For the past 71 consecutive Sundays. i ve attended a TLM Solemn High Mass. It spoils you! The reverence, the dignity, the beauty of it all are overwhelming. Theres an “Otherness”. i know almost no Latin, but it`s enough to just be there and soak it all up.
During the third or fourth Mass there, a thought came into my mind: IT SEEMED THAT I COULD FEEL THE CHURCH`S HEARTBEAT, and it was strong and healthy. That feeling has grown stronger.
The “Asperges me” can make you misty eyed, and when there are the ladies and the gents choirs singing and chanting…it makes your spirit soar.
There are hardly any walking sticks in sight, but there are plenty of babies and toddlers. Young families predominate, and lots of young people come in on their own. Mantillas aren`t compulsory, but there are plenty of them.
There`s the quiet peace embrace in the Sanctuary, but not the disruptive “sign of peace” “for” the rest of us.
Holy Communion time…the Communion rail, receiving Him only from the consecrated hands of a priest. Like a feather landing on the tongue. The paten.
Thanks be to God for the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter! These fellas are up to date in the right way: eg they have devotion to the Divine Mercy, with a permanent picture of “Jesus, I trust in You” in the church. They`re knowledgeable and approachable.
You can feel the love and respect that the laity have for the priests, and vice versa.
Best of all: Pope Benedict is a patron of it.
The Mass is the Mass is the Mass, but the thought of going back to the OF only is a bit unsettling. A lot of us didn`t appreciate the TLM until we lost it.