Catholics believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God. The Church understands Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition as closely united ways of handing on the faith received from Christ and His apostles.
Understanding what Tradition means is important here.
What is Sacred Tradition?
Sacred Tradition is the living transmission of the apostolic faith: what the apostles received from Jesus’ teaching and example and learned through the Holy Spirit.
The earliest Christians received that faith through preaching, worship, and life together, while the writings of the New Testament were taking shape.
Paul tells the Thessalonians to hold firmly to the teachings they received:
“Whether by word of mouth or by letter from us.”
That helped me recognize that the apostolic message was communicated both orally and in writing.
Didn’t Jesus condemn tradition?
Yes—Jesus condemned human traditions that set aside God’s commandments.
In Mark 7, He confronts a practice that allowed people to evade their responsibility to care for their parents. Their religious reasoning had become a way of avoiding what God commanded.
That warning matters for Catholics, too. Calling something a tradition does not automatically make it faithful to God.
The Catechism distinguishes Sacred Tradition, received from the apostles, from particular customs and disciplines that develop in different places and times. Those practices can be retained, changed, or abandoned under the Church’s guidance.
Where does Scripture belong?
At the heart of the Church’s faith.
Paul describes Scripture as God-breathed and able to instruct, correct, and equip us for good works. Daily reading has helped me experience how deeply God’s Word can challenge and change a life.
The Church’s teaching office—the Magisterium—has the responsibility to interpret the Word of God authentically. The Catechism explicitly teaches that this office serves God’s Word and teaches what has been handed on.
What this means in my own reading
Beginning and ending my day with the Bible has changed everything for me.
Reading the Catechism alongside Scripture has helped me explore questions and recognize connections I once overlooked: covenant, sacrifice, the Eucharist, Mary, and the worship of Heaven.
I want to understand what Christ has revealed and how that faith has been faithfully handed on.
The more I learn, the more I want to return to Scripture—and come to know Him through it.