Day Five: Revelation, Tradition, and Scripture, Part Three

With the knowledge that we cannot know anything about our Authentic Self or Authentic Love without the help of a transcendent being, God, we can now start talking about what the Catholic Church teaches about how God “reveals” or “unveils” that Truth to His Creation.

Students will be able to define and explain Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture as Revelation from God.

The Church teaches that God reveals Himself to us, primarily, in two ways: Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture. I briefly mention that God does, in fact, reveal His Truths to us in other ways, namely, trough Creation, people, dreams, etc…. but these other forms of Revelation tend to be “personal” and really deal with the individual at a particular point in their Faith Journey. Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture are essential for all people at any time.  By definition, they help the entire human race “look like” God, who is eternal Trinity. I give them basic definitions:

•       Sacred Tradition is “the living transmission of the Church’s Gospel message found in the Church’s teaching, life, and worship. It is faithfully preserved, handed on, and interpreted by the Church’s Magisterium”.

•       In case they don’t know the word “Gospel”…“Gospel” means “Good News”. Specifically, the Good News that we are called to Love and to be Loved. This “Lover/”Beloved” concept will be one that is repeated throughout the course.

•       “Magisterium” means the “teaching authority of the Church”. Later, when we discuss ecclesiology (the study of the Church) I go into more detail about where this authority comes from.

•       Sacred Scripture or the Bible is “the inspired Word of God; the written record of Revelation.”

•       “Word” is capitalized to emphasize that Scripture is not just symbolic of God; it is an example of His Love.

•       Sacred Scripture records the various Covenants (Sacred Contract) in which God continuously promises to Love us…to teach us how to Love and how to be Loved. Later in the course I will discuss Covenant Relationship and how that factors into Catholic teaching.

It is easy enough for most students these days to learn definitions. Education in America has focused so much on surface learning and basic understanding that this form of learning by memorization has become the default mode in the classroom for many students, and, sadly, many teachers. Of course, we are talking about a “relationship with God” in Catholic theology, and as anyone who has ever been in Love knows, your knowledge of that relationship involves so much more than simple surface knowledge of your Beloved. Knowledge of God, then, also requires so much more than just memorizing attributes or Scripture or prayers. In order for us to know Him, He must come to us and show us…”unveil” Himself to us… who He really is and what we are really made to be. Catholic theology teaches that Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture actually contain the active presence of God. They are the Holy Spirit inspiring humans to “hand on” Traditions or to compose Scriptures. Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture are Divinely Inspired.

I end the class with a discussion of the question: “Which comes first: Sacred Tradition or Sacred Scripture?” Because most of American culture is more familiar with Sacred Scripture, the students tend to answer that the Bible came first. Of course, they may be thinking of the Torah or even the entirety of Israel’s Scriptures before Jesus. Some students logically deduce, based partly on their understanding of how things get written down, that the stories of Scripture had to have been told orally before they were written down, which means that Oral Tradition had to come first. I give them this simple analogy: when I proposed to my wife, we did not write a long letter or email to our parents; we called them and told them directly. Anytime we have “Good News” we want to share it in as personal a way as possible. In theology, in order for that Good News to be transmitted properly and fully before it as written down, the Holy Spirit must have been present in the Apostles and the disciples of Jesus. This makes that Tradition equal to the Sacred Scriptures that would come some thirty to seventy years after Jesus.

I give the students their homework, which is the basically summarize what we had discussed that day. The next class will discuss the “Attributes of God”.

(The Drawbacks to Being So Smart)