Lumen Fidei - page 54

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which must be heard and which is not my own; it
exists as part of a dialogue and cannot be merely
a profession originating in an individual. We can
respond in the singular — “I believe” — only
because we are part of a greater fellowship, only
because we also say “We believe”. This openness
to the ecclesial “We” reflects the openness of
God’s own love, which is not only a relationship
between the Father and the Son, between an “I”
and a “Thou”, but is also, in the Spirit, a “We”, a
communion of persons. Here we see why those
who believe are never alone, and why faith tends
to spread, as it invites others to share in its joy.
Those who receive faith discover that their hori-
zons expand as new and enriching relationships
come to life. Tertullian puts this well when he de-
scribes the catechumens who, “after the cleans-
ing which gives new birth” are welcomed into
the house of their mother and, as part of a new
family, pray the Our Father together with their
brothers and sisters. 34
The sacraments and the transmission of faith
40. The Church, like every family, passes on to
her children the whole store of her memories. But
how does this come about in a way that nothing
is lost, but rather everything in the patrimony of
faith comes to be more deeply understood? It is
through the apostolic Tradition preserved in the
34 Cf. De Baptismo, 20, 5: CCL 1, 295.