Changing Traditions
My family normally gathered at my Mother’s house for the holidays. We usually shared an Italian meal—even when celebrating American feasts. We typically started with a serving of canned fruit cocktail (this was before the days of Whole Foods and grocery-cut fruit that is ready to serve ). It had been several years since Mom died and it was my turn to host the Christmas feast. I kept the tradition of serving canned fruit. My brother said to me, “Okay Kathy, I think we can dispense with the fruit cocktail.” (He was never a fan) I guess part of me wanted to maintain all of the traditions of home in order to keep the memory of my Mom alive. But my brother was right, we didn’t need canned fruit cocktail to do that.
At our recent Parish Mission, friends came up and asked why we (at St. Thomas Aquinas) don’t ring the “traditional” bells at the consecration anymore. I explained the reason why the bells became a part of the liturgy in the first place; In the Middle Ages, Mass was said ad orientem, with the priest facing the altar, speaking in Latin, a language which many did not understand, and speaking in a soft voice, which many could not hear. The bells helped notify people what was going on when. While bells are certainly permitted today, they are not necessarily required. In our current practice, the priest faces the people, speaks in the vernacular and wears a microphone. Our former theology which focused heavily on “the moment” when the bread and wine becomes the body and blood of Jesus has broadened a bit. Now, the Church views many, many moments, in fact, the entire liturgy as sacred and significant. If we wanted to mark every sacred moment, we could easily be ringing bells throughout the entire Mass!!
The point is, our circumstances change and so do our traditions. These days, I find myself eating Christmas dinner at the airport food court. And yes, sometimes I even have fresh fruit.
O Lord, give us a heart that welcomes new traditions and the wisdom to preserve the best of the old. AMEN.
