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Tradition and Law
In the Church we have three guides that we follow as we practice our faith:

1. The Word of God, the Bible.
2. The Teaching Authority of the Church.
3. Tradition.
   Not all of our traditions are world-wide; some are local, or regional, or cultural.
   And not all voices are equal in the Church. Some examples of Universal tradition would be devotion to Mary and the
   saints, Holy Day processions, etc.
   Some examples of local tradition would be: Rosary before Mass, 40 Hours Devotion, or the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.
   Local tradition does not override the teaching of the Church or the Bible. But all of our traditions should lead us to a deeper and stronger faith in God.
   The Pharisees were following “the teachings of the elders” and setting aside the Law given to Moses. The Gospel
   reading mentions some of these traditions: Washing pots and other things. The problem was that the Pharisees were making their traditions more important than the Law itself.
   Jesus points out that what is evil is not found in what we eat, but in those things that come out of the heart: Lust, greed, etc.
   So what are we to do? We should focus on interior cleanliness, the purity of our thoughts and desires. In computer
   terms GIGO (garbage in, garbage out). Let our prayer be that of David in the 51st Psalm: “Create a clean heart in me Oh
   Lord, and renew a right spirit within me.” Fr. Tony