Traditions

How often do we participate in some sort of tradition without having any clue as to why we do it? I don't know the answer to that question, but it is probably very often.

Today I was sitting in a church reading a book on spiritual warfare, and I saw a man come in with a bag of nativity pieces. (The Neapolitan nativity is a big deal, maybe I should do a blog on it...) He brought his bag of pieces over to one of the priests who was sitting in the confessional. He lined all the pieces up on the ledge and then the priest blessed each one of them. I'm assuming the nativity pieces were gifts for people. I've gotten many gifts before that are extra "special" because they have been blessed. But, as I watched him, I realized that he really didn't care what he was doing. He was just doing it because that is what you do. He probably has never even questioned why he does that. I continued reading about the hold Satan has in the lives of people who don't know God.

Tonight I was back at that same church. I saw a lady walk down the aisle and stop right in the middle of the church. She knelt down and touch some mosaic three times and stood each time to do the sign of the cross. Why? Has she ever thought why?

At what point did this culture and church become so blind to truth that tradition has completely taken over?