In this regard, the expression of Saint Gregory the Great is famous: “The Sacred Scriptures grow with the one who reads them”. [1] And Saint Augustine had already remarked that “there is only one word of God that unfolds through Scripture, and there is only one Word that sounds on the lips of many saints”. [2] The Word of God, then, is not fossilized, but rather it is a living and organic reality that develops and grows in Tradition. Thanks to the Holy Spirit, Tradition understands it in the richness of its truth and embodies it in the shifting coordinates of history. In this regard, the proposal of the holy Doctor of the Church John Henry Newman in his work entitled The Development of Christian Doctrine is striking. He affirmed that Christianity, both as a communal experience and as a doctrine, is a dynamic reality, in the manner indicated by Jesus himself in the parables of the seed (cf. Mk 4:26-29): a living reality that develops thanks to an inner vital force. [3] The apostle Paul repeatedly exhorts his disciple and collaborator Timothy: “O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you” (1 Tim 6:20; cf. 2 Tim 1:12-14). The Dogmatic Constitution Dei Verbum echoes this Pauline text when it says: “Sacred tradition and Sacred Scripture form one sacred deposit of the word of God, committed to the Church”, interpreted by the “living teaching office of the Church, whose authority is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ” (no. 10). “Deposit” is a term that, in its original meaning, is juridical in nature and imposes on the depositary the duty to preserve the content, which in this case is the faith, and to transmit it intact. The “deposit” of the Word of God is still in the hands of the Church today, and all of us, in our various ecclesial ministries, must continue to preserve it in its integrity, as a lodestar for our journey through the complexity of history and existence. In conclusion, dear friends, let us listen once more to Dei Verbum, which exalts the interweaving of Sacred Scripture and Tradition: it affirms that they “are so linked and joined together that they cannot stand independently, and together, each in their own way, under the action of the one Holy Spirit, they contribute effectively to the salvation of souls” (cf. no. 10). Summary of the Holy Father's words: Dear brothers and sisters, in our catechesis on the Dogmatic Constitution Dei Verbum, today we considered the relationship between Scripture and Tradition. In the passage we just heard from John’s Gospel, Jesus says he will send the Holy Spirit to guide the Apostles to remember, apply and proclaim everything he taught. Sacred Scripture, the inspired word of God, and Sacred Tradition, the living memory of the Church, are intimately bound together and form the one Deposit of Faith. This deposit which contains the entirety of our faith –- doctrine, worship, morality, etc. –- is not static but dynamic for it develops and is more profoundly understood by the Church over the centuries, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Entrusted to the Church, who preserves and interprets it in Jesus’ name, this deposit helps us to navigate the complexities of life to reach our eternal home in heaven. May we become living and faithful witness to God’s word in Scripture and Tradition. Picture of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV from ShopMercy: https://shopmercy.org/pope-leo-xiv-prayer-card.html From the General Audience of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV on January 28, 2026 https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/audiences/2026/documents/20260128-udienza-generale.html Crest of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV: https://www.vatican.va/content/vatican/en.html
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjI2Mw==