Jesus said in My Father’s House are many mansions. When JPII was alive, he particpated in many, many forms of worship, including attending Charsimatic World events. I have heard it said that even at a regular mass the Holy Father JPII had to be nudged at times as he was so deeply in prayer. And GOD forbid how at one of the World Youth Days, JPII, after seeing a man with no arms play a song on the guitar (that evil instrument of worship), went forward with his arms outstretched, kissed Tony Melendez, and brought tears to so many. Or to the cheering throngs of youth, weeping at the sight of the Holy Father, chanting JPII, we love you. And when all quieted down, he said, John Paul II, loves you too!, and the crowd went wild. But of course this was not a proper form of worship, where is the protocol?
As scripture states, you can worship, prophesy, have a Latin Mass, or regular Mass, pray in tongues of angels, have the faith to move mountains, and if YOU DO NOT HAVE LOVE YOU ARE A CLANGING GONG, and you have NOTHING!!! You guys with this attitude (that Vatican II was evil, the Mass form was ruptured etc.) really are starting to remind me of the Pharisees.
Now the people out there who state that the TLM is so profound, that it leads to a higher and purer form of worship, draws people more near to Christ because the priests’s back is turned invoking worship to God, is in a better language, are so off base and might I add very arrogant in their approach. Apparently, and quite apparently, they have never partaken of a higher and holy, profound sense of worhip outside of this type of mass, and thus they assume it is the best form of worship. I grew up in the Latin Mass, was an altar boy, felt the presence of God strongly. When I wandered from the faith, and eventually came back to the arms of the Father, and having not even really heard the story of the lost sheep and God’s relentless love for us, I came back to my first confession and communion at a beautiful candlelit Easter Mass, and the experince was profound beyond words. The priest I was fortunate to go to was so holy (also I found out later the Dicoesesan Charismatic Laison at the time and Diocesan Exorcist), I felt as if I was in a holy cave of light. I went though years of confession and deep healing with him. The point is is that this is how God led me back from death.
The person who quite arrogantly in my opinion speaks of the great rupture of the Mass after Vatican II, when this was done under the direction of the Holy Spirit (arrogant because laymen discredit and discount a Council of the Church), and JPII always spoke of the great benefits of Vatican II, yet clearly spoke of abuses that had taken place if we DON’T follow the mandates of VII…speaks against the Holy Catholic Church. JPII was a saint and he understood how God works, and didn’t put limits on God, and didn’t try to fit Him in his own little chamber. Men after VII, including myself, in my opinion were ripe for the types of rationaliztions which led them away from God. The problem was not with the Mass, but with the many who were corrupted in various ways, and the hearts of mankind which was swept away enmasse in many forms.
I have experienced God in many ways in my reversion. I recall shortly after coming back, going to daily Mass and regular confession. I prayed daily in front of the Fatima statue, then on the feast of the Queenship of Our Lady August 22, as the priest said a Eucharistic Prayer with arms raised and feet spread broadly apart (facing us), suddenly a heavenly large image of Mary glistened down from above so clearly it startled me and I closed my eyes. After mass, still kind of stunned, I wandered to the back of the church, and here was a picture of Mary someone left, that had her mantle in the same unique midnight blue, her foot on the serpents head, on a throne, depicting the Queenship of Mary. Ah, but some will say, he is quite delusional. Whatever. My point is those that to ridicule or speak irreverently of the the Mass in any form (save specific abuses done by individuals) are so far off base and it is speaking against the Church. God can and will do all things in all ways at all times. He can speak with perfect clarity in a Latin Mass, English Mass, any mass that is approved by Our Church. So stop passing on falsehoods to people. Focus on your own heart and how it worships and how you love your brother. Although Medjugorje is still under investigation, in this apparition, Mary speaks over, and over and over again to pray, and pray with your heart. What does that mean? In any case, we can fall prostrate before the Lord, we can lift our hands in prayer, we can praise God in song, Gregorian Chant as well as praise music. If we believe in the Real Presence of the Eucharist, that is key. If we confess our sins in Confession, and keep our souls as pure as possible, pure worship of our God is much more easily obtained. Instead of sitting around and tsk- tsking about those who don’t partake of e.g. The Latin Mass (and I have seen this), try and look with the eyes of Christ. Oh and also, can you tell me where in scripture or church tradition the Organ was preferable over the evil guitar? At least scripture has a reference to a lute and lyre, stringed instruments. So, like the Apostle Paul inferred become Christ to all (as JPII did). Do you really think if Jesus walked among us today, he would go over to the Latin Mass and say, here is where it is. My other priests at the other Masses, their consecrations aren’t as good, it’s only kinda Me. We are told thousands of angels are at the mass. Only at Latin Mass??? Hardly. Now we’re boxing in angels…now we’re kind of acting like …were God. Well that’s all I’ve got to say for now. Wait, one more point. My wife admonishes us, God bless her, not to hold hands during the Our Father, so we’ve always pretty much gone along. I’ve heard all the arguments. One day, God forgive me, I started thinking about how many people are looking around and in their minds are saying, look at them they are holding hands, but “Not I say they, for I fold my hands and pray a true and sincere prayer to God. My prayer is not horizontal but vertical, to the Father.” This reminded me so much of the Publican and the Tax Collector. I decided one day, to hold hands with my kids, close my eyes and focus on the prayer to Our Father, on praying for those around us to be filled with the Peace of Christ. I was filled with an outpouring of peace, flowing, flowing through me that was very profound and to me the message was VERY clear. It is where our hearts are at that matters. Did John the Baptist partake of true worship? That’s all for me.
Our Lady of Fatima should be told this immediately! She must have made a mistake when she said that WWI and WWII were caused by the sins of men, and that was when only Latin was prayed! Or maybe they weren’t as bad as the baby boomers, just bad enough to bring God’s wrath on the world. And to think that no other generation discovered sexual perversities until the 20th century…oops, they did. Hmm, maybe no other era showed selfishness or egotism or irresponsibiltiy. Is that what you mean? I was just reading that todays generation is extremely ignorant about history…
My personal apologies brotherhoff.