Tradition:
Pass-it On …
Through the Light of the
Gospels &
Through the Light of Human
Reason
Tradition
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We have seen how the Fathers of the Church
contributed to solving many issues in the early Church.
These men and women contributed to the living
Tradition of the Church.
Tradition is the “handing on” of the teaching of Jesus
Christ through the generations.
Tradition is handed on in three ways:
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The Oral Tradition of preaching.
The Written Tradition of the Sacred Scriptures
The Magisterial Tradition of the teaching of the Church.
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The teaching of the Church in its entirety is called the Deposit of
the Faith.
Oral Tradition
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Most societies in the ancient world handed on their
histories by word of mouth or oral tradition.
When the apostles were given the task of spreading the
Gospel they did so first in the way which was most
familiar to them.
Oral Tradition is the passing on of the Gospel message
through the teaching and preaching of the Apostles.
From the preaching and teaching of the Apostles the
Gospel message went out throughout the world:
Written Tradition
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When the work of evangelization was underway, the
Apostles began to write down accounts of Jesus’ life
and message.
These accounts became known as the Gospels or
“Good News”.
Other Apostles, like St. Paul, wrote letters to specific
Christian communities.
Paul’s letters were meant to guide his communities
toward greater holiness through following Jesus’
teaching.
Other Apostles wrote letters to the wider Christian world,
these letters became known as the Catholic Letters.
The Gospels, Paul’s letters, and the Catholic letters were
copied and distributed to be read in Church as part of
the liturgy and the instruction of the people.
Apostolic Succession
 To pass on the message of
Christ, the Apostles ordained
successors (bishops) to carry
on their mission.
 The line of Catholic bishops
goes back to the time of the
Apostles and serves as our
direct link back to Christ.
 We can be assured of the
accuracy of the teaching of
Christ by this unbroken line.
 Apostolic Succession is seen
most clearly through the
ministry of the Pope, who is
the successor of St. Peter. He
guarantees that Jesus’
message is passed onto us.
Ensures that
Tradition is
safeguarded and
properly handed
on for us to shape
our lives upon!
Infallibility
 An often misunderstood doctrine
of the Church is infallibility.
 There are two types of infallibility:
 Papal
 Apostolic
 Papal Infallibility holds that the
Pope is infallible when he
proclaims a doctrine on faith
and/or morals which is binding
upon the whole Church.
 The Transitive Property of
Infallibility
The First Vatican Council proclaimed the
Doctrine of Infallibility in 1870.
Ensures that Tradition is held firmly by all
believers!
 This doctrine is also based on the
fact that the Pope can only
teach what Christ taught and
Christ’s teaching is without error.
 This teaching is based on Christ’s
promise to Peter, “…the gates of
Hades shall not prevail against it
[the Church]” Mt. 16:18
Apostolic Infallibility
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Over 2000 years:
7(ish) infallible
statements vs. 27
Ecumenical
Councils
It is also important to remember that the Pope never
does anything by his own power, rather he always
consults and makes decisions with the whole Church.
Apostolic Infallibility is the normal means by which a
teaching of Christ is proclaimed.
It is generally done at an Ecumenical Council where the
entire body of Bishops in union with the Pope, makes a
proclamation on faith and/or morality in the name of
the entire Church.
We have already seen several examples of this type of
infallible teaching: ex. The Councils of Nicaea,
Chalcedon, Constantinople, etc.; all proclaimed
infallible teaching.
The infallible pronouncements of an Ecumenical
Council then are added to the Deposit of the Faith and
add to a fuller expression of the Catholic faith.
The Witness of the Saints
 “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could
count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before
the throne and before the Lamb…” Rev. 7:9
 The numerous writings and teachings of the saints helped to hand on the living
witness of the Gospels through the centuries.
 Now in glory, the saints continue their mission to bring the Gospel to all by their
prayers for mankind.
Natural Theology
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We have seen how the Revelation of God through the
Jewish people in the Old Testament and supremely
through Christ in the New Testament has been passed
down through the Tradition by the Church.
