Commandment of God vs Tradition of Men
Yesterday, I had the good fortune to attend an inter-faith service for a retirees association. One of the founders in his address made a profound statement, he said ‘the association was not founded to look back, but for the retirees to look foward’. He went on to describe the wonderful community experience it was working in the company, but stated that as good as it was, the vision was to help retirees live a full life after the company.
His statement and the heartwarming experience brought to mind Jesus’ words in this week’s Gospel Mark 7: 1-23 ‘you leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men’. It is so easy for us to remain trapped in the past, especially when it was a good experience. Traditions are wonderful things, they help us stabilize in what can be a very chaotic world. But the risk is to remain stuck in the past and on the periphery.
The commandment of God ‘to love God with all one’s heart and our neighbor as oneself’ is a call to be forward-looking, to embrace the fullness of life that God intends for us. It challenges us to move beyond our comfort zones, to not merely hold on to what once was, but to engage actively with the present and the future.
This love calls us to seek new ways to serve, to grow, and to bring the light of Christ into new situations. Just as the retirees are encouraged to look forward, so too are we, as followers of Christ, called to continually renew our commitment to God’s commandments, allowing them to guide us into a vibrant and purposeful future.
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God calls us to use the wonderful experiences of the past as insights and know-how to build new communities of love and service that build upon the past. I think of my own challenge, moving to a new parish in a new role of service. There is always the trap of nostalgia for my old parish, instead of answering God’s call to use my experience to do the difficult work of helping my new parish grow into the community that God intends.
It is in embracing this challenge, stepping forward in faith, and applying the lessons learned from my past that I can truly honor the commandment to love. It’s not just about traditions that are good, but about fostering growth and renewal in the present, allowing God’s love to manifest in fresh, meaningful ways in the here and now.
And you my reader, are you holding on to your own man made traditions that are keeping you from embracing and growing in the present? What areas of your life is Jesus challenging you to ‘set out into the deep, leaving the shore behind’? Pray for Bon courage!
Friends, this newsletter is reader supported. If you find it offers value and can contribute to helping persons, please upgrade to a paid subscriber, if you can afford to. Choose your own donation by clicking on the subscribe button and going to your profile, where you can choose your level of donation.