Not just human traditions

It would appear that we are at a tipping point in our history where we are called to examine what is important about our lives and our institutions. We live in an age when more and more people for greater scrutiny and accountability for all our institutions. There is a sense where in many cases it appears that people entrusted their lives to all sorts of institutions whether they be banks, churches, political parties, unions and other organisations in the hope that they would add value to the whole community. Yet somewhere along the way, there has been a growing gap between our everyday lives and the level of governance exercised on our behalf. It is this growing disconnection which acts as cancer within our society causing people to be sceptical and suspicious of the intentions of any organisation. This lack of trust can ebb into our everyday conversations and isolate us from each other. While it is easy to see how this affects us at a global scale it has a more direct impact on how we live our daily lives. We retreat into our private world and close of interest in anything beyond our immediate concern. This can even be fed by social media which actually shrinks our world to only those people we agree with and causes us to become more rigid and inflexible in our acceptance of others. At the very time when we are called to listen to the heartbeat of God, our ears seem to be closed. We live private lives consumed by our own immediate need and intentions.

Therefore, it is important that we look at what we are consuming and what is actually feeding us. It is easy to see how a spirit of destructiveness can creep into our thoughts, into our words and into our actions. There can be a malevolence which can come disguised as a good. We seek to be safe, secure and relevant to our own age. Yet in these very actions, we can start to separate out others who behave differently to us. This can be seen in attitudes where racism, fundamentalism and extremism can breed a sense of intolerance which can fester even in the midst of polite conversation. There can be a growing sense of antagonism, anger and discontent which can breed so easily that it is difficult to contradict. Yet we need to be aware of how parasitical these attitudes can become when they seek to alienate people against each other especially those at the margins of society who have no voice of their own. St James stresses this when he gives emphasis that pure, unspoilt religion, in the eyes of God is this: "Coming to the aid of orphans and widows when they need it, and keeping oneself uncontaminated from the world"

So at the end of each day, we need to examen how we have been present in our world. Have we sought what brings life, hope and joy to others or have we become caught up in a vengeful and destructive spirit contrary to God's creative plan? This may be a time when we come to notice whatever feeds us and draws us closer to the Good News. We may need to look at what we watch on our televisions and internet feeds. Is this actually helping me to discover life for God and for others? It is so easy to become caught up in the traditions of our own age that we miss the life-giving spirit which is so ancient and so new.  In that listening with the ear of our hearts, we can discover how to be present in our current age which seeks to build up rather than tearing down. What helps us to listen to God most clearly and how will we live that voice out for the good of others and ourselves?