Saturday May 10, 2008: Acts 28:16-20, 30-31; John 21:20-25

The “sola scriptura” argument is defeated by the conclusion of today’s gospel: “There are also many other things that Jesus did but if these were to be described individually, I do not think the whole world would contain the books that would be written.” When some of my friends in other Christian churches want to question my Catholic beliefs, the question is always “Is it in the Bible?” I always reply with a question, “Does it have to be in the Bible?” and then I will proceed to quote this passage from John. It would be naïve to think that the Bible contains in totality every single thing that Jesus did. The intention of the evangelists was not to write the history of Jesus. The truthful witness of the life of Jesus also comes to us through the traditions handed down to us by the Apostles. Our beliefs are founded not only on the Bible but also in the over 2000 year tradition that we as a church have been so privileged to receive from the Apostles. It is our responsibility to continue to witness the truth of the life, passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ to all people that we encounter.