Adhering to the traditions.

To be fundamentally a good and wise thing; these are of course wise and good traditions. However, the issue of tradition can be misunderstood – and the Lord Jesus presents it in the right light today. Traditions that oppose God’s commandments, such as the shameful tradition of getting drunk on the occasion of family celebrations; in addition, to various ancient exaggerations, charms, and superstitions. But the wise and noble traditions are often the complement of the commandments and guard the commandments. Such traditions include e.g., joint prayer in the family, prayer of the rosary, May devotions, rorats, fasting, First Friday devotions, participation in spiritual renewal, in the procession on the feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. It is typically our domestic, paternal traditions that decide even our national identity.

And even the very connection to a wise tradition should be wise. Lord Jesus today quotes a drastic example of the unwise cult of tradition. So it would be something unwise and bad, e.g. to leave a sick person at home without care – to go to a midnight procession or pilgrimage. Especially if the tradition is supposed to be an expression of fidelity to the commandments – first, it is a commandment of love: no tradition has the right to cancel this commandment – and this is clearly stated in today’s Gospel.

An example of noble loyalty to tradition is participation in St. masses – and St. Mass. Henryk Sienkiewicz – at the end of one of his novels – draws attention to the fact that although various structures, customs, and sizes have passed away over the centuries – so St. the mass is “in the old glory”. Here one can realize that it is not so much “in the old” way; it is the older people who remember that once upon a time at St. Mass had different speeches and ceremonies. Of course, but there is a confirmation of what has been said here: that for wise reasons the less serious details of the tradition must often give way – to save the tradition itself. So also in St. certain non-essential elements were removed from the Mass – so that the essential elements stood out more prominently: sacrifice, transfiguration, breaking of Bread – the rest always consistent with tradition.