Teachings of CAtholic Church as rooted in Scripture

Wow! there are many questions around Scripture--how to interpret it and the freedom to interpret as intiviudals. As a preface to these comments, please be assured that the Spirit speaks to us in prayer about the meanings of God's words. Interpretation is a different matter.    The Catholic catechism specifies that any indivicdual interpretation must be measured for its consistency with the collective wisdom of Tradition and the Magisterium teaching authority. In the Catholic Tradition of interpreting the Bible we are always urged to consider the -CONTEXT OF THE PASSAGE--historical, cultural and literary. It is recommended that Bible study be done in community and with access to scholarly resources. AS an example, many Catholics have mis-interpreted the book of  revelation--it is not primarily about fear and the end of the world--but about hope and faith-filled living in a time of persecution because God is ultimately greater than all forces of evil.  A second question:  How do we know what "required" catholic beliefs flow out of  these authoritative Biblical interpretationsof the Magisterium.  This is a focus of this initial year of Why Catholic  Trinity, Incarnation, Paschal Mystery --but there is so much more!  I recommend you go the to the website:   http://www.scripturecatholic.com/ for basic catholic beliefs and how they are interpreted from Scripture passages-- hundreds of references!   Hope this helps.   REO office, committed carolyn