“One generation of Catholic hands on their Catholic faith to the next, as one American family hands on the meaning of being an American to its children.” This is the main idea of Catholic Tradition, the passing down of rituals, faith, and meaning from each generation to the next. The Bible, the most important book in Catholic Tradition, “is the core of our insight into the design of God for his people, the manner in which they are expected to live, and the destiny prepared for them.” Theologians question the Bible’s place in Catholic faith, its authority, and whether or not it is the last word. All are valid questions, but the most challenging question is relating the understanding of the Bible to Catholic Tradition. A Tradition is an idea, in this case, faith, that is handed down throughout the generations. Traditions cannot be changed since they are the shared experience of that generation. The connection between Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition “makes present and fruitful in the mystery of Christ, who promised to remain with his own ‘always, to close of the age.’” This is one of the holiest connections in the Catholic faith. Catholics are finally able to understand the background of the Bible and how it was constructed and formed by holy people.
The Bible is the direct Word of God, which was transmitted through the mouth and hands of people who had a special connection to God. Once an individual had a specific revelation from God, in this case the exact Word, ipsissima verba, they would then commit it to memory and spread the Word orally. These oral traditions would reach an individual who would be able to transcribe the oral tradition into written traditions, the gospels.&nbs ...