But, is there a way to know the existence of God
through a purely natural way?
Yes, the Church has always taught that the knowledge
of the existence of God can been seen through the
natural and created order.
This is the study of natural theology and/or the
Philosophy of God.
Faith and Reason
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Many mistakenly believe that Catholics/Christians place
faith above reason.
Therefore, they mistakenly believe that Catholic Christians
have little use for science.
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There is nothing in our
faith which is not
reasonable and there
is nothing we know
from reason which
offends our faith –
they go together!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Catholic_scientists
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Roman_Catholic_cleric%E2%
80%93scientists
The Church has always taught that faith and reason go
together and are not opposed, Blessed John Paul II states:
“Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human
spirit rises to the contemplation of truth; and God has
placed in the human heart a desire to know the truth—in a
word, to know himself—so that, by knowing and loving
God, men and women may also come to the fullness of
truth about themselves”
Fides et Ratio, Encyclical Letter 1998
Proofs of the Existence of God
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Throughout the Church’s history certain theologians and
philosophers have attempted to demonstrate the
existence of God through natural reason.
These are known as the Proofs for the Existence of God.
A proof, as you know from mathematics, is a series of
steps which arrives at a summation.
The Proofs for the Existence of God follow a series of
logical steps and arrive at the existence of God.
We will focus our study on three proofs: two, from St.
Thomas Aquinas and one from St. Augustine.
Why Do We Need Proofs? –
Atheism & Agnosticism
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If we are trying to hand on the revelation of God to people who
don’t know if God exists or to people who don’t believe in God, then
we need strategies to dialogue with their positions – this is where
“proofs” are helpful.
Atheism – the position which states “there is no God”.
Agnosticism – the position which states the existence of God cannot
be known.
Practical Considerations:
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1. People coming from a position of disbelief generally express their
positions emotionally and without truly thinking their statements through:
an example would be: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UA3OqrNnezc
2. Listen compassionately, begin a dialogue, use the “Socratic Method” –
ask them to define their terms and explain the reasons why they believe
what they believe.
3. Respond using the following “Proofs for the Existence of God”
4. Continue the dialogue … you will not convince someone immediately,
change is a process.
Augustine’s Triangle Proof
8. So the equilateral
triangle exists only as an
intelligent idea of a
perfect shape.
1. What is the shape on the
left?
2. What kind of triangle is it?
3. An equilateral triangle = a
triangle wherein all three
sides are perfectly the same.
4. Does an equilateral triangle
exist in nature? Is it
scientifically verifiable?
5. No, you cannot find one in
nature nor can you create
one in a lab because
“perfection” does not exist in
this world.
6. But, does the equilateral
triangle exist?
7. Of course it does! It exists
only as a mathematical idea.
You would have to be a
raving madman to say that it
did not exist.
Triangle Proof – Continued
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
The only Being Who fits the
description is God! God is
the source of the
equilateral triangle.
13.
And, when do ideas come into
existence? When you think them
for the first time? Or are they
always accessible to be thought?
They are always able to be
grasped by intelligent beings.
Another way of saying “always
available” is “eternal”.
Now, we must find the source of
the equilateral triangle, for
everything, including ideas, must
have a source.
The sources of things must
contain all the characteristics of
the things that spring from them.
Therefore, we are looking for a
source which is: eternal,
intelligent, capable of thought,
and perfect.
God is also the source of such eternal ideas like: peace, hope, justice and love.
St. Thomas Aquinas
Proofs for God’s Existence
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St. Thomas Aquinas was an Italian
philosopher and theologian who proposed
five proofs for God’s existence which were
not based on the Bible or theology.
1. Unmoved Mover = There is motion in the world
and whatever is in motion had to be put in motion
by another (Newton’s 1st Law of Motion). By
looking at the series of motion in the world and
going back to the creation of the universe, we
conclude that there must have been a “First
Mover” or an “Unmoved Mover” or God.
2. First Cause =The world is a series of causes and
effects. Taking those causes and effects back in
history, to the moment of creation; we conclude,
that there must have been a first cause of
creation or God.