Divine Revelation

Divine Revelation God chose to reveal Himself and make known the mystery of His will Mystery A truth that cannot be discovered by man alone and that cannot be fully known or expressed by man’s finite mind. God’s revelation of Himself is an invitation of friendship Finding Nemo God chose to reveal Himself and make known the mystery of His will. By mystery we do not mean an unsolvable puzzle, but rather, a truth that cannot be discovered by man alone and that cannot be fully known or expressed by man’s finite mind. We can know that God exists on our own, but there are things about God that we cannot know on our own, such as that He loves us and has a plan for our lives. God revealed Himself to invite us into friendship with Him. His revelation of Himself is how God pursued us throughout history to save us. Show the You Tube clip from Finding Nemo at the hyper link on the slide. It is the scene where Nemo’s dad, Marlin, tells the story of how he has been searching for Nemo. His story is then retold by other across the ocean until it reaches Nemo and he learns that his father is searching for him and coming to save him. Discuss with your students how this clip relates to God’s revelation of Himself. Like Nemo’s dad, God is searching for us to save us. Like Nemo’s dad, God has told us about Himself so that we can learn about Him, come to know Him, and be confident in our salvation.

How Did Revelation Get to Us Today? God has ensured that His revelation of Himself to us will remain whole and complete and be handed on to all generations until the end of time. Tripod of Truth Sacred Tradition Sacred Scripture Magisterium God revealed Himself gradually and in stages and in words and deeds throughout human history. He left a means to ensure that this revelation remains whole and complete for all time. This can be called the Tripod of Truth and consists of Sacred Tradition, Sacred Scripture, and the Magisterium of the Church. Each of these is a “leg” of the “tripod” that upholds the truth of God’s revelation.

Tripod of Truth Divine Revelation/ God’s revealed truths Sacred Scripture Sacred Tradition Magisterium Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and the Magisterium together uphold the truth of God’s revelation, like a tripod. A tripod is the most stable of all platforms. Each leg equally supports what is being upheld. However, if one of those legs is removed or is missing, the entire platform falls down. (This slide is animated to show what happens if one “leg” is removed) Ask your students which of the “legs” of the “Tripod of Truth” is the most important. – Answer: All three are equally important. Like any tripod, we need all three to uphold and defend the truth. Scripture, Tradition, and the Magisterium are all equally important to ensuring that God’s revelation remains whole and complete for all time.

How Did Revelation Get to Us Today? Sacred Tradition The core content of Faith Found in: Scripture Dogmas Doctrines The process by which that content handed on Christ commissioned the Apostles to preach to all the Good News of the Gospel Carried out in and through the Church Sacred Tradition is first. It is the core content of the Christian faith that is found in Scripture, and the teachings of the Church (dogmas and doctrines). A dogma is the highest level of truth officially recognized by the Church as divinely revealed and obligates belief. (the Resurrection, for example) A doctrine is a teaching of the Church concerning faith and morals that follows from the divinely revealed dogmas. Sacred Tradition also refers to the process by which the central content of the faith is handed on. In fact, “tradition” means “to hand on.” Jesus told the Apostles to preach to all the Gospel message, which they and their successors, the Bishops, have done faithfully for the past 2,000 years under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

How Did Revelation Get to Us Today? Sacred Scripture The recognized Word of God contained in the Old and New Testaments that make up the Bible. The written record of God’s revelation Originates within Sacred Tradition Magisterium The teaching authority of the Church Those who possess that authority The Pope and the College of Bishops in union with the Pope Sacred Scripture is the officially recognizes Word of God found in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. There are 73 books in the Catholic Bible and those books have been universally recognized to be there official books of Scripture for nearly 2,000 years. There will not be “new” books added to the Bible. Tradition came before Scripture. There was a time in the early Church where there were Christians but there was no New Testament. It had not been written yet. Therefore, it makes sense to say that Tradition, the core beliefs of the Christian faith existed before there was a Bible. The Magisterium is a word that refers to the teaching authority of the Church. Jesus gave the Church the authority to teach and baptize in His name. Therefore, the Magisterium refers to that authority and to those who possess that authority: the Pope alone and all of the world’s bishops (the College of Bishops) together in union with the Pope.

The Deposit of Faith Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition flow “from the same wellspring,” and “merge into a unity.” (DV 9) Together they form one sacred deposit of the Word of God Deposit of Faith The whole content of the Faith Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition have the same source, God Himself, and merge together to form the whole content of our Christian faith. This is called the Deposit of Faith, revealed by God through Jesus Christ, and faithfully guarded and interpreted by the Magisterium, Christ’s Church on earth.