Tradition isn’t dead
The path towards realising your future potential
Japan is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. Recently, it achieved #1 based on World Economic Forum’s Travel and Tourism Development Index. There’s a duality in its tourist attractions. On the one hand, we have the modern side, such as Shibuya’s crossing, Harajuku Street, and Tokyo Disneyland. On the other hand, we have the ancient side, such as Fushimi Inari Shrine, Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, and Himeji Castle.
We live in a digital and modern age. This includes computers, cars, high-rise buildings, nightclubs, and many more. So, why do people search the ancient tradition? Why do we keep learning it? Why is it so common across backgrounds, cultures, and beliefs?
Like a tree, everyone believes that we grow from the root. In our quest for personal discovery, our past and heritage are crucial. They provide explanations and a roadmap. If we are honest, they are usually accurate. And the more we know, the more we seek further. In fact, there’s a popular service called Ancestry.com that helps people to find their family history. Doing so has changed their lives and unlocked their future potential.
Tradition is counter-cultural. There’s a popular trend where we should do things our way. I agree in principle. We all should be independent, but we all should be accountable too. The law of nature exists, and we can’t just ignore it. For example, I like hearing the piano played by a trained pianist rather than a toddler. Total freedom in key pressing doesn’t lead to full freedom in beautiful melodies.
Tradition isn’t exempt from mistakes. Like a game of Chinese whispers, messages are often misinterpreted. This leads to unintended negative or positive outcomes. To unravel it, we re-explore the chain of messages to discover the true meaning. I highly recommend that you play the Chinese whispers again, it is a lot of fun and you might learn a few more things.
Everyone believes that there is a higher power — and they want to understand its tradition. God sent Jesus to save us and established a church for everyone. Since then, there’s more than 2,000 years of tradition. Some of them were written in the Bible, and there are more that were documented through other means. This includes the Catechism, early church Fathers’ documents, and Pope’s encyclicals.
I’m not a theologian, I’m just your ordinary catholic. I have seen different interpretations of church teachings, which leads to thousands of “new” churches. For a simple person like me, it is confusing and understanding every interpretation will take me a few lifetimes.
We need to go back to our roots. The Catholic church is the root. God sent Jesus. Jesus selected the twelve apostles. Peter was appointed the first pope. The logic is simple. Those that argued against it have produced countless counter-thesis. In the end, those that are honest and truth-seeking will agree on the original lineage. For example, I don’t need a DNA test to prove my parents’ identity.
The tradition is often not straightforward. An ordinary Catholic will find the Bible’s exegesis to be complicated. The church is the people. They are a part of our tradition, which was shared with them by previous generations. You need to ask them many questions. While they may not be able to answer all of them, it is the start of your journey. Like the game of Chinese whispers, you need to explore the roots further. The early Church fathers’ documents are a good option because they lived and documented the teachings directly from the apostles. If the early world languages are confusing, many modern means, such as YouTube, exist. These are some channels to get you started “Pints With Aquinas”, “Capturing Christianity”, and “Ascension Presents”.
We live in a free world. Being free is not easy, and we need guidance. Tradition offers us context and a roadmap to realise our potential. The people in the Catholic church can help us get there — and there are plenty of guides over the centuries. We need to open our hearts and journey together.
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Ordinary Catholic is a newsletter on reflections from an ordinary catholic in a contemporary world.
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