QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

101. What is “Revelation”?

Revelation is God’s personal loving communication to us of who He is and His plan to save us

all in His love. It is God’s reaching out to us in friendship, so we get to know and love Him.

102. How does God reveal Himself?

God reveals Himself in:

• Creating us and everything we see, hear and touch __ from the beginning till now [natural

signs];

• His words and deeds in Sacred Scripture’s record of salvation history, completed and

perfected in His Son-made-man, Jesus Christ [Biblical signs];

• His continuing presence by the Holy Spirit in His people, the Church; [ecclesial signs];

• The prayer and sacramental worship, doctrine, and moral service of the Church; [liturgical

signs];

• His interior presence (Grace) in our conscience and in all the events of our daily lives,

world events, recognized in the “signs of the times.”

103. How can the Infinite, Pure Spirit, God, communicate Himself to us in this
life?

God reveals Himself to us through the deeds He performed in history and the words which

proclaim the deeds and clarify their true meaning (cf. DV 2.). These words and deeds show

God’s presence among us and His saving purpose for us.

104. How important is Jesus Christ in God’s Revelation?

For Christians, it is Jesus who is:

• the Revealer of God our Father,

• himself the Image and Word of God; and

• the Final Goal of God’s revelation, our ultimate destiny.

105. How does Christ reveal God to us today?

Christ reveals God to us primarily through the Church, its Sacred Scripture and living
Tradition, through which the Holy Spirit comes to us.

106. To whom does God reveal Himself?

God “wants all men to be saved and come to know the truth” (1 Tim 2:4), and in ways both

hidden and clear, calls all to Christ, who is the goal, the object, and the agent of God’s Selfrevelation,
and “the real light which enlightens every man” (Jn 1:9).

107. How are we to understand God’s inspired Word in Scripture?

Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Scripture grew from the life, worship and teaching of

the early Church. So the Church is its authentic interpreter, under the active help of the same

Holy Spirit.

108. What do we mean by the Bible’s inerrant saving truth?

Through the Holy Spirit’s charism of inspiration, the human authors of the Bible set down

faithfully and without error the truth God wished to convey for our salvation (cf. DV 11; 2 Tim

3:16-17).

109. How do we Catholics get to know Sacred Scripture/the Bible?

Catholics hear the Bible proclaimed at every Mass. Readings from both Old and New

Testaments are carefully selected and arranged according to the Church’s liturgical year.

In addition, parishes sponsor Bible study groups and encourage a Catholic Bible in every home

for family reading and prayer.

110. How were the Gospels formed?

The Gospels were formed in three stages: first, Jesus’ own teaching in his earthly lifetime;

second, the oral tradition in which the apostles passed on what Jesus had said and done; and

third, the putting into writing of the Gospels that we have till this day.

111. How do we Catholics interpret Scripture?

In interpreting Sacred Scripture, we search out: (1) the human author’s meaning; (2) the context

of the text in relation to the whole Bible; 3) within our own search for meaning; (4) under the

guidance of the Holy Spirit through the authentic interpretation of the Magisterium, the teaching

Church.

112. How important is Sacred Scripture in our daily lives?

God continues to speak to us personally through His inspired Word in Scripture, thereby

• helping us to understand the true meaning of the daily happenings in our lives,

• guiding our moral behavior toward authentic freedom and loving service of others, and

• drawing us into prayerful union with Christ, our Way, our Truth and our Life, in his

Church.

113. How has the Bible come to us?

“Bible” comes from the Greek word “Biblia”, meaning “books.” So the Bible is really a

collection of “books.” The content was first passed on by oral tradition over a long period of

time before it was put in written form.

The Old Testament was composed in Hebrew and translated into Greek around the 2nd and 3rd

centuries before Christ. The New Testament was composed in Greek during the 2nd half of the

1st century A.D.