"All things have been handed over to me by my Father.
No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him." ~Matthew 11:27
Why Revelation?
How does God reveal Himself?
God reveals himself gradually, in stages of supernatural revelation that is to culminate in the person and mission of Christ. His will was that men should have access to the Father, through Christ, and become sharers in the divine nature. God wants to adopt us and make us capable of responding to him, loving him and knowing him far beyond our own capacity. This divine revelation is revealed little by little through the covenants.
Covenants
The Fall
Covenant with Noah
Covenant with Abraham
Covenant with Israel (Moses)
Covenant with David
The New Covenant in Christ
The New Covenant surpasses all others and applies to all people. There will be no new public revelation after Christ. As it says in Hebrews 1:1, “In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets; but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.”
While divine revelation is complete, it is not completely explicit. Over the centuries we come to grasp its significance more fully.
In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets;
in these last days, he spoke to us through a son. ~Hebrews 1:1-2
How is Divine Revelation Passed on?
Transmission of Divine Revelation
How do we receive divine revelation? This is discussed in paragraphs 74-100 of the Catechism.
God established a plan to reach all peoples. This plan starts with Apostolic Tradition. Matthew 28:19 states, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.”
The Lord commanded them to hand on the Gospel in two ways:
Orally: Through preaching, their example, and the institutions they established. They preached what they received, whether from the lips of the Lord, from his way of life or from the Holy Spirit.
Writing: Those who wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
In order to preserve the “deposit of faith” (see CCC 84) the apostles left bishops as their successors who gave to the next generation their own position of teaching authority. This living transmission of the faith, accompanied by the Holy Spirit is what we call Tradition. In her doctrine, life, and worship, the Church perpetuates and transmits to every generation all that she is and believes.
Tradition and Scripture are bound together and communicate one with the other. They come from the same well-spring and form one thing. This is one way that the Lord fulfills his promise in Matthew 28:20 to “remain with us always.”
Both Sacred Scripture and Tradition make up the Word of God and both must be accepted and honored with equal devotion and reverence. (CCC 82)
Who interprets the deposit of faith which has been handed down?
Paragraph 85 of the Catechism says, “The task of giving an authentic interpretation of the Word of God, whether in its written form or in the form of Tradition, has been entrusted to the living, teaching office of the Church alone.”
In other words, the Magisterium of the Church is entrusted with the teachings of the Faith. The Magisterium is not superior to the Word of God, but is its servant.
Our response to the Magisterium is one of obedience. Jesus said to the apostles in Luke 10:16, “He who hears you, hears me.”
Revelation: God's communication of himself, by which he makes known the mystery of his divine plan, a gift of self-communication which is realized by deeds and words over time, and the most fully by sending us his own divine Son, Jesus Christ (CCC 50).
Taken from Jeff Cavins Podcast
For more information go to Formed.org and watch - Symbolon part 1: Knowing the Faith
Go to the resource page if you'd like to download the pdf for Symbolon part 1 & 2
Online Catechism of the Catholic Faith - https://www.usccb.org/sites/default/files/flipbooks/catechism/
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