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Chapter 2. God Comes to Meet Us • 15
been revealed. What are called
private revelations
, that is, messages such
as those given by the Blessed Virgin Mary at Lourdes and Fatima, add
nothing to what was publicly revealed up and through Christ but can
help inspire a more profound commitment to what has been revealed
through public Revelation.
THE GOSPEL AND CULTURE
The split between the Gospel and culture is without a
doubt the drama of our time.
—Pope Paul VI,
On Evangelization in the Modern World
(
Evangelii Nuntiandi
), no. 20
1. How does God freely reveal himself?
This he does by revealing the mystery, his plan of loving
goodness, formed from all eternity in Christ, for the ben-
efit of all men. God has fully revealed this plan by sending
us his beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy
Spirit. (CCC, no. 50)
2. What response to Revelation did God plan for
men and women?
By revealing himself, God wishes to make them capable
of responding to him, and of knowing him, and of loving
him far beyond their own natural capacity. (CCC, no. 52)
3. If Revelation is complete, what is the next step?
Even if Revelation is already complete, it has not been
made completely explicit; it remains for Christian faith
gradually to grasp its full significance over the course of
the centuries. (CCC, no. 66)
FROM THE CATECHISM