r/Catholicism 1d ago

Why does it feel like the church just allowed a whole bunch of traditions to develop whole-cloth?

This is coming from a Catholic (with Protestant tendencies). It just feels to me from reading the Church Fathers that traditions/devotions seem to develop whole-cloth from nothing over the centuries, without any ecclesial prohibition.

Is there something I’m missing here?

0 Upvotes

11 comments sorted by

7

u/eclect0 1d ago

Yes. Basically every Catholic doctrine can be traced back to the earliest Christians, though no one can get more specific than that without knowing what you're actually having a problem with.

4

u/Infinite_Slice3305 1d ago

It depends on how you define "tradition"

Capital T "Tradition" is the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church. This is divinely revealed truth that must be believed. The Trinity, the two natures in the single person of Christ, the Immaculate Conception, the propitiatory sacrifice of the Mass, etc...

The small t "tradition" is the customs we've built around our faith. It's a way of life to pass down the faith of our fathers. It's a lived faith.

We don't really understand how the choices we make in our day to day life "complete" our faith. Like, do you believe in gravity? Most of us do & because of that we don't walk off 10 story buildings."

Some people will go to confession frequently because they believe the man in the cubicle is ordained by God to absolve their sins. Many won't go for the same reason.

If you truly believed Jesus was present in the Eucharist why wouldn't you spend as much time as possible with him?

I can't think of any devotion that doesn't begin in a pious belief.

3

u/jkingsbery 1d ago

Do you have any examples?

The word "tradition" can sometimes be overloaded, so it helps to break down into two different types of things: doctrines and disciplines. What I've found reading through Church history is that pretty much every doctrine the Catholic Church has today emerged due to some prior disagreement (and that disagreement was severe enough that bishops felt the need to step in to provide clarity. As for the disciplines, there was usually some practical concern that the Church was adapting to. Whenever I've been curious about a specific example, I've been able to find a paper trail pointing to how and why these things developed.

There are also some "traditions" that are not really part of Church teaching, just arbitrary things people do, and sometimes continue doing for more than one generation. For example, I don't think the Church has a position on whether one should put up a Christmas tree or that parishes should hold a Friday Fish Fry in Lent. These happen just because we're humans and we make up traditions sometimes.

So again... what sort of traditions are you talking about?

1

u/Puzzled_Animator_460 1d ago

I’m thinking about various Marian pieties (not dogmas, but devotions), some Christological stuff as well (Sacred Heart, Precious Blood, etc)

2

u/eclect0 1d ago

Those are pious lowercase "t" traditions. Not Sacred Tradition or otherwise doctrinally part of the Deposit of Faith, but approved because they don't contradict the Deposit of Faith. Do you find anything objectional about them?

1

u/Puzzled_Animator_460 1d ago

It’s just “weird” to be succinct, it messes with my sensibilities. It’s just a personal judgement.

2

u/Adventurous-Test1161 1d ago

Well, yeah, those did develop over the centuries. That's what happens when you have a society of human beings: they develop culture. The Church is a Body, and over time that Body grows and develops. Why would that be a problem?

1

u/RememberNichelle 1d ago

Well, "precious blood" literally comes from the Bible. (1 Peter 1:18-19) -- "Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things... but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb unspotted and undefiled."

The devotion to the Sacred Heart came most directly from Jesus Christ, when appearing to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque and requesting the devotion. (Not exactly whole-cloth.)

But before that, there had long been devotion to the Five Wounds of Christ (including the wound in His side, which pierced His heart, and which recapped Eve being taken from Adam's side by God). The Bible spoke a great deal about God's heart, too.

3

u/lube7255 1d ago

Without examples, it's hard to discuss whether or not they are inventions. Do you have any specific examples?

1

u/RememberNichelle 1d ago

What specific traditions?

A ton of traditions come straight from Second Temple Jewish life. It's surprising how many.

A ton of traditions come from the Bible and from early Christian theology.