You err not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God.
Matthew 22:29

Jesus said this when a group of Sadducees came to ask him about the resurrection. This would not have been any problem except that the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection. This shows that there was really no sincerity in the question but it was an attempt to put Jesus down.

The answer of Jesus shows the importance of Scripture in our faith. One of the many things that trouble me is people who call themselves Catholics and still insist on their own ideas. Many people speak their minds out on many things specially those that involve morality. Sad to say, a lot of these are intelligent people who have advanced academic degrees to back their intelligence. But a lot of what they say are contrary to what the Church teaches.

Sadder even is the fact that a lot of them claim to be Catholics. How many politicians claim to be Catholics and still support abortion, artificial birth control and same-sex marriage? Intelligent they may be, but they are wrong. The reason why they are mistaken is because they do not know Scripture nor the power of God.

To be a Catholic is to claim Jesus as Lord. To claim Jesus as Lord is to acknowledge that what he says is right. As Catholics, we believe God speaks to his people through his Church. We also believe that the Church cannot be wrong in terms of faith and morals. So how can someone claim to be Catholic if they do not agree to the teaching of the Church? (Note the teaching is singular).

If we claim Jesus as Lord, we also claim he is the Truth. There is only one Truth – the Truth revealed by Jesus through his Church.

The law of gravity applies to everything on earth. If you throw something up, it will come down. Let us pretend that someone did not like this law. Will his belief change the way gravity works? What will happen if that person thinks he can defy the law of gravity and jumps out a window? Whether he likes it or not, he will not fly. He will still fall. Even if the government bans the law of gravity, the law of gravity will still hold because it is the way things work.

The same is true with the teaching of Jesus. This Truth never changes, even if many people do not agree with it. It will never change, even if governments outlaw it. Jesus is the Truth and if we do not believe in his Truth, we do so at our own peril.

Of course we are not called to blindly accept the teaching of the Church. It is in fact healthy to question it, but that should not stop there. If we do not agree with the teaching of the Church, it is our responsibility to search for the Truth. If we do not do this, we are either lazy or we do not care.

In the end of his discussion with the Sadducees (Matthew 22:31), Jesus said, “... have you not read that which was spoken by God, saying to you...” The key words in his phrase is “saying to you”. Scripture speaks to us. It shows us the power of God. When we know Scripture and the power of God, we will never err. Ultimately, Scripture is Jesus. Listening to Scripture speak to us leads us to Jesus – the Way, the Truth and the Life.

Lord, guide me in your path. Lead me to your Truth. Let me see you and accept you as you are.