“You disregard God's commandment but cling to human tradition.”
In today’s Gospel reading Jesus says the Jews were following manmade traditions instead of the teachings and traditions of God.
VIDEO – Top 10 College Football Traditions
Are traditions bad? Tradition comes from the Latin traditio, which means a giving over, delivery, surrender; a handing down. To answer the question, “Are traditions bad?” really depends on who is doing the handing down. In this video we see that people take tradition seriously. These college football traditions were handed down by fans, players, coaches, etc. How much more can we take seriously what is handed down by Jesus and the Apostles? Saint Paul says, “Therefore, brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught, either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours.” [1]
What types of traditions does the Catholic Church have? There are two types of tradition in the Catholic Church. One type is what was handed down by Jesus and His Apostles; this is what we refer to as big “T” Tradition. This is the deposit of faith and the fullness of God’s revelation. In our faith, we have teachings we must follow and adhere to not because they were man-made, but because God has bestowed them onto the whole human race. The Church has been entrusted with the task of safeguarding the teachings of Christ and is the guardian of truth for not only its own flock but for the world. The threefold ministry of Jesus Christ (which mimics his threefold title as prophet, priest, and king) is to teach, heal, and govern. The Church continues the ministry of Christ and therefore sets up disciplines, dogmas, and doctrines to govern. These are the 3D’s of order and obedience.
All that was handed down after the Apostles can still be good and valid, but is referred to as small “t” tradition. The Rosary is one of the greatest examples of small “t” traditions. The Rosary was given by the Blessed Virgin Mary to Saint Dominic in the 1200’s, 1100 years after the death of the last apostle, Saint John. The Scapular, Marian Apparitions, the Miraculous Medal, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, the Sacred Heart devotion are other examples of small “t” traditions.
What is a discipline and why are they important to order and obedience in the Church? It may refer to “any of the laws and directions set down by Church authority for the guidance of the faithful.” [2] The word comes from the Latin disciplina which means instruction or knowledge. Disciplines help us as the faithful to follow what the Church deems appropriate for us in accordance with God’s life within us.
Can disciplines change? Yes. For example, when we were younger we had certain disciplines that we followed, like a strict 8 pm bedtime. As we grew older, perhaps our parents modified the bedtime to be 9 or 10 pm, or eventually relinquished a strict bedtime altogether. Another example of a discipline is married priests. In the early church, priests were allowed to be married. This discipline changed when the Church deemed it was best for priests not to be married, but instead to have the Church as their spouse. Blessed John Paul II modified this discipline by giving a provision to Anglican Priests who converted to Catholicism. These married priests were given permission to remain married when they were ordained Catholic Priests. A third example is the time of fasting prior to receiving the Eucharist, which has changed three times in the last 100 years. Prior to Pope Pius XII, the faithful fasted from midnight until the Mass they attended. Pope Pius XII lessened the fast to three hours prior to Holy Communion, and now the fast is one hour prior to Holy Communion.
What is doctrine? “Any truth taught by the Church as necessary for acceptance by the faithful. The truth may be either formally revealed (as in the Real Presence), or a theological conclusion (as in the canonization of a saint), or part of the natural law (as in the sinfulness of contraception). In any case, it becomes doctrine when the Church authority teaches that it is to be believed. This teaching may be done either solemnly in an ex cathedra pronouncement or ordinarily in the perennial exercise of the Church’s magisterium or teaching authority.” [3]
What’s the difference between doctrine and discipline? The biggest difference is that disciplines can change over time if needed, while doctrines cannot. Doctrine is a truth passed down to us by either Sacred Scripture or Sacred Tradition. Doctrines can better develop over time as our faith and intellect help us to better understand a doctrine, but it can never be changed. All doctrine is based in faith and morals, and the Church is bound by it.
A good example of the difference between discipline and doctrine is the discipline of the celibate priesthood versus the doctrine of the male priesthood. Neither Scripture nor Tradition has any official teaching on the matter of priestly celibacy, meaning that it could change. However, the male priesthood is a doctrine because Jesus instituted the male priesthood in Sacred Scripture. The Church could not change this doctrine even if it was desired.
