Hi IBelieve,
I’m not sure what the behaviors of the Catholics in the Mass proves. We don’t base tradition on the reactions of the people in Mass, ie: how fast do they exit to judge whether or not the form is correct?
Whether or not people embrace the EF or the OF isn’t really the issue is it? Do Catholics decide the fate of the Church?
I think what is at stake is Church tradition. Isn’t that what seperates the Catholic Church from the Protestants or… bad word I know, “heretics”.
At least, as a convert to Catholicism and Christianity I chose to be Catholic (or Orthodox to some extent was also ok) BECAUSE I was under the impression that they preserved the tradition, ie: the CHURCH.
If you change the traditions you change the Church, no?
It is true that it is a mistaken belief of this past century, that modernity is excellent and everything new is better than all things old. We are going to hell in a handbasket if we are not careful? Don’t you think?
My Grandmother is vastly superior to me. And not simply because of her years, but because of her values. In the past people were kept in line (straight and narrow) much more so than today. And changing up the Mass is another sign of the times. And its not a good sign.
Ok, that is the opinion of a new convert. Maybe like you I’ll change my opinion over time, but I highly doubt it.
My RCIA experience was so watered down I almost didn’t become a Catholic because I thought Catholics were smarter than that to be honest. I thought they were smarter than to water things down to make everything all cosey, hand-holding nice and snuggly warm.
Hi Lisa. I guess you may mis-understand where I stand.
See, I missed all the fuss. Right when I was old enough to really start understanding the Faith, I stopped attending Mass. There were many reasons, but it wasn’t really for lack of Faith. I was 15, it was the seventies, and like many kids, I knew it all and was going to live forever. Or so I thought.
The Novus Ordo was introduced before I was old enough to really grasp the beauty of the Gregorian Rite, and I stopped attending Mass before I could really say I understood the new Mass. And I was gone for 35 years or so. Again, I missed all the changes and the resulting fuss.
I remember driving my mother to the doctor one day and we drove past St John’s Priory. It was the late 90’s and there was a nun out front in a full traditional habit tending to the flowers. I asked mom if she had ever been to Mass there, and she said “no, Fr._____ say’s there are renegade catholics.” I had no clue what she meant, and didn’t ask.
It was at my father’s funeral Mass that I realized what pain I must have caused him and my family by not practicing the Faith. After the Mass, my great aunt who sat next to me said, for many there to hear, " Your grandmother would be so proud. You certainly haven’t forgotten your catholic prayers." I admit, I was surprised that the rubrics and prayers all came back to me so easily.
Anyhow, when I decided to begin practicing catholicism again, I got on the internet and found that traditional catholicism suits my spirituality. As I said in the post above the one you replied to, everthing I read, every devotion and so forth, all predate VII. It’s not
because they predate VII that I embrace them, it’s just what I’m moved to embrace. St Alphonsus is the cat’s meow for me, because there is so much to read and I love the way he quotes the great Saints and brings it all together on one page. Just as there is harmony of the Gospels, there is a harmony amongst the writings of the great Saints and their message.
Now, having gotten caught up in all the fuss for a little over a year, and waving the flag of the remnant, I was sure I’d found myself possessing the right mindset. Trent was the measuring stick, and VI was as far as we needed to go. I had decided, after much discernment, to go with the SSPX.
But something happened this past spring. H.E. Fellay called BXVI a “perfect liberal”. Also, Fr. Michael Mary came under attack for his decision to embrace full communion with Rome.
For all the valid concerns the SSPX has, all of which I still consider valid, there was this obvious and undeniable truth that a parallel magisterium of sorts is in place.
I can’t be part of that, for it fuels bitterness and doesn’t lend itself to the pursuit of the certain Cardinal and Theological Virtues. “Doctrine !” is the cry, but to set aside certain Virtues turns this righteous cry into one of self righteousness and, frankly becomes, the traditionalist version of cafeteria catholicism.
But I can still call myself a traditionalist. I could care less what the Call to Action folks think of me, nor will I answer to clergy or laity who have placed themselves in judgement of H.H. Benedict XVI. IMO, both groups are in error.
We shouldn’t lay this mess on BXVI’s shoulders. We can expect him to work to right it, but with realistic expectations.
If not then its okay too. I’ll learn as I go.
