RCIA Session 13 – Sacred Tradition – The Living Transmission of the Faith

Sacred Tradition — The Living Transmission of the Faith

RCIA – Week 13
This session forms part of a structured introduction to the Catholic Faith used in parish RCIA. It is intended to be read slowly and prayerfully, alongside participation in the life of the Church. This material is offered for formation and reflection. Reception into the Catholic Church always involves personal discernment and parish accompaniment.

Aim of this session

By the end of this session, participants should understand that:

  • Sacred Tradition is not optional or secondary
  • revelation was handed on before it was written
  • Scripture and Tradition come from the same source
  • the Church is the living bearer of both
  • rejecting Tradition undermines Scripture itself

This session answers the question:

How was God’s revelation handed on before, during, and after Scripture?

1. Why Tradition Must Be Addressed

Last week we saw that:

  • Sacred Scripture is the word of God written
  • the Church received, preserved, and interprets Scripture

A further question naturally follows:

How was the faith preserved before the Bible was written — and how is it preserved now?

For many years:

  • there was no New Testament
  • most people could not read
  • the faith was still taught clearly

This is not a problem for the Church.
It is part of her design.

2. What Is Sacred Tradition?

Sacred Tradition means:

The living transmission of God’s revelation, handed on by the apostles and preserved in the Church.

Tradition is not:

  • customs that can change
  • personal opinions
  • practices invented later

Sacred Tradition is:

  • the faith taught
  • the worship celebrated
  • the moral life lived

It is revelation handed on, not written down.

Penny Catechism

Q. What is Sacred Tradition?
A. Sacred Tradition is the unwritten word of God.

This does not mean “unrecorded” or “uncertain.”
It means not confined to writing.

3. Revelation Was Handed On Before It Was Written

Jesus Christ:

  • did not write a book
  • taught by word and action
  • entrusted His teaching to the apostles

The apostles:

  • preached
  • governed
  • celebrated the sacraments

Only later were parts of this teaching written.

Therefore:

  • the faith existed before the New Testament
  • the Church existed before the Bible

Scripture is part of Tradition, not separate from it.

4. Scripture and Tradition Come from One Source

The Church does not teach:

two different revelations

She teaches:

One revelation, transmitted in two ways.

Scripture and Tradition:

  • come from the same divine source
  • work together
  • cannot contradict each other

If Scripture is removed from Tradition:

  • its meaning fragments
  • its authority weakens

If Tradition is removed from Scripture:

  • it loses anchor
  • it becomes vague

God joined them.
They must not be separated.

5. How Tradition Is Preserved

Sacred Tradition is preserved through:

  • the teaching of the Church
  • the liturgy
  • the sacraments
  • the consistent faith of the Church across centuries

Tradition is not frozen.
It is living.

But it does not change in substance.

The Church:

  • develops understanding
  • does not invent new revelation

Truth grows clearer, not different.

6. Why Tradition Is Necessary

Without Tradition:

  • the canon of Scripture cannot be known
  • doctrine becomes unstable
  • unity collapses

For example:

  • Scripture does not list its own books
  • Scripture does not explain every doctrine explicitly

Tradition provides:

  • continuity
  • clarity
  • stability

Penny Catechism

Q. Why must we receive both Scripture and Tradition?
A. Because they both contain God’s revelation, and without Tradition we should not fully understand Scripture.

7. Tradition and Authority

Tradition requires a guardian.

Without authority:

  • Tradition becomes opinion
  • customs replace truth
  • error spreads

The Church:

  • receives Tradition
  • judges its authenticity
  • hands it on faithfully

She does not stand above revelation.
She serves it.

8. Common Objections Addressed

“Isn’t Tradition just human invention?”

Sacred Tradition comes from the apostles, not later preference.

“Doesn’t Scripture alone suffice?”

Scripture itself comes from Tradition and depends on it.

“Can Tradition change?”

Discipline may change.
Revelation does not.

9. What Is Being Asked of You Now

At this stage, you are not asked to:

  • memorise everything
  • understand every historical detail

You are asked to consider this:

If God revealed Himself, would He limit that revelation to a book alone?

That question prepares the way forward.

10. Questions for the Week

Reflect quietly during the week:

  • Do I see faith as something received or invented?
  • Can a living faith survive without living transmission?
  • How does Tradition protect Scripture rather than threaten it?

11. Closing Summary

Sacred Tradition is not an addition to Scripture.

It is the living transmission of the same revelation.

Scripture, Tradition, and the Church belong together.

Next week we will ask:

How does the Church teach without error — and what is the Magisterium?

Optional Closing Prayer

God of truth,
You entrusted Your revelation to the Church.
Give us humility to receive what has been handed on,
and faithfulness to guard it without distortion.
Amen.