- The Church in recent years often talks about “diversity”, and “inclusiveness”. There are efforts to reach out, to listen to various sub groups in the diocese, and be more sensitive to their needs and interests (within the bounds of proper liturgical form). Why is there so much hostility to those who are like the EF? Why no “reaching out” to them?
On what basis do you say there is no reaching out to them? And who is it who is so hostile? It is hard to answer a question (the hostility one) if there is no sourcing who it is as hostile, as different groups would ahve different issues. Please be more specific.
- When my diocese chose to allow one parish (out of 275) to have a weekly TLM, why did a priest in my, different, parish denounce this as “dangerous”? Keep in mind 99.9% of Masses would still be in what we now call the OF. This same priest often denounced the Vatican for its authoritarian, “one-size-fits-all” approach(!) He since joined the TEC, applauding it for being open minded.
This is a question which should be addressed to the priest, as none of us have spoken with him and would only be speculating. Given that he appears to have left the Church, it would not be out of the realm of possibilities that there were significant issues at play in his life; but again, sourcing what they are is asking for pure speculation.
- I don’t usually attend the TLM. But when I do, it re-calibrates me, reminds me more explicitly of the supernatural, the vertical character of all valid Masses, EF or OF. I am not saying parochial schools should always have the EF, but why not have it once a year for them? We see children dress up now and then in clothing of their ethnic origin, celebrating their heritage in other ways; why not expose them to part of our Catholic heritage? The families I know who attend the diocesan approved EF Mass do not criticize the OF. They just prefer the EF. Personally I better appreciate and participate the OF Masses I attend almost daily because I occasionally attend the EF.
and interesting idea, perhaps more relevant to high school level than grade school. Have you proposed this to anyone who could make it happen?
- I will continue to disagree with TLM supporters when they are wrong. But the opposition to the TLM also at times seems almost fanatic, irrational as well. Why?
I have spoken with priests who have had the privilege (for lack of a better term) of dealing with individuals - and more than one, for the priests with whom I have spoken - who have had to endure attacks on their own spirituality, the OF, Vatican 2, implementation of Vatican 2, and whatever else has spewed for from the mouths of individuals who have either bought into the mindset of the SSPX, or are supporters of them. It doesn’t take much of a leap of faith to categorize people as “part of that group”. And “that group” is also populated by individuals who may not be SSPX supporters, but denigrate the OF and demand that they have a right to have the EF said in their parish and that the priest has a moral duty to do so.
Neither of those last two issues - a right to have the EF said in the parish, and any moral duty - are true, but when one is confronted with such anger, one often finds the angry person is not and will not be open to listening to anything.
Such incidents are very minor in terms of how often they happen, but as the old saying goes, one rotten apple will spoil the whole barrel.
In the 50’s and 60’s when I was young, we had two priests, and sometimes three in our parish. It has been decades since that parish had even two, and I only know of a handful of parishes which have more than one priest. Lack of sufficient numbers of priests, coupled with lack of sufficient numbers of priests trained in the EF and willing to say it are automatic limiters to the number of parishes which can have an EF, and that does not appear to be changing greatly. And that does not sit well with a minority of people who want to have the EF, which leads to confrontations, which leads to pastors not wanting to even deal with the basic issue.
This is not to say that all priests, or even most, or even many necessarily have this reaction, but some do. And it should not seem overly strange that they are just as human as the next person, and subject to developing attitudes shaped by their experiences.
