The Catholic Church neither refers to tradition as legends or mythological accounts, nor does it include transitory customs/practices which may change, as situations merit, like styles of priestly dress, specific forms of devotion to saints, or even liturgical rubrics.
Sacred
or apostolic tradition consists of the teachings that the apostles passed on
orally through their preaching. These teachings largely overlap with those contained in in the Bible, but the method of their transmission
is distinct.
They
have been entrusted to the Church. It is important that Christians believe in
and obey this tradition as well as the Bible (Luke 10:16). The precision of the
faith has been given chiefly to the leaders of the Church (Ephesians 3:5), who, with Christ, form the foundation of the Church (Ephesians 2:20). The Church has been guided
by the Holy Spirit, Who protects this teaching from corruption (John 14:25-26) , 16:13).
Paul
illustrated tradition, " For I handed on to you as of first importance
what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the
scriptures; Therefore, whether it be I or they, so we preach and so you
believed."(1 Corinthians 15:3, 11). The apostle praised those who obeyed Tradition, " I praise you
because you remember me in everything and hold fast to the traditions, just as
I handed them on to you." (1 Corinthians 11:2).
The
first Christians "devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching" (Acts 2:42) long before there was a New Testament.
From
the very start, the fullness of Christian teaching was found not in a book but in
the Church as the living personification of Jesus, our Lord.
The
teaching Church, with its oral, apostolic tradition, was authoritative. Paul
himself quotes from Jesus that was
handed down orally to him: "It is more blessed to give than to
receive" (Acts 20:35).
This
saying is not recorded in the Gospels and must have been conveyed to Paul.
Indeed, even the Gospels themselves are oral tradition which has been written
down (Luke 1:1–4). Further, Paul does not quote Jesus only. He also quotes
from early Christian hymns, as in (Ephesians 5:14). These and other things have been given to Christians "through
the Lord Jesus" (1 Thesslonians 4:2).
Fundamentalists
claim that Jesus condemned tradition quoting " "And why do you break
the commandment of God 3 for the sake of your tradition?" (Matthew 15:3). Paul cautioned, " See
to it that no one captivate you with an empty, seductive philosophy according
to human tradition, according to the elemental powers of the world 3 and not
according to Christ." (Colossians 2:8). However, these verses simply denounce flawed human traditions, not
truths which were passed on orally and entrusted to the Church by the apostles.
These concluding truths are part of what is established as apostolic tradition,
which is different from human traditions or customs.
For
example, let’s try to cite Matthew 15:6-9, which Fundamentalists and Evangelicals frequently quote to defend
their stance: "You have nullified the word of God for the sake of your
tradition. Hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy about you when he said: 'This
people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain
do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts.”
From
this verse, Jesus was not condemning all traditions but only those that made
God’s word void. Specifically, it was a matter of the Pharisees counterfeiting
the dedication of their goods to the Temple so they could evade supporting
their aged parents, which itself nullify the tradition to "Honor your
father and your mother" (Exodus 20:12).
Elsewhere,
Jesus taught His followers to obey traditions that are anchored to God’s
commandments. " The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the
chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you,
but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice"
(Matthew 23:2-3).
The
term tradition in 1 Corinthians 11:2 and 2 Thessalonians 2:15 is used in a
different sense, to describe what should be believed. Jesus did not knock all traditions down but only flawed
traditions, whether doctrines or practices, that demoralize Christian truths.
So
how does each community know which traditions are apostolic and which are
merely human -by listening to the magisterium or teaching authority of Jesus’
Church. If the Church revealed to her flock the canon of Scripture, it can also
reveal the "canon of Tradition" by instituting which traditions have
been passed down from the apostles. After all, Jesus assured that “the gates of
the netherworld shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18) and the New Testament itself pronounces the Church
to be "the pillar and foundation of the truth" (1 Timothy 3:15).
Source: What is Tradition?, http://www.catholic.com/tracts/scripture-and-tradition
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