Posted by The WORD in other words (2018) by Fr Jose Caballes SVD – Sacred Heart Parish, Quezon City
Friday 22nd Week in Ordinary Time
Tradition is the living faith of those now dead. Traditionalism is the dead faith of those still living. (Jaroslav Pelikan, The Vindication of Tradition, p. 65. )
We hear every now and then people using the Old Testament to support their arguments or ideas. Recently, in fact, certain government officials have quoted Old Testament passages to support death penalty.
Doesn’t the term “Old Testament” clearly underscore an old mentality? When Jesus said “no one pours new wine into old wineskins… new wine must be poured into fresh wineskins,” He was emphasizing something new in His message that could not be contained within an old mentality.
Jesus’ teachings are basically radical and transformative that the old teachings needed to be upgraded and be accepted with a new perspective in the light of Jesus’ mission, i.e., to bring the whole of humanity to a new worldview and a way of life.
Of course, there are certain dogmatic teachings in the Old Testament that remain universally valid but the New Testament has perfected them and elevated them to a more humanistic context where joy and appreciation of life become a premium to self-perfection. The “New Testament” should become our tradition since it is a tradition and celebration of life.
May the Lord’s words become our constant companion as we slowly open up to His inspiration so that we may be able to widen our understanding of Him who loves us.
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