S
SoCalRC
Guest
I’m sorry, I don’t know how to answer that. Having studied what is available from the inner workings of the Council of Trent (some records have never been published) it is hard for me see it any differently. Some very new (at least at the time) things were selected over others, despite some very long ‘pedigrees’ indeed.
It could be argued that, because actual attendance was so low (<70 for some critical sessions) and because there was an urgent, pressing issue of the day (Protestant Reformation), Holy Tradition may have been slighted. Certainly some contemporary writers raised the question. But, as a Roman Catholic, I have to reject that. If I accept that I belong to an Apostolic Church, I have to accept the primacy of the Pope and the Gift of Authority.
Picking and choosing is not an option. If anything, with regards to the Gift of Authority, new trumps old. I know some find it silly, but my understanding is that I am called upon to obey, even when I don’t quite understand or agree.
In this case, there was a stated effort to connect to the very beginning of Latin Tradition. I, personally, find both the effort and the result touching. You don’t. So be it. But I truly do not understand your argument about age and ‘pedigree’. The authorship of all four Gospels is not known with 100% certainty. We do know they have all been edited, but we are not sure by whom or why. We do not even know, with certainty, what order they were first written in. The oldest versions of each exist principally as fragments…
It just seems odd to me to apparently have disdain for some of the oldest records we have for a Latin Tradition Mass. Though I am sure you have your reasons.
Well, it was the Catholic Encyclopedia that called him “the most important”, presumably based on the extremely high regard he was held by several generations of theologists that came after him. If you believe you are a better judge of his importance than, say, St. Jerome, again, so be it.
However, it is the nature of time and history that we must sometimes rely on influence on others instead of direct evidence. Jesus would be a perfect, albiet extreme example. We have no written record directly from his ministry and only the scantest historical evidence he existed. Our primary ‘sources’ are often contradictory and, as noted, we are not even clear on their exact origins.
But while countless exact details have been lost to history, we know from the impact he had on others just how incredibly important he was!
FWIW, I seem to have triggered some knee jerk reaction to ‘debate’. Since I simply joined the thread to note that yes, like others, I do really care for the Ordinary Mass, and shared personal reasons why (since I think explanations promote understanding, if not agreement), I am not sure where the idea that my personal feelings in any way ‘attack’ anything or need to be refuted comes from.
I cannot help it that something reminds me of Church history and I find it deeply and positively moving in a Mass. You seem to feel some need to prove that my feelings are unfounded or otherwise unreasonable. This may be a common form of discourse here, but I must admit that I find it uncomfortable.
Please note that in my exchange with Mr. Doherty, I reaffirmed that, although my own emotional response to the Tridentine Mass has changed over the many years since I was a small boy, it is only a matter of personal taste. I also noted that he was in fine company with regards to hearing great beauty.
This was not some form of political correctness. I honestly believe that finding something beautiful and stirring in a Mass is a wonderful thing. My wife always tears up as we offer each other the sign of peace. Our son is developmentally disabled and even when we are travelling far from home and visiting an unfamiliar Parish, the people in the pews around us always make a special effort to include him.
That is an example that I try, though often unsuccessfully, to emulate. So please forgive me if my discomfort at this type of constructive criticism, which is new to me, leads me to offend you in some way.
Best Regards