October 24, 2005 - Sacred Traditions:

Opening Question: What was the best demonstration you've seen in a class?

Discussion:

What do you think of when you think of Sacred Traditions?
Mass
Teachings on Mary
Sacraments
Sacred Scripture
Pope

Where do the Sacraments come from? Jesus' teachings and life

What about celibate priests? It wasn't always that way so it's not a Sacred Tradition. The celibacy of priests is not something that the Church was founded on.

So is Sacred Tradition what the Apostles taught?

What makes something a tradition?
Something you physically take part in. Does it have to be and action or can it be a teaching or idea. Traditional beliefs are just ideas, but believing in them is an action on your part. Something repeated, ideas can be repeated through teaching.

What makes something a Sacred Tradition? When it is the birth Church? Either the piercing of the side of Jesus or Pentecost Sunday.

Sacred Traditions are universal, while traditions are referenced in time and location,
Sacred Traditions are the beliefs, while traditions are how we celebrate the beliefs. Sacred Traditions come from Jesus and the Apostles and have been passed down.

What Church Tradition helps you the most?
Eucharist, Reconciliation/Confession, Mass, Prayer Trinity and Incarnation, Sanctifying grace

What are these Traditions doing for you? They bring you closer to God, allowing us to see God in his entirety, 'Emmanuel' - God is with us. Sacraments are the actions of the Holy Spirit.

The point of any tradition is to direct us to God.

Sacred Tradition stems from the real life and interaction with the world.

How does Tradition and Scripture work together? Sacred Traditions are recounted in the Holy Scripture they are intertwined. A lot of God is described in Scripture but it doesn't make sense without the Sacred Tradition of the Trinity.

Church defines beliefs when they are called into question not when they decide to start believing something or decided to create a new belief.

How do we know if the Traditions we believe in are true? WE don't if we knew that they were true or there was a mean to prove them, then there would be no point in faith in anything.

Does God influence people towards Traditions that will bring them closer to God? What about the Aztecs whose traditions included killing people. What god would influence people towards those traditions.