Happy Father's Day!
Both Kinds of Fathers
According to the Catechism,1 there are four ways of interpreting scripture:
Literal
Moral
Allegorical
Anagogical
The Literal is obvious—that’s just what the story says. The Moral is, well, the moral lesson we’re supposed to take from the Biblical story. Allegorical is way of finding parallels between the Old and New Testaments. And Anagogical is the way we look forward to things prophesied that haven’t come to pass yet.
You can apply at least two of these to almost any passage of the Bible, frequently three or four. Because these senses of scripture can interact in complex ways, it’s possible for two learned people to extract extremely different and yet perfectly accurate interpretations from the same text.
Take today’s readings, for example. Bishop Barron took the opportunity to discuss our spiritual fathers, priests—
While Fr. Mike decided to discuss our literal fathers—
Is one of them wrong? Or more right than the other? No! They took their understanding of God’s inspired word, as well as their own personal experiences, and contemplated what their flock needed to hear at this time.
They’re both true and correct. You might find one more useful or inspirational than the other, or maybe you prefer your own parish priest. That’s okay!
Just like we all have different earthly fathers (except for siblings, obviously), we all need different spiritual fathers, too. Look for the one that’s right for you!
According to Catholic Answers.