Tradition Custom Practice Habit?

Once, when I was a kid, my aunt and I made an unplanned stop at church.

She had no hat, so she made-do with a handkerchief with a bobby pin before we went in.

It was unthinkable for a girl or woman to come in without something on her head.

As unthinkable as for a boy or a man to come in with a hat on.

We never questioned the women’s hat rule; at least I never did.

We’d been following it for generations and generations.

It was just accepted as the way things were done in church.

But now, fifty years later, that tradition seems to have vanished.

This women’s hat memory led me to do some research.

It turns out that the tradition dates all the way back to the early Church.

But the requirement wasn’t formalized until 1917 when it was specified in Canon Law.

Then in 1983 it was omitted from a new publication of the Canon Law.

Many people took that omission as an indication that the tradition was officially ended.

Today, it’s followed by only those few who choose to do so.

A year ago, everyone knew that popes held their office until death.

That was the tradition—or at least we assumed it was.

Research would have shown us that a handful of popes did resign in the past 2000 years.

And one just 600 years ago.

But why would we research it?  Our expectations just followed the assumed tradition.

At the moment, the world is loving Pope Francis.

Partly because he’s encouraging us to examine some of our assumptions.

And maybe even some of our traditions.

He wouldn’t even be pope if Benedict hadn’t broken with tradition.

Dogma regarding crucial truths can’t change.

It’s directly drawn from Scripture.

And from traditional teachings that have been formally adopted.

Like recognition of the Immaculate Conception.

But the Church can reexamine its positions on even well-established traditions.

Like not allowing priests to marry, or women to be ordained.

Those traditions are not likely to change soon, but lesser traditions could change.

That gets us down into the realm of those traditions Jesus criticized in today’s Gospel.

Traditions we are following with no understanding, and therefore no real benefit.

Traditions that might have once had a solid basis, but have lost their meaning and value.

Traditions that aren’t Church tradition at all, but merely personal beliefs and habits.

And worst of all, traditions or habits that pervert our priorities.

And distract us from what’s truly important.

We should make it a habit to periodically assess our own personal actions and traditions.

Make sure we’re not wasting our time purifying kettles.

While our mother or father or neighbor is suffering from lack of our attention.

Tuesday, 5th Week of Ordinary Time

Mk 7:1-13           Read this Scripture @usccb.org