Why so many rites and ceremonies?

Many people find rites superfluous: the candles, colors, gestures, formulas. 'I carry faith on the inside', people say. And there is some truth to that: without the heart, a rite remains mere theatre. But discarding them altogether forgets how we are made. We are not angels: we are body and soul. We need what is important to enter through the senses as well. A hug says more than an 'I love you' that is merely thought; a candle, a silence, a shared gesture make present on the outside what you believe on the inside. Rites are for us, not for God. That is why faith is accompanied by signs: not to replace the interior, but to sustain and express it. Lived well, they do not distract from the essence: they make it tangible.