Traditions and Spirituality
It’s the time of year when we engage in our holiday traditions. We get together with our families. We may exchange gifts. We often pray or attend houses of worship. Of course, traditions are not just limited to holidays. No matter what religion we were raised in, or now practice, we follow certain rituals or traditions.
If you look up the word “tradition” in the dictionary, you’ll find definitions such as these: “a mode of thought or behavior followed by people continuously from generation to generation;”
“an inherited pattern of thought or action.” When I speak about spirituality in this message, I am referring to our connection with God — our ability on a daily basis to sense the presence of God in our lives and to see the divinity in all creation.
In many ways, traditions enhance our spirituality. For example, getting together during a holiday allows us to spend precious time with our families and friends; we know that without these traditional gatherings, we wouldn’t make the time to get together as often. Other things would get in the way. But tradition compels us to honor that time together. Most of us have warm feelings when we think back on the traditions we followed growing up, many of which we still practice.
Tradition, however, is not enough to fulfill our desire to know our spiritual essence. For some of us, our religious beliefs and practices stem only from tradition, and we have not experienced any feeling of connectedness with God. In other words, we followed the “inherited thoughts and actions” we were told to follow, but they didn’t bring us a meaningful relationship with God. We were simply going through the motions. Perhaps we still do these things and we still feel a void.
I know a number of people in the Jewish faith who since childhood have attended religious services two days each year during the “High Holy Days” which takes place at the time of the Jewish New Year. On one of these days, Yom Kippur (the solemn Day of Atonement), they also fast. They do not pray or attend worship services at any other time during the year.
If I were to ask them why they follow these traditions two days each year, they would say “because that is the way I was raised, that is what I’ve always done.” Many would also admit that they follow the traditions (two days of services and a fast) because they fear God’s punishment if they did not follow these traditions. Granted, there are some who would say they really feel a spiritual connection by following these practices, but not many people fall in that category.
Of course, we could apply this example to all faiths. Some people attend religious services on a weekly basis or say certain prayers each day because that is what their parents taught them to do - or because they feel they have to set a good example for their own children. As I mentioned earlier, and this applies to virtually every religion, there are those who follow traditions simply out of fear that God will punish them if they don’t repeat certain words or follow certain rituals.
In many instances, despite following these traditions, we don’t feel any spiritual connection. We don’t feel close to God. We don’t see the divine in everything around us. We experience our traditions and religious beliefs only at the level of the mind - but they don’t touch the heart. Spirituality touches the heart. It is that heartfelt connection that we yearn for.
Don’t misunderstand me. There is absolutely nothing wrong with passing along your religious or spiritual views to your children. There is nothing wrong with following the traditions you grew up with, if you feel better doing that. However, unless you feel a direct connection with God in your heart, you’re not experiencing the fulfillment that lies at your spiritual core.
What traditions are helping you to reach that spiritual core?
What traditions are hindering you from reaching that spiritual core?
What traditions are virtually meaningless to you, yet you keep following them?
Traditions serve a vital role in our religious and spiritual development. But let’s not forget that traditions, by themselves, are not a substitute for a genuine spiritual connection. If we can’t feel the presence of God in our lives, of what use are our traditions? We can have both - traditions AND spirituality. It’s a powerful combination and we shouldn’t settle for anything less.
– Jeff Keller
© 2007