The reading from the Acts of the Apostles begins with these words:
"The Word of God continued to spread and grow."
The Word of God growing and spreading is instantly linked to "tradition" and "Apostolic succession." Our Protestant brothers and sisters cringe at these words but that is because they fail understand its importance and its necessity.
Pope Benedict reminds us:
"Tradition is never a simple and anonymous handing on of teaching, but is linked to a person , is a living word, that has its concrete reality in faith. And apostolic succession is never the taking over of some official powers that are then at the disposal of the office bearer; rather, it is being taken into the service of the word, the office of testifying to something with which one has been entrusted and which stands above its bearer, so that he fades into the background behind the thing he has taken over and is just a voice that enables the word to be heard aloud in the world...succession is holding fast to the apostolic word, that is he could trace his spiritual ancestors, by name, back to the apostles themselves, which is the criteria for truth of the Word being spread, thus tradition means the continuing existence of authorized witnesses...As for the rest-must not the word of God and the reality based upon it always make use of human circumstances so as to be able to express itself among men?"
This is the development of the apostolic succession that enables the Word of God to spread and grow. This ensures that the word being spread is not only authorized but also true to the Word Incarnate Himself who gave the authorization to the Apostles in the first place, "all authority in heaven and earth has been given to me, got therefore make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them all that I have commanded you and behold I am with you until the end of the age." (Mt 28)
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