There was once a monastery in the mountains that had become known as a place for quiet reflection and deeply spiritual prayer. The Abbot was known far and wide for his ability to lead others in evening prayers in such a way it was said the veil of heaven was pulled back for a short time. Pilgrims from far away traveled to learn from the monks.
Years later, when the Abbot died, the dog continued to be tied up during the evening prayers.When the dog eventually died, another dog was brought to the monastery and tied up each evening before prayers. Pilgrims continued to come to the monastery from all over the known world.
Over the centuries learned descendants of the Abbot and his disciples wrote scholarly treatises about the ritual significance of tying up a dog for evening prayers. They perfected the manor in which the dog was to be bound, and even prescribed how the dog was to be selected and how it was to be treated before and after the evening prayers. As time passed the practice of tying up a dog before evening prayers spread to every corner of the church.
***
This parable was written under the influence of Mark 7:7-8
"They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.'You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men."And he said to them: "You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!" -Jesus
This parable almost seems ridiculous on the surface. Who among us would believe that tying up a dog would be required for our prayer life.
However Are there not a great many things we assume need to be done in order to be closer to God?
How many of those things are spelled out as necessary in the bible?
How many are rituals handed down to us by man?
I like this... It really is that simple, how various "traditions" get started. All traditions are the continuations of something original someone once did, but then somehow the fact that an action has been repeated for a long duration of time leads people to view that action as sacred. This facet of human behavior baffles me... Why do people find comfort or security in doing things simply because that's what has "always been done"...? It almost feels like a subtle form of idolatry, where mankind has this almost incurable need to create ritual, and then bind ourselves to those rituals, as though following a specially-prescribed process or formula will help achieve better spirital results. It feels like sort of the antithesis of relating to God as a real person, but instead treating Him more like a "principle", like gravity or economics or something, that we can learn to manipulate more effectively the more elaborate our contrived methods become...
ReplyDelete