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This revelation is handed on through the Church’s living Tradition and through Sacred Scripture, both of which are given an authentic interpretation in each generation through the teaching office of the Church (the Magisterium), guided by the Holy Spirit. Tradition, Scripture and Magisterium are so closely united that one cannot stand without the others. When God reveals himself in different ways to individuals through Christian history (in “private revelation”) this is not to share new truths of faith but to help them understand the one Truth of the Gospel more deeply, or to guide them in the special circumstances of their lives.
▶ Faith Faith is our wholehearted response to God, as he reveals himself to us in Jesus Christ. It involves believing the Truth he has revealed to us, especially as it is handed on through the Holy Scriptures, the Christian Tradition, the Creeds, and the Teaching of the Church. It also involves entrusting our lives to him and staying faithful to him in the big and small events of each day. It gives new life, but it will sometimes be dark and costly. Faith is an utterly free gift, given by the Holy Spirit. It is not something we can earn by our behaviour. It is, however, something we need to say “yes” to, with humility, gratitude and obedience - just as the Virgin Mary said “yes” to God at the Annunciation. We do this by prayer, by listening to the Word of God and learning about the Catholic Faith, and above all by seeking the Sacrament of Baptism.
b. The Christian Faith.indd 11
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