Hi, I read and agree with most all you offered, especially being charitable. But I didn’t say those who don’t attend the TLM are like or doing the work of Satan.
“Anyhow, the thread is about how to attract people to the TLM and we have those who don’t attend it coming here and telling those who do how to promote it. Those are the ones who fear the EF. So does Satan.”
Poor clarification on my part on specifically who I was directing that towards, but in saying Satan fears the TLM as well, I wasn’t implying anyone who doesn’t attend the TLM was evil.
Poor choice or wording,
mea culpa
That’s OK. I do think that what Satan mostly likes is division and strife, whereever he can work it in. Injecting fear is an excellent way to ferment strife.
I was teaching a religious education class the other day, and we looked forward a few weeks to this passage:
“
The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.” (from John 14:23-29, 6th Sunday of Easter)
I asked them if they knew what an advocate was. They did not. An advocate is a defense attorney!! The word Satan, OTOH, means “the accuser” or “the adversary”. Satan is the prosecutor. And I reminded them of the passage “
The huge dragon, the ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, who deceived the whole world, was thrown down to earth, and its angels were thrown down with it. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "Now have salvation and power come, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Anointed. For the accuser of our brothers is cast out, who accuses them before our God day and night.” Rev. 12:9-10
My point was this: the Holy Spirit will lead you to the truth. He may very often tell you to plead guilty, to throw yourself on the mercy of the Court. He is not a man on a payroll, who is going to help you find dishonest loopholes. He will not lie, but he will also not accuse. He will not seek to throw you away from God. He will always lead you to be reconciled to the truth, to be reconciled with God.
When we deal with each other, we have to remember that each of us is one for whom Christ thirsts. It is not enough to win the argument, to defeat a misconception with a truth, but to be estranged from each other in doing it. We have to be on the side of the Advocate.
It is not my worry what form of the Mass someone likes, only this: that every Mass is valid and reverent (which is only to say that it reflects the truth) and that every Mass brings souls closer to God and to each other. I could hate Latin myself, and yet still want the TLM to be available to those who love it for right reasons. I could be bored silly by every NO Mass I had ever been to, but would defend valid and reverent versions of it for those who love it, too. The Mass is the source and summit of the Christian life. Every Mass that serves the end that God intended the Mass to serve deserves defense, whether or not it has accidental things about it that I don’t happen to like.
I used to tell my nieces and nephews that they ought not marry a person for whom they would not be willing to live in an ugly house, for the sake of their spouse. If a particular Mass truly is a safe shelter, truly is what a Mass is meant to be, then I need to tolerate it, for the sake of those whom I am bound to love, who love that Mass.
When we stray from fraternal correction and into accusation–and I do it myself, I must admit it–I think we stray into Satan’s tool chest. I think we have to be very careful about avoiding that. There is no better demonstration of the worth of any particular rite of the Mass than the Christian virtues exercised by those who frequent it.
There is so much to like about the EF, even from a purely aesthetic standpoint. There is so much in the depth of the texts of its prayers that highlight what the OF is, as well. Even if the TLM does not become extremely popular, it would do the Church a world of good if it became extremely well-understood and widely-understood. I think that even that would be a great service to the entire Church. I think that if the TLM is explained in terms of “understand the TLM, and it will bring meaning to the NO that you can hardly imagine” then the barriers of fear can come down. Minds will open up. I really think that is the way to go.