Main news for 25 March 2019

Tradition in the yahvisme always played a special role. Of course, tradition is important for any religion: because without it, no succession of generations is possible. But the relation to tradition can be different. It happens often that tradition is reduced to certain set of texts and rituals, which repeat again and again, becoming the basis of the religious life of the community. These texts and rituals are never meaningless, in any case meaningless at the beginning; but it often turns out that in time in the process of infinite repetition the initial sense not only of the ritual, but also of the text is forgot and goes to the past, and to its replacement comes another, new, sometimes little connected with the initial.

Nothing can be practically done with it: as every thing in the process of its use wears out, also as wears out the ritual, and as the used material loses its initial aspect, so also the used ritual loses its initial sense, which is forgotten, going to the past. And even if a certain historian manages to discover this initial sense, he cannot already change any more the situation: the ritual lives its life, it is impossible to make it return again in its initial sense, quite as it is impossible to return the novelty in the material worn out with time. That is why the author of the psalm proposes another way: every generation has to raise its praise to God, find Him again for themselves and establish with Him alive and real relationships for themselves.

Past experience in such case is necessary not to simply repeat again and again the words of others, even if they are very expressive, or the thoughts of others, even if they are very deep. It is necessary, as example, as model of these relations, which are impossible to repeat, but which can be established again here and now. The spiritual life indeed consists of relations, which can be the heritage neither of the past, nor of the future: any relationship, whether it is the relationship with God or with man, is possible only in the present. Focus on old forms - means imitating what is not. To take advantage of them - means understanding, how were built the relationships with God before, and considering the past experience, do it today. As the genuine tradition assumes.