We are very fortunate to have Sacred Scripture available in vernacular languages. This gives us the opportunity to encounter the Word of God and to deepen our knowledge. While it is good to be able to read the Bible, there is also a tendency to misinterpret what we read and to teach it to others. Additionally, with the advent of social media, we now have numerous people going online to share or teach their own interpretations of the Bible.

The Second Vatican Council's Dei Verbum teaches very clearly that when we study and interpret the Bible, it must be done with the guidance of the Church and the Magisterium; otherwise we will venture into dangerous if not heretical territory.

Today, St John tells us that anyone who does not keep within the teaching of Christ, but goes beyond it, does not have God within them. They only have themselves and they put themselves as the centre, because they interpret Scripture according to their own whims and fancies.

If we have the Father, Son and Spirit in us, we will keep to what we have been taught and live according to His commandments, which is to love, because that is the ultimate teaching of God. Let us pray for the spirit of obedience and love that we will always live in the love of God.