Dei Verbum Part II - Analogy of Faith

Last post I discussed the Vatican II document, Dei Verbum, which states that in studying the Bible the believer can seek guidance from sacred tradition, the teaching of the church.   In  these two posts I suggest that laypersons should read Dei Verbum itself, and not just the books and articles about it.    Here is my favorite section from  the document: 

But the task of authentically interpreting the word of God, whether written or handed on,  has been entrusted exclusively to the living teaching office of the Church,  whose authority is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ. This teaching office is not above the word of God, but serves it, teaching only what has been handed on, listening to it devoutly, guarding it scrupulously and explaining it faithfully in accord with a divine commission and with the help of the Holy Spirit, it draws from this one deposit of faith everything which it presents for belief as divinely revealed.

Dei Verbum, chapter II, section 10 (footnotes omitted).

I was jarred when I first read this section of Dei Verbum, and I actually plan on memorizing it because these passionate words from Vatican II  bring to life the adventure of Bible study.     We are not in this alone. The "teaching office of the Church" is there to help as believers approach the holy word of God.

How do I look to the teaching of the church to understand a biblical text, in the spirit of this quoted section from Dei Verbum?    The church rarely  provides guidance on particular texts.  And I can't find anything in Dei Verbum which speaks to this practical Bible study problem.     For practical advice on this subject of how to approach particular texts I strongly recommend the little 2005 book written by Fr. Daniel Harrington, S.J. titled,  How Do Catholics Read the Bible?  

The church's "teaching office" also has some practical advice.   If a particular  text remains unclear to the amateur Bible student, and  the  church has not dealt with that text in its teaching,  the Catechism of the Catholic Church at section 114 offers assistance to the layperson with the idea of "the analogy of faith"  described as follows:

114.   3.   Be attentive to the analogy of faith.  By "analogy of faith" we mean the coherence of the truths of faith among themselves and with the whole plan of scripture.

Catechism of the Catholic Church, section 114.   If an interpretation of a particular text  is contrary to the "truths of faith" and "the whole plan of scripture" which we learn from church teaching, that interpretation is probably wrong.        

If a layperson gets stuck trying to figure out a particular text, realize that Bible study is not always easy.  That's why we have professionals, language study,  scholars and seminaries whose work is encouraged by Dei Verbum, as discussed in the last post.   And yes, Bible study should be done in fellowship with others, because the body of Christ is a community. I just took an Introduction to Scripture  online class, and that helped a lot.     Even after doing all the right things and following the principles of Catholic Bible study, a layperson's study of the Bible may generate more questions than answers, and there is nothing wrong with that.   The more I learn the more questions I have.   Life and faith is full of mystery, and the same goes for the Bible.