Pass on or pass over traditions?

by May Tam
2018-09-02
Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-8


James 1:17-18, 21B-22. 27


Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23


The word “tradition” means “transmission” or “passing on” of beliefs, rituals, commands or prohibitions etc. to a group or community, from generations to generations for the sake of preservation. It may be as insignificant as a daily custom within a family or as prominent as a national or worldwide event. Our first reading today from the Book of Deuteronomy is the beginning of a transmission; the transmission to observe diligently the Law of God. It is God's command (through Moses) for the wellspring of Israel; a guide of discipline that makes Israel a witness of God's sovereignty among other nations (rf Ps 147:19-20).

The Pharisees in Jesus' time were well known for their strict observance of the Jewish religion, especially in the handing down of customs and traditions. They would have been the perfect transmitters of Moses' instructions. But over the years, they had built a “protective fence” around the Law – a list of statutes, commands, and prohibitions which were not explicitly imposed by the Torah but may deem to them necessary to protect its sacredness. This set of practices were defined, maintained and observed by the religious elite (elders). In their fervour, the Pharisees extended them to be obligatory to all Jews and even to the ordinary acts of life. But in their zeal for the Law, they missed an important point - “neither add anything . . . nor take away anything from it” (Dt 4:2). It is in this respect that Jesus was in conflict with them (rf Mk 2:1-3:6). Unlike the Pharisees’ emphasis of legal compliances, Jesus stresses the spirit of the Law and demands that we love God with a heart that is contrite, obedient and sincere (rf Dt 6:4). The Law does not need a protective fence; it is sacred and can sanctify all lives because it comes from God who is all holy and His holiness is complete (rf Ex 15:11, 1 Sam 2;2, Is 6:3). The Pharisees have not only added their own precepts but also watered down the very essence from the Law.

Proud of their renown in the keeping of the Law and traditions, and with the intention of showing off their righteousness over others, the Pharisees question Jesus: “Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of our ancestors?” Jesus turns their challenge into a bitter exposure of their “lip service” in the interpretation of the Law (quoting Is 29:13 in Mk 7:6-7). He explains the timeless principle of the source of defilement - external things do not make a person unclean (like the food one eats); what defiles a person is what comes out of the heart which is the source of all spiritual and moral conduct. Outward appearance of piety may be impeccable, but it is a delusion that one can be sanctified through scrupulous practices of cultic purity. Only repentance and the love of God can cleanse the defilement of the heart.

In our present fast-changing world, tradition is often being regarded as something antiquated or even an obstacle for new ways and ideas. But in fact, tradition plays an important role in a civilization, its citizens and society. It is part of history for that defines the past and shapes the present. It is part of a culture for that forms the identity of the people. It is an avenue for reinforcing values and character. This is especially true of our Catholic faith, which is transmitted through apostolic successions. The transmission of the Holy Tradition (through which “the Church, in her doctrine, life and worship perpetuates and transmits to every generation all that she herself is, all that she believes” CCC 78) is indeed the transmission of “the living memorial of God's Word” (CCC 113). Together with the Holy Scripture, “they must be accepted and honoured with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence” (CCC 82). So we are in fact a people of traditions for our identity is born out of traditions. As Christ's disciples, we are called to be transmitters of His words; to preserve His sayings and teachings; to follow what He has commanded and done. Let us then remind ourselves not to become like the Pharisees who, instead of passing on traditions in faith and integrity, have passed over them with superficiality and false piety.

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