Tradition
Should tradition be accepted and followed equally with Scripture?
The Catholic Church holds its leadership, or magisterium, and tradition at the same level as Scripture. The Catholic Catechism states,
“Both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honored with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence” (para. 82).
And according to the Catholic Catechism,
“It is clear therefore that, in the supremely wise arrangement of God, sacred Tradition, Sacred Scripture, and the Magisterium of the Church are so connected and associated that one cannot stand without the others” (para. 95).
These quotations tell us that without tradition and the magisterium, sacred Scripture, or God’s Word, cannot stand. Does God’s Word need the magisterium to stand? Jesus told us,
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away” (Matthew 24:35).
When Heaven and Earth pass away, so will the magisterium, but Jesus’ words, which are Scripture, will still stand.
When asked about why His disciples were breaking the tradition of the Jews, Jesus taught that the Word of God takes precedence over tradition.
“So the Pharisees and scribes questioned him, ‘Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?’ He responded, ‘Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written: “This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts.” You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.’ He went on to say, ‘How well you have set aside the commandment of God in order to uphold your tradition! For Moses said, “Honor your father and your mother,” and “Whoever curses father or mother shall die.” Yet you say, “If a person says to father or mother, ‘Any support you might have had from me is qorban’ ” (meaning, dedicated to God), you allow him to do nothing more for his father or mother. You nullify the word of God in favor of your tradition that you have handed on. And you do many such things” (Mark 7:5–13).
Here Jesus taught that God’s Word should take precedence over tradition. Any tradition that we follow should not require us to set aside the commandments of God, nor should it be in conflict with Scripture. Therefore, we must refer to God’s Word as the final authority for determining whether we should follow a particular tradition.
(All Bible references are taken from The New American Bible for Catholics,)
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