TRADITIONS AND CUSTOMS
Isaac had heard from his grandma, stories of an amazing family tradition in his family. It seems that his father, grandfather andgreat-grand father had all been able to walk on water on their 21st birthday. On that day, they'd walk across the lake to the boat club for their first legal drink. So when Isaac’s 21^st birthday came around, he and his girl friend took a boat out to the middle of the lake. Isaac stepped out of the boat and nearly drowned! Sven just managed to pull him to safety.Furious and confused, Isaac went to see his grandmother. "Grandma," he asked," it's my 21^st birthday, so why can't I walk across the lake like as my father, his father, and his father before him?" Granny looked into Isaac 's eyes with a broad smile and said, "Because your father,grandfather and great-grandfather were born in January when the lake was frozen and you were born in hot July!"

Traditions and Customs have an important role in the life of Man.
Traditions are channels of man’s life style from one generation to the next generation, since they are part and parcel of man’s life. Some of them are derived from Religion, others based on nation or country. Behind all these traditions and cultures, some or the other good is underlying.
Hence these traditions and customs are nothing but combination of Prayers, Rituals, Sacraments, Religious and social practices. They are to be followed unquestionably for the common good of both Society and Individuals.
They carry scientific, social and Religious Values and Justice to all
for Example: The tradition of Sunday Mass which is the Church’s Commandment carries:

• Psychological= Peace
• Physical = Rest
• Social = get together, communion, family get together
• Relion = tobe in the presence of God, to be strengthened spiritually

and morally. to know, to be guided and to practice the Religious and
Social Values.
If, one is explained of all these things and is asked to regularize his Sunday Mass, I don’t think anybody will be able to follow. On the other hand he can find peace somewhere else; find rest at home, motel etc.; can have gathering at restaurants, beaches etc.; so many substitutes like this he will just bypass. But once you say that it is Religious obligation, we just follow.
The human reality is that we will never be able to follow them unless attributed either to Religion to society. In the course of time these traditions and customs have undergone certain transformation due to the global change as we have today.
Unfortunately as the generations passed, people have forgotten the common-good of man prioritizing the traditions. As a result following these are not an option but a must with no gain, no profit.
When I walked in to a Catechetical class, a kid asked me “Father, is it sin if I don’t attend Sunday Mass?” I replied saying “why do you ask me? What does catechism teach you?” he said, “it is sin against the first commandment of the Church.” “Well said my boy”. “But Father! Whose sin it is?” asked the boy. A bit confused I asked him “what do you mean?” then he revealed saying: “last week we went on vacation. I asked my Mom to take me, no response; I asked my Dad, and no response. So I had no mass. Now whose sin it is? My Mom’s? Dad’s? or mine?” I was speechless a moment. Then I told him, “before you think of sin, let me ask you one question. Why do you go for Mass? What do you get from it? What is the use of going for mass? Think of it, come and tell me next week”
This is what we need to ask ourselves also. If nothing happens as I explained earlier, we just come and go mechanically we may fulfill the custom or follow the commandment at no temporal or spiritual benefit. Hence it is not the matter of sin but the good it brings in. Yet, the violation of these traditions are seriously considered and punished seriously even to the excommunication either by Law or by People.
Preciously for this reason Jesus was questioned of his disciples for not following the traditions of the elders in today’s Gospel. In his answer we see the Intention of Jesus, that one should not forget the common good and Justice which is the Spirit of Tradition lest they become harmful to the very existence of man. As per the Prophet Isaiah: the worship has been reduced to lips only, while hearts are far from God. They have been reduced to human traditions only, while forgetting the commandments of God.
It is for this reason: God says (Is 1:10ff): I am sated with whole offerings of rams and the fat of buffaloes; I have no desire for the blood of bulls….I will hide my eyes from you; though you offer countless prayers, I will not listen….…there is blood on your hands; put away the evil of your deeds; cease to do evil and learn to do right; pursue justice and champion the oppressed.
Amos: 5/21: I will not delight in your sacred ceremonies; I will not accept your sacrifices and offerings; Let justice roll on like a river and righteousness like an ever flowing stream. We need to check ourselves that the lord may not speak to us in a similar way.
Secondly Jesus speaks of the defilement.
What actually defiles the man is not that goes into him; butwhat comes out of him. Defilement does not depend upon what we eat what we drink or what we hear. But what comes out of man only defiles. For example: the food we eat is good but the same food comes out from the same mouth???? Even our own blood when it comes out how do we react????
When man hears something bad, corruption, immorality and so on, he is not defiled. But when he does them, he is defiled. similarly: what comes from heart as Jesus said: from their hearts, come evil thoughts, unchastely, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance and folly. It is these evils defile a person.
For us Catholics, we have the Word of God, Law and Traditions are of equal important. The Law always prescribes us what we should do and the Traditions give us the mode of practicing them. Today we have in our hands a clear cut commandments both of God and Church and the Code of Canon Law which is the best in the world; the Catechism and other instructions which spell us clearly the Law of God do help us to form our Character and way of life. In this process the Traditions and Customs would provide us ways and means to reach out our goal. For example: “go..Baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit..” is the commandment of Jesus and the actual ritual for the baptism we have today is the Tradition/custom. Likewise we have many traditions and customs like: Holy Rosary, Way of the Cross, Novena Prayers for different saints, Eucharistic Adorations, Pilgrimages and so on. These help us to grow in faith, love and charity. Once these are there, we will be able to follow the commandments of God through which gives birth to love, patience, sacrificial attitude, humility, obedience, patience, tolerance and so on that brings fragrance to our Character. Hence l et us try to keep the spirit behind the Traditions and customs and try to live as true Christians in our daily lives.

-Fr John Raju Junjunuri
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