A TRADITION OF LOVE

TWENTY – SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Dt 4: 1-2, 6-8/ Ps 15/ Jas 1:17-18,21b-22,27/ Mk 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

I have stayed in Manila for more than six straight years. However, I have to admit that I was only able to visit the National Museum once. If not because of my visitors from Cebu who insisted to include in their itinerary the said museum, then, I was not able to enter such a huge building. Its hugeness is not only about its structure. When I visited the different galleries of the museum, then, I realized how “huge” our Filipino tradition is. How can those ordinary mountain people build the Rice Terraces in Banaue? I wondered how our ancestors paid their last respects for the dead. Indeed, when we talk about our tradition as a nation then it reveals to us our humanity; how beautiful we are as a people in this part of the globe.

This is also the case of the Israelites in our first reading today. Moses reminded the people not to add or subtract the command of the Lord for them. Rather, they were called to observe such command to love God with all their heart, mind, and soul carefully for by doing so it will make them a “truly wise and intelligent people.” However, what happened in our Gospel today is the exact opposite. The Pharisees who were supposed to be knowledgeable about the Law became so focused to tradition. They forgot the core of their tradition which is faithfulness to the Law of love. No wonder Jesus told them straight that “you disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.”

Christianity as a world religion has been part of human tradition. As she journeys through time she becomes exposed to different cultures of the world. Thus, there is a great temptation to deviate from her original mission. Hence, St. Paul in our second reading today reminds us that religion must be “pure and undefiled before God and the Father…to care for orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” Christianity then has to remain true to her essence which is to love especially the marginalized. Benedict XVI in Deus Caritas Est reminds us that to love is not just a responsibility of one but of the whole church. The Pope considers the Church as a Community of Love.

And so, my dear friends, as Christians we are proud because of our rich tradition. However, we must also remember that such tradition is anchored on our real mission on earth which is to follow the law of God, the law of love. As we participate in the many rites and rituals of our faith, we must not forget that all these are founded on love. For what good is the novena to the Santo Niño if parents do not take good care of their children? For what good is the prayer to St. Jude is the student does not study his lessons? We must remember that the summary of Christian tradition is love.

Those displayed inside the galleries of the museum remind us not only of our rich tradition but also what kind of people they were before. How about us? If people of the future will soon revisit our lives, can they truly say that we have a rich tradition? But what kind of tradition? A tradition of oppression? Or a tradition of love? Amen

Photo taken from www.truthortradition.com