Sacred Tradition, A Legacy to Uphold and Pass Down (Sunday, September 15)

 The Word of the Day is “deliver.”  In our reading of 1 Corinthians 15:1-11, St. Paul speaks about the core of the Gospel that he proclaimed at Corinth.  He writes, “…I delivered to you…that which I also received…” (vs. 3).  In his letters to the congregation, he emphasizes that what he shared with the church did not come from him. Instead, he delivered what he first received.

 

The first time he does so is when he recounts the words of the Lord when he gives the disciples the Holy Mystery of the Eucharist.  He writes, “For I received from the Lord that which I delivered to you. That the Lord Jesus that on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread…” (1 Cor. 11:23). The second time was when he set out the heart of the Gospel saying, “For I delivered to you that which I also received that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures…” (vs. 3-8). 

The Church's Foundation in Tradition

In these significant passages, St. Paul emphasizes that the church’s foundation is the historical event of Jesus Christ, His teachings, His Passion, and His resurrection. The apostles were eyewitnesses to all that the Lord Jesus said and did, and they reported these things that they saw and heard (2 Peter 16-18; Acts 2:32). Their testimony became the foundation of sacred tradition. 

St. Paul insists he is also an apostle, for he witnessed the Risen Christ (vs. 9-9). Moreover, he consulted with St. Peter and St. James of Jerusalem (Galatians 1:18-19).  Thus, along with the other apostles, he represented the apostolic tradition, and that is what he delivered to the Corinthians (vs. 3).

The Greek word for “deliver” means to hand over something and entrust it to another (Strong’s #189, 169).  The term implies that those who received the holy tradition of the apostles must do two things.  First, they must hold fast to what they have received (2 Thess. 2:15).  Thus, the Apostle Paul commends those at Corinth that they have “kept the traditions just as I delivered them to you” (11:2). 

Sacred Tradition Is a Sacred Trust 

But by definition, those who receive this holy tradition must pass it along to others.  It is a sacred trust handed down to them so they can pass it along to others. Thus, the Apostle instructs Timothy, “And those things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others” 1 Timothy 2:3).   And the Lord gave the “Great Commission” not only to the disciples but to His Church: “Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and  of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you…” (Matthew 28:20).  

For Reflection

The sacred tradition lives on through us, its faithful stewards.  It is our duty to ensure it is not lost with our generation.  Today’s reading reminds us that the Gospel and the Eucharist, the core of our sacred tradition, have been entrusted to us.  It is our privilege and responsibility to pass them on to the next generation.