Many Christians wonder why the Catholic Church speaks not only of Scripture but also of Tradition as the sources of faith. It’s a sincere question — one that touches the very roots of how we know and follow God’s truth. The Church has always believed that God’s revelation comes to us as a living stream, flowing through both the written Word and the living faith passed down through the generations.
When we open the Bible, we hear God’s Word written through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Yet, before a single New Testament book was written, the apostles were already preaching, baptizing, and teaching — handing on the faith that Jesus Himself gave them. This living transmission is what we call Sacred Tradition. As Saint Paul reminds the Thessalonians, “Stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught, either by word of mouth or by our letter” (2 Thessalonians 2:15).
Scripture and Tradition are not two separate truths, but two ways in which the one Word of God reaches us. The same Spirit who inspired the Scriptures also guides the Church in preserving and interpreting them. The early Christians did not see a divide between “the Bible” and “the Church’s teaching”; both came from the same divine source — Christ Himself — and both lead us to the same goal: salvation in Him.
For us today, this means that our faith is not built on a book alone, nor on human customs, but on a living relationship with Christ through His Church. The Bible is the heart of God’s written Word, and Tradition is the Church’s memory that keeps it alive and rightly understood. Together, they form the sure foundation on which the Church stands and teaches, century after century.
When we listen to Scripture with the heart of the Church, we are not merely reading ancient words — we are hearing the living voice of God speaking through His people.
May we learn to love both Scripture and Tradition, not as opposing paths, but as two hands by which God holds and guides His Church toward truth and life.
— Fr. John Matthew, for Christian Way
