I just recently purchased a copy of "Heart of the World" by Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis (Meditations on the Gospel of Matthew). In his opening remarks to his first chapter he writes about the possible true definition of Tradition. It set me thinking about how to reconcile the two Popes, Benedict and Francis. The abrupt (apparently) change of style is still troubling many Catholics. How to reconcile Benedict's presentation of beauty in liturgy and in the Church's life with the "down-to earth" simplicity of Francis? The answer lies in the true understanding of Tradition. Please let me try to explain what I mean.
We all know that the word tradition comes from the Latin verb tradere (to hand on). We all know that Tradition goes with Sacred Scripture as two of the pillars of the Church. There is a third pillar - Peter. Peter is the one who unites and draws together different elements, reflecting, in union with the bishops, different facets of the Truth. Tradition is not continued simply by texts, formulas or even the great Creeds. It is not only expressed or projected by Councils or Dogmatic pronouncements; it is, above all, lived. It is carried by and expressed in the lives of the people of God. As Leiva-Merikakis reminds us in his brief remarks, we need each other; we need to see the Truth in the life and joys and sufferings of another Christian; we need the lives of the saints; we need to hear and witness the faith as it is lived by another human being. Knowing that each person cannot possibly encompass the whole, we draw from each other, learn from each other and so come to a deeper personal grasp of the meaning of faith and a fuller appreciation of the treasure which is the Truth. As each person is a mystery in himself or herself; as each person is unique and experiences a unique relationship with Christ among all that we share with each other, so we must learn to value and respect the witness of each member of the Church, and in a particular way, the witness of each successor of Peter. There are different emphases in the lives of Benedict and Francis. All of them are valid and, according to the grace of God, necessary. The Holy Spirit leads us on one path but draws our attention to different things along the way. We might say that we remain on the road of Truth but pass through different vistas or vary our diet. There is no real comparison of these different elements or aspects; all are valuable, in one way or another. All are part of the journey. If the contrast between the Pope Emeritus and the new Pope is so noticeable, perhaps there is a message in that. Perhaps we can learn to be more open-hearted and open-minded to the work of the Spirit; perhaps we can even rejoice that the Spirit IS in the Church and that the Church is alive. Perhaps we should even rejoice that, whilst holding to the treasures of the past and carrying them ahead into the future we can move together in a growing appreciation of all that God continues to give to each person, recognising the workings of grace in all and so walking with confidence, hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder, strengthening the Body of Christ and bringing more joy and hope to a world in need.
What a welcome blog. Full of meaning and understanding. I only hope the supertrads will read it and begin to grasp the message that tradition is a living thing, not a compilation of long standing customs and liturgical fashions hallowed by time. Every pope draws from tradition and the greatest of popes draw exactly what is most needed for their times. I believe that will be seen as the uniting quality of both Benedict and Francis.
ReplyDeleteGreat post. I have always thought (and I am quite willing to admit that I might be wrong) that being truly 'in line' with the Holy Spirit means being both Peter and Paul at the same time (ironically this I believe should be particularly true of the Pope). By this I mean that whilst Peter fought to keep tradition, Paul fought to keep moving forward. The only way I can reconcile tradition in the modern world is by taking the old and putting it smack bang right in the middle of the modern day. An example of this would be 2 million teenagers at adoration at World Youth Day or when Pope Benedict attended adoration with the young Catholics in Hyde Park. Here was an example of not holding back from a true tradition of the Church but placing it an extremely contemporary setting (and not being afraid of doing that). Another example would be a video on YouTube entitled 'God on the Streets of New York'. Here Corpus Christi Processions are videoed in a very modern way (cool really). It is set in the middle of the hussle bussele of New York, but with this old tradition presented just how it should be (pulling no punches and not hiding from the past). I believe that it is this juxtaposition of two realities that people are intrigued by and the truth of it all shines through. It is bringing a physical manifestation of a spiritual reality into the modern world. This is what I mean by being Peter and Paul at the same time.
ReplyDeleteI hope you know what I mean.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bxQ9MVTkuQ
Thanks for both of the above comments. These are special days for all of us, and I am learning a lot.
ReplyDeleteNicely said, Padre. Whilst I truly have great respect for Benedict XVI, I do believe that the simpler approach of Francis is more appropriate as the Church seeks to regain moral credibility due to the sexual abuse scandals. We must, as always, trust in the Holy Spirit. Again, thank you for this balanced post; it is something I sorely needed after reading the comments on other blogs.
ReplyDeleteFather it is a worry that anew Pope has led to immediate changes of the liturgy in practice I.e. bowing and not genuflecting after the elevation, washing the feet of woman and non Christians at the Maundy Thursday Mass, allowing the reception of communion in the hand, new cheaper vestments purchased, no red shoes. It appears the liturgy is a matter of personal inclination. This is disconcerting to many Catholics we have been through a liturgical iconoclasm for decades fuelled not by faithfulness but individual sense of "the spirit". The holy father may be right to avoid the hot topics e.g. same sex marriage, abortion etc. for a while but continuity is necessary in all these things otherwise the boat rocks too hard and that is what I believe is happening now. Time for Peter to once again steady the bark. What do you think father. Feel free to criticise and I will listen.
ReplyDeletefidelisjoff...I am not sure what you mean when you speak of "bowing instead of genuflecting". Is this related to Pope Francis? As for the vestments, I don't think they are cheap at all. Some simple vestments turn out to be quite expensive. As for the red shoes Blessed John Paul did not wear them either. Communion in the hand is allowed and I would say that in the contexts in which he has celebrated Mass he has simply been following his usual practice. As for changes in the future, we cannot tell what they might be or how things will develop. Each Pope has different emphases. The mission of Pope Francis is not the same as that of his predecessors. We must also allow the Holy Spirit to teach us about the needs of the Church. Some important things have been neglected and these need to be addressed. God has His plan for the Church; we must wait and trust.
ReplyDelete