Why Scripture Needs Interpreting
The question
Isn't the Bible clear enough to just read for yourself without a Church telling you what it means?
Scripture · 2 Peter 1:20
First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation.
A short answer
"Just read the plain meaning" sounds great until you notice that sincere, smart, prayerful people read the same verses and reach opposite conclusions — and the thousands of denominations to prove it. The Bible itself anticipates this. Peter warns that Scripture is "not a matter of one's own interpretation" and that some passages are "hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist... to their own destruction" (2 Peter 1:20; 3:16). If Scripture interpreted itself automatically, that warning would be pointless.
There's a beautiful little scene that captures the Catholic view. An Ethiopian official is reading Isaiah in his chariot, and Philip asks, "Do you understand what you are reading?" The man answers, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" (Acts 8:30-31). The Word of God and a living guide work together — that's the model. God gave us Scripture and a Church to read it faithfully, so the meaning isn't left to whoever shouts loudest. The Catechism calls this the Magisterium, serving the Word, not standing above it (CCC 85-86, 119).
This isn't the Church muzzling the Bible. It's the Church protecting it. Every reader brings assumptions; a teaching authority anchored in the apostles keeps us from each becoming our own private pope. You absolutely should read Scripture for yourself — deeply, daily. You just don't have to read it alone.