Fr. Don's Daily Reflection - December 19, 2024
Psalm 62: “In you alone is my soul at rest. My help comes from You.”
How do you tell a rut from a tradition? That seems to be a genuine problem for an institution as old as the Catholic Church--as well as for smaller units with strong customs. In an institution like the Church we can surmise that a tradition has become a rut when it drives people away, when it turns off a generation. It has become a rut when no one seems to know why we continue it or what it means.
"The Church can . . . come to see that certain customs not directly connected to the heart of the Gospel, even some which have deep historical roots, are no longer properly understood and appreciated," Francis, the bishop of Rome has said, and continues: "Some of these customs may be beautiful, but they no longer serve as means of communicating the Gospel. We should not be afraid to re-examine them. At the same time, the Church has rules or precepts which may have been quite effective in their time, but no longer have the same usefulness for directing and shaping people’s lives."
There are probably such ruts (and rules?) in our personal lives, activities or habits that take up time and are merely routine without doing much for anyone. One way to simplify and reinvigorate our life might be to prune it of such mechanical practices.
Psalm 27: “I believe I shall see the Lord’s goodness / in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord; be strong; / be stouthearted, and wait for the Lord!”
