God, in his greatness, uses a pedagogy 82Cf. St Irenaeus of Lyons, "Adversus haereses" III, 20, 2. SCh 211, 389-393. DV 15; CT 58; ChL 61; CCC 53 and 122; and also Part III, chap. 1. to reveal himself to the human person: he uses human events and words to communicate his plan; he does so progressively and in stages,83CCC 54-64. so as to draw even closer to man. God, in fact, operates in such a manner that man comes to knowledge of his salvific plan by means of the events of salvation history and the inspired words which accompany and explain them. "This economy of Revelation is realized by deeds and words, which are intrinsically bound up with each other. As a result, – the works performed by God in the history of Salvation show forth and bear out the doctrine and realities signified by the words, – the words, for their part, proclaim the works, and bring to light the mystery they contain".84DV 2.
Evangelization too which transmits Revelation to the world, is also brought about in words and deeds. It is at once testimony and proclamation, word and sacrament, teaching and task. Catechesis, for its part, transmits the words and deeds of Revelation; it is obliged to proclaim and narrate them and, at the same time, to make clear the profound mysteries they contain. Moreover, since Revelation is a source of light for the human person, catechesis not only recalls the marvels worked by God in the past, but also, in the light of the same Revelation, it interprets the signs of the times and the present life of man, since it is in these that the plan of God for the salvation of the world is realized.85Cf. DCG (1971) 11b. Jesus Christ: mediator and fullness of Revelation
God revealed himself progressively to man, through the prophets and through salvific events, until he brought to completion his self-revelation by sending his own Son: 86Cf. Heb 1:1-2. "[Jesus Christ] completed and perfected Revelation, he did this by way of his presence and self manifestation—by words and works, signs and miracles, but above all by his death and glorious resurrection from the dead, and finally by sending the Spirit of truth".87DV 4. Jesus Christ is not merely the greatest of the prophets but is the eternal Son of God, made man. He is, therefore, the final event towards which all the events of salvation history converge.88Cf. Lk 24:27. He is indeed "the Father's one, perfect and unsurpassable Word".89CCC 65; St John of the Cross puts it as follows: "He has told us everything at once in this one Word" ("The Ascent of Mount Carmel" 2,22; cf. The Liturgy of Hours, I, Office of Readings for Monday of the Second week of Advent).
The ministry of the word must always give prominence to this wonderful characteristic, proper to the economy of Revelation: the Son of God enters human history, assumes human life and death, and brings about the new and definitive covenant between God and man. It is the task of catechesis to show who Jesus Christ is, his life and ministry, and to present the Christian faith as the following of his person.90Cf. CT 5; CCC 520 and 2053. Consequently, it must base itself constantly on the Gospels, which "are the heart of all the Scriptures 'because they are our principal source for the life and teaching of the Incarnate Word, our Saviour'".91CCC 125, which refers to DV 18. The fact that Jesus Christ is the fullness of Revelation is the foundation for the "Christocentricity" 92CT 5. The Theme of Christocentrism, is explained in "The object of catechesis: communion with Jesus Christ" (Part I Chapter 3) and in "The Christocentricity of the Gospel Message (Part II, Chapter 1). of catechesis: the mystery of Christ, in the revealed message, is not another element alongside others, it is rather the centre from which all other elements are structured and illuminated. The transmission of Revelation by the Church, the work of the Holy Spirit
The Revelation of God, culminating in Jesus Christ, is destined for all mankind: "He (God) desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim 2,4) 93Cf.DV 7. In virtue of his universal salvific will, God has ordained that Revelation should be transmitted to all peoples and to all generations and should remain always in its entirety.
To fulfil this divine plan, Jesus Christ founded the Church, built on the Apostles. He gave them the Holy Spirit from the Father and sent them to preach the Gospel to the whole world. The Apostles, by words, deeds and writings, faithfully discharged this task.94Cf. DV 7a. This Apostolic Tradition is perpetuated in the Church by means of the Church herself. The entire Church, pastors and faithful, is responsible for its conservation and transmission. The Gospel is conserved whole and entire in the Church: the disciples of Jesus Christ contemplate it and meditate upon it unceasingly; they live it out in their everyday lives; they proclaim it in their missionary activity. As the Church lives the Gospel she is continually made fruitful by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit causes her to grow constantly in her understanding of the Gospel, prompts her and sustains the task of proclaiming the Gospel in every corner of the world.95Cf. DV 8 and CCC 75-79.
The integral conservation of Revelation, the word of God contained in Tradition and Scripture, as well as its continuous transmission, are guaranteed in their authenticity. The Magisterium of the Church, sustained by the Holy Spirit and endowed with "the sure charism of truth",96DV 10b; cf CCC 85-87. exercises the function of "authentically interpreting the word of God".97LG 448; AG 1; GS 45; cf. CCC 774-776.
The Church, "universal sacrament of salvation", born of the Holy Spirit, transmits Revelation through evangelization; she announces the Good News of the salvific plan of the Father and in the sacraments, communicates his Diving gifts. To God who reveals himself is due this obedience of faith by which man adhers to the "Gospel of the grace of God". (Acts 20,24) with full assent of the intellect and of the will. Guided by faith, by means of the gift of the Spirit, man succeeds in attaining to contemplate and to delight in the God of love, who in Christ has revealed the riches of his glory.98Cf. Col 1,26.