly HOMILY for May 15, 2011: Scripture and Tradition: Two Trustworthy Guides

4th Sunday of Easter, Cycle A
May 15, 2011
Terranuova Hermitage

Scripture and Tradition: Two Trustworthy Guides
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato


OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES

One of the well-known names in our American history is the famous Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes.

Holmes was an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court from 1902 to 1932. He is rated as an excellent justice, but on a personal level, he had a reputation for being absent-minded.

For example, one day Holmes was on a train out of Washington. He was completely engrossed in studying a case that the Court was hearing.

The conductor came down the aisle and asked for his ticket. Holmes searched the pockets of coat and trousers, but could not find it.

The conductor said, “Don’t be concerned, Mr. Justice Holmes. When you return to Washington, you can send us the ticket at your convenience.”

Holmes shook his head and said, “Thank you, my good man, but the problem is not whether I’ll pay the fare. The problem is: where am I going?”


DIRECTION AND GUIDANCE

That anecdote helps us to appreciate the question implied in today’s gospel.

The question is: where are we going? Jesus uses the image of a shepherd and sheep.

The idea is that Jesus wants us to see him as our shepherd and to follow the direction and guidance he offers us. Where do we find this direction and guidance?

We Catholic Christians believe that there are two sources for this. And these are: the Bible and Tradition.


SOURCE 1: THE BIBLE

First, the Bible is the primary place for finding our direction.

The Bible or the Scripture is God speaking directly to us. It is something like God writing a letter to us.

God is telling us about who he is and who we are. For example, we are told that in some way God is Creator and Savior and Holy Spirit living within us.

And besides telling us who God is, the Bible also tells us what God intends us to be like. For example, we are told that to be like God, we need to become persons of compassion and justice.

Now because of all that the Scripture tells us, it is to be the foundation of our faith and life. This is why whenever we celebrate a sacrament, like the Eucharist, we always begin with Scripture.

It is also why reading some verses from the Scripture, especially from one of the gospels, is a good part of personal, private prayer at home or wherever. In all of us, the Bible forms our faith and forms us as persons.

It gives us direction. It tells us where we should be going.


SOURCE 2: TRADITION

That takes us to the second source for getting direction from the Good Shepherd, and this is Tradition.

Here Tradition is with a capital T and not a small t. Tradition with a small t means customs, maybe like having a family barbecue on Memorial Day.

But Tradition with a capital T refers to our Catholic Christian Tradition. This refers to what we can learn about God and about living life from the experience of Christians and from the teaching of the Church down through the centuries.

The idea is that the Bible does not provide all the answers. It is our primary source of direction, but often it is fairly general and does not give specifics.

We also need the Tradition of the Church to give these specifics. For example, the Bible clearly forbids killing, the taking of the life of a person.

Our Church Tradition or teaching tells us that ending the life of a fetus is forbidden by this commandment. In a similar way, that same Tradition spells out principles for a just war that tell us when war may or may not be just and moral.

So, the Bible gives the general commandment or direction. The Tradition of the Church in a sense supplements the Bible and makes it specific to certain issues.


CONCLUSION

So, (1) Scripture or the Bible and (2) Tradition with a capital T – these are the two sources for allowing Jesus, the Good Shepherd to give us direction and tell us where we should be going.