Press Apostolate: Don Dolindo's Enduring Bible Commentaries
Unlocking Scripture's Treasures and Anchoring Us in Truth
"Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ," proclaimed St. Jerome. It is truly remarkable how God's own words are infused within the pages of Sacred Scripture, yet we often struggle to fully comprehend their profound significance. Each verse holds depths of meaning that surpass human understanding, like staring in awe at a starlit night sky, where we sense the magnificent wonders without entirely grasping the underlying science. Only with a knowledgeable guide to illuminate and connect the layers of meaning within the sacred texts can their complete revelation unfold before us, like a blossoming flower.
As Catholics, we believe that Sacred Scripture is divinely inspired and contains profound truths for our faith and lives. If left solely to individual interpretations, there would be as many interpretations as there are readers, leaving us without definitive answers.
As the Catechism explains (CCC 116-117), the Church identifies four interwoven senses within biblical texts: the literal, conveying what the human authors truly expressed; the allegorical, seeing people and events as signs of Christ and the Church; the moral, revealing how we ought to act; and the anagogical, applying to our eternal destiny. These dimensions are like facets of a diamond, radiating new flashes of brilliance from each angle. But we require a master jeweler, holding the precious gem up to the light of Apostolic Tradition, to unfurl its fullest glory.
This is why we rely on authoritative guidance from Apostolic Tradition, as entrusted to St. Peter as the first Pope and the Church hierarchy under divine protection of the Holy Spirit. The Pope, and the bishops in union with him, constitute the Magisterium, or teaching office of the Church, which has prayerfully elucidated Scripture through the centuries.
As Don Dolindo explains in his commentary on Luke 1:2, “Those words: just as they were delivered to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word, are decisive against those who deny Tradition, since it is evident that the Gospel has come to us precisely through Tradition and the living word." In other words, the Gospels themselves testify that understanding them requires referring to the unbroken chain of witnesses who have safeguarded and passed on their meaning under divine guidance of the Holy Spirit. Christ entrusted this chain of witnesses to St. Peter as the first Pope and to the Church hierarchy.
We see a powerful example of this need for authoritative interpretation in Acts 8:26-40. When Philip encounters the Ethiopian eunuch reading Isaiah 53, he asks him, “Do you understand what you are reading?” (v. 30). The eunuch replies, “How can I, unless some one guides me?” (v. 31). Philip then proceeds to explain the passage Christologically, "beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news of Jesus” (v. 35). Even someone literate and versed in Scripture here acknowledges his need for guidance from Apostolic Tradition to grasp, not only Isaiah’s messianic meaning, but also the vast spiritual richness of the entire Bible.
As Don Dolindo elucidates in his commentary on Genesis 15, many people fail to grasp that God's Word itself requires authoritative clarification to penetrate hearts and bear spiritual fruit: "Many who accept that it is not possible to understand a poem without the commentary of scholars, struggle to convince themselves that the Word of God needs accurate commentary to be assimilated by the soul as its nourishment. This is why some presume to read Scripture without the Magisterial guidance of the Catholic Church, and miserably lose themselves in their ideas and thoughts." Approaching Scripture solely by our own light limits and distorts its meaning. The Word of God is "simple but also deep and full of mysteries; it is not possible to stop at its surface to understand it, it is necessary to delve into it with the guidance of the Catholic Church, which alone has the grace and mandate to explain it." Submitting to the Church permits Scripture to become within us "like a seed, and to develop, bloom, and bear abundant fruit."
Don Dolindo vividly captures this in several analogies. He compares the interplay of Scripture's illuminating insights and shadowy depths to gazing upon a starry sky - the telescope of Catholic teaching reveals astonishing worlds eclipsed from the naked eye. Similarly, without the Magisterium unraveling Scripture's intimate structures, we remain like botanists unable to unlock the marvels within a flowering plant.
Ultimately, Don Dolindo establishes that the need for commentary arises from the divine craftsmanship of Scripture."The obscurity of Sacred Scripture is the secret of its perennial flowering in souls. It always has a mystery to reveal to us, a surprise to give us, a new word to tell us, and it keeps us attached to the Catholic Church, in whose fruitful warmth of life it blooms and sends its fragrance." Nourished by Tradition, God's Word bears new spiritual fruit indefinitely; deprived of this soil, it withers into a relic from ages past.
A shining illustration of Don Dolindo’s spiritual wisdom comes in his commentary on Luke 1, where he explores the power of nourishing souls through "heavenly wisdom" in print. "The world [sometimes] poisons souls with its infected publications, which become like a continuous flow of death," Don Dolindo's observation remains piercingly relevant in today's ever-evolving media landscape. His antidote is Catholic teaching spread through books and the media: "instead we must nourish [souls] with heavenly wisdom, cooperating in spreading it ourselves...and propagating with all our effort the good press."
Don Dolindo notes that unlike transient spoken teachings, the word of God endures when transmitted through writings: "The apostolate of the word often becomes sterile over time; the apostolate of the press, on the other hand, remains like a silently perpetual lit lamp." Standing the test of time, at a time of information overload, Don Dolindo calls Catholics to wisely harness print and media to convey eternal truths that uplight dark corners. By spotlighting such penetrating spiritual commentary, we glimpse Don Dolindo's gift for unlocking biblical truths that illuminate modern challenges. It is no wonder his monumental 33 volume Bible commentary continues enlightening generations to this day.
This urgent duty to spread truth also undergirds Don Dolindo’s parting commentary on the Gospel of Mark. He passionately warns, "The world doesn't oppose evil but often persecutes goodness." Just as the scribes falsely attributed Jesus' miracles to the devil, "It is the cursed art of Satan against good: to raise opposition against the holy activities of zeal."
Don Dolindo then relates this directly to stifling efforts to counter harmful cultural forces, lamenting how too often "scandals are allowed to run rampant," yet "Men do not have the courage to confront scandalous things." On the contrary, "they confront an apostle; they let evil run free and put barriers to good." Only the life-infusing Gospel as preserved for millennia by Holy Tradition can cut against the tide of destructive misinformation of some harmful publications. As Christ warns, "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." Our words and witness flow from what fills our minds. Seeking wisdom from Bible commentaries anchored firmly in Catholic Tradition provides healthy nourishment to combat being shaped unconsciously by some of the world’s misinformation.
O Mary, "who kept all these things, pondering them in her heart," (Lk 2:19) when your Son Jesus solemnly asks, “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (Lk 18:8), intercede for us that we may heed His warning. Anchored in the Eucharist, the true presence of Christ among us, and nourished by Sacred Scripture, interpreted faithfully through Holy Tradition, may we persevere in the race set before us (Heb 12:1). As we meditate on the heroic virtues and abandonment to Providence modeled by the Saints, grant us the grace to follow their examples. Teach us humility and draw us close to your Son’s redeeming sacrifice through the prayer of the Rosary. You who witnessed the shedding of Christ’s blood were given to humankind as Mother (Jn 19:26-27). Pray for us now and at the hour of our death. Lead all souls to the heavenly crown purchased by the Lamb (Rev 5:9). With you as our guide, may the Light that enlightens all people (Jn 1:9) renew faith in each generation until the day of His coming. Amen.