~~~ Deuteronomy 4: 1, 5-9 ~~~ Psalm 147 ~~~ Matthew 5: 17-19 ~~~
"For what great nation is there that has gods so close to it as the Lord,
our God, is to us whenever we call upon him?"
"...take care...not to forget the things which your own eyes have seen, nor let them slip from your memory for as long as you live...teach them to your children and to your children's children."
The importance of both oral tradition and grandparents...They do seem to go hand in hand. Grandparents often have more time to sit with their grandchildren and tell stories about the past. You can be dramatic and more expressive without feeling ridiculous. You can choose which part of the story to emphasize. You might choose to shorten the story to save time. You might even take the liberty to embellish, just a tad.
Oral tradition is a way of keeping history or culture alive and passed down from one generation to the next. Before the advent of recorded history this was the only means of sharing history. Oftentimes the 'stories' were chanted or sung; this helped people to not only keep track of the story, but remember it as well. This form of story telling was also a popular form of entertainment.
Most of what we have recorded in the Bible today began as oral traditions passed down from one to another. These early Christians shared their Jesus stories while dining together. I can picture St. Paul sitting around the table with his friends breaking bread and sharing their Jesus stories some twenty years later.
The author of Deuteronomy is placing significant emphasis on not letting the important things 'slip from your memory'. The best way to preserve these memories is to keep sharing them with each generation. Do you have any precious stories in your family that have been passed down through the years? Do you have any favorite stories about Jesus that you share with the children in your family?
Matthew quotes Jesus as having said, "...whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven." It seems that we are expected to be examples and teachers for the future generations. Did you ever think about it from that view point? It is not bad enough that we ourselves break one of the commandments, but it is much worse if our actions lead others astray too.
The bottom line here is: you never know when your actions maybe having a negative effect on another. Does that mean we are to only follow the commandments
when we might be seen?
Hmmmm, maybe that is not the best rule of thumb for our decision making.
As Saint Francis of Asissi says,
"Preach the gospel at all times and when necessary use words".
"For what great nation is there that has gods so close to it as the Lord,
our God, is to us whenever we call upon him?"
It has been passed down to us...we can call upon him night or day, in sickness or health, in good times and in bad times.
our God, is to us whenever we call upon him?"
"...take care...not to forget the things which your own eyes have seen, nor let them slip from your memory for as long as you live...teach them to your children and to your children's children."
The importance of both oral tradition and grandparents...They do seem to go hand in hand. Grandparents often have more time to sit with their grandchildren and tell stories about the past. You can be dramatic and more expressive without feeling ridiculous. You can choose which part of the story to emphasize. You might choose to shorten the story to save time. You might even take the liberty to embellish, just a tad.
Oral tradition is a way of keeping history or culture alive and passed down from one generation to the next. Before the advent of recorded history this was the only means of sharing history. Oftentimes the 'stories' were chanted or sung; this helped people to not only keep track of the story, but remember it as well. This form of story telling was also a popular form of entertainment.
Most of what we have recorded in the Bible today began as oral traditions passed down from one to another. These early Christians shared their Jesus stories while dining together. I can picture St. Paul sitting around the table with his friends breaking bread and sharing their Jesus stories some twenty years later.
The author of Deuteronomy is placing significant emphasis on not letting the important things 'slip from your memory'. The best way to preserve these memories is to keep sharing them with each generation. Do you have any precious stories in your family that have been passed down through the years? Do you have any favorite stories about Jesus that you share with the children in your family?
Matthew quotes Jesus as having said, "...whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven." It seems that we are expected to be examples and teachers for the future generations. Did you ever think about it from that view point? It is not bad enough that we ourselves break one of the commandments, but it is much worse if our actions lead others astray too.
The bottom line here is: you never know when your actions maybe having a negative effect on another. Does that mean we are to only follow the commandments
when we might be seen?
Hmmmm, maybe that is not the best rule of thumb for our decision making.
As Saint Francis of Asissi says,
"Preach the gospel at all times and when necessary use words".
"For what great nation is there that has gods so close to it as the Lord,
our God, is to us whenever we call upon him?"
It has been passed down to us...we can call upon him night or day, in sickness or health, in good times and in bad times.
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