TV Ad – NFL Timeline We can also think of doctrine and disciple in the context of sports. There are “rules” or “disciplines” that have changed in the NFL. These rules have made the game better and safer. There are, however, “standards” or “doctrines” that cannot change and if they did change it would change the essence of the game so much that we might not be able to call it “football”, for instance, if someone decided that football should be played with a tennis ball instead.
What is dogma? “The Church’s Magisterium exercises the authority it holds from Christ to the fullest extent when it defines dogmas, that is, when it proposes, in a form obliging the Christian people to an irrevocable adherence of faith, truths contained in divine Revelation or also when it proposes, in a definitive way, truths having a necessary connection with these.” [4]
Dogma is “doctrine taught by the Church to be believed by all the faithful as part of divine revelation. All dogmas, therefore, are formally revealed truths and promulgated as such by the Church. They are revealed either in Scripture or Tradition, either explicitly (as the Incarnation) or implicitly (as the Assumption). Moreover, their acceptance by the faithful must be proposed as necessary for salvation. They may be taught by the Church in a solemn manner, as with the definition of the Immaculate Conception, or in an ordinary way, as with the constant teaching on the malice of taking innocent human life.” [5]
As mentioned above, both doctrine and dogmas are bound by truth found in Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, or both. This is why neither doctrine nor dogmas can be changed because they are founded upon the infallible Christ and the Church He established. The Catechism teaches us that the four Gospels hold a unique place in the Church [6] as it shows through our Liturgy and through the Saints: “There is no doctrine which could be better, more precious and more splendid than the text of the Gospel. Behold and retain what our Lord and Master, Christ, has taught by his words and accomplished by his deeds.” [7]
Why are dogmas important? “Dogmas are lights along the path of faith; they illuminate it and make it secure. Conversely, if our life is upright, our intellect and heart will be open to welcome the light shed by the dogmas of faith.(Cf. Jn. 8:31-32)” [8]
What’s the difference between doctrine and dogma? Doctrine is a teaching; dogma is a decree. A dogma is usually issued when a doctrine is under attack or in question. The two natures of Christ were debated for many hundreds of years. Many people were deceiving Catholics and other believers into heretical teachings on the nature of Christ being fully God and fully man. Thus, the Church proclaimed this doctrine infallible and made it a dogma. All dogma is doctrine, but not all doctrine is dogma, because not all doctrine has had to be formally defined by the Church. Usually, dogmas are associated with a formal definition coming directly from the Holy Father or from an Ecumenical Council.
When did the Catholic Church invent some of these dogmas? The Catholic Church has never “invented” any dogma. To invent something means that the Catholic Church came up with a revelation outside of Scripture and Tradition, which is false. Also, there is no such thing as a “new” doctrine or dogma. Divine Revelation ended with the death of St. John the Apostle around 100 A.D, at which point all that God wished to reveal and that which was necessary for the salvation of man had been revealed. Dogmas have been formally defined at various times to help squash heresy and confusion within the Church. For example, the technical theological term “transubstantiation’ was not formally adopted by the Church until 1215. “This was not the addition of a new doctrine but the Church’s way of defining what it had always taught on this subject in terms that would be so exact as to exclude all the incorrect explanations proposed over the years to explain what happens at the moment of consecration.” [9]
So, these are all just rules to follow? The Church has always taught, “The whole concern of doctrine and its teaching must be directed to the love that never ends. Whether something is proposed for belief, for hope, or for action, the love of our Lord must always be made accessible, so that anyone can see that all the works of perfect Christian virtue spring from love and have no other objective than to arrive at love.” [10] We follow the doctrines out of love and charity for God alone. The goal of disciplines, doctrines, and dogmas is to pass along the fullness of truth from Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition. “The Church, in her doctrine, life, and worship, perpetuates and transmits to every generation all that she herself is, all that she believes.”(DV 8.1) [11]
[1] 2 Thessalonians 2:15
[2] Modern Catholic Dictionary pg. 160
[3] Modern Catholic Dictionary pg. 168
[4] CCC 88
[5] Modern Catholic Dictionary pgs. 168-169. Italicized for emphasis
[6] Cf. CCC 127
[7] St. Caesaria the Younger to St. Richildis and St. Radegunde, SCh 345, 480.
[8] CCC 89
[9] The Essential Catholic Survival Guide pg. 80
[10] Roman Catechism, Preface, 10; cf. 1 Cor 13:8
[11] CCC 98