“…anyone who carelessly rejects the external traditions or treats them with irony is doing something dangerous.”
Josef Pieper
“Indeed, modern men, who lack such things, lack sustenance, and our fathers who founded all those ritual observances were very wise.”
Hilaire Belloc
VIDEO FOLLOWED BY DISTINCT WRITTEN REFLECTION
Tomorrow is December 6th. We have a tradition in our family of putting shoes by the hearth on the eve of St. Nicholas day. In the morning there are goodies for all of us in those shoes. This was the practice in my wife’s family, and I suppose it has been passed on there in some form for many generations.
My children certainly love doing this year after year. I hope they will do the same with their children.
At times it can be hard to continue such traditions. Ritual observances not shared by the broader community require more effort. At the same time many people find themselves already cut off from such practices. In these circumstances we can feel rather helpless. Contemporary dispositions tend to ignore such practices–or even scorn them–relegating them to a naive and out-dated way of life.
Whether we are holding on to existing practices, or revitalizing practices from our own past, or seeking to initiate practices we discover in other communities, there can be real sustenance in traditional ritual observances.
It is hard to put a finger on why. Such ritual observances are literally in-carnations of deeply held convictions, the expression of which can deepen those convictions, bringing them to life. Such expression connects us: to those around us, to our physical place, to our own past, and to loved ones who are gone. Such connections are life-giving, not to be underestimated.
These things are at least to some extent in our power, there for the choosing. In these upcoming days that have always been observed with ritual practices, we can seek nourishment in preserving, or in revitalizing such traditions.
Josef Pieper (1904-1997) was a German philosopher in the tradition of St. Thomas Aquinas. Many of his works have been translated into English and are still in print, including Leisure the Basis of Culture, Happiness and Contemplation, A Theory of Festivity, and The Four Cardinal Virtues, to name a few. This quotation is from an article, “The Concept of Tradition.”
Hilaire Belloc (1870-1953), born of a French father and English mother, was a poet, historian, and essayist. This quote is from the essay “A Remaining Christmas.’
Husband, father, and professor of Philosophy. LifeCraft springs from one conviction: there is an ancient wisdom about how to live the good life in our homes, with our families; and it is worth our time to hearken to it. Let’s rediscover it together. Learn more.
Thank you, John. I liked your observations on the joys of any rituals associated with chocolate, and appreciated your reminder that there is something deeper, and very meaningful, happening in the observance of these traditions.
And thank you Angela!
Your reflections are always so greatly appreciated in our home. The videos are a really nice addition!
Thanks so much Caitrie. I’m hoping to do a little more in the area of videos in the new year. Thanks again!
Thank you for these words. You spoke insightfully about the order-inducing quality of ritualistic observance. I would like to concentrate on this thought and offer the following observation: perhaps one strand in the multi-threaded account of why ritualistic observance constitutes a salutary balm for our lives in community, is the way such observance *mimics* the glorious subjection of our souls to the command of reason, whose source is God. For is it not so, that our humble obedience – in our psychological lives – to what is just, righteous, and true, elicits great rejoicing among the angels who watch over us and guide us, and pleases God? In the same way, when we – as community – endure the yoke of discipline and faithfully adhere to those traditions of the past that are holy and edifying, we please the Lord, who intends that we be one (John 17:21), and that our joy be full (John 15:11).
I would like to add, if I might, that the notion of *mimicking* or imitation in my post above was inspired from the Timaeus of Plato: certainly, the suggestion (more or less) of Plato in that dialogue, that God, due to His goodness, prefers order to disorder in our world, nicely complements the insight of Professor Cuddeback.
Thank you Brian! I am always especially happy when principles from the great philosophers give insight into the highest realities.