St. Paul ordinarily insists on the special revelation he received on the road to Damascus as validating his ministry. We should note that the Apostle did not consider himself as a “lone ranger” but as part of a larger picture of God’s action in history. He wrote to the Corinthians: “I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received.” The “what I received” could be translated as “the tradition.” Paul is in continuity with the traditional preaching of the Church from the beginning. All Catholics rely on the Apostolic Tradition as grounding the faith. But tradition is not a rock to be given to another but a living thing that needs to adapt to the different circumstances where it is planted.
MAY32019
By Church Staff
