What is this invaluable treasure? It is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the Traditional Latin Mass. One of my greatest joys in being a Catholic is receiving Jesus in the Holy Eucharist at Mass, the Traditional Latin Mass. Holy Mass was the divinely ordained way in which God designed for us to worship Him. What matters is the fact that the Mass is Heaven on earth, the one sacrifice of Christ on Calvary re-enacted, made present again, for us, such that we are kneeling at the foot of the Cross of our Lord at Calvary. According to Britannica, the mass is at once a memorial and a sacrifice. In the Eucharistic prayer, the church commemorates Jesus Christ and his redeeming work, especially His sacrifice for the sake of all humankind through his crucifixion (passion and death on the cross). Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross is the only worthy sacrifice to God because Jesus the only Son of God is also God and like God is infinite and divine in nature, therefore Jesus’ sacrifice is the ultimate sacrifice acceptable to God. It is through the traditional Latin Mass that this sacrifice is re-enacted for our redemption, and not the Mass of today in Catholic Churches since the 1970s - the Novus Ordo / New Mass, which is not a sacrifice but the Last Supper. Problems with the New Mass Why is it invaluable? It is the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite. Pope Benedict XVI wished that the treasure of the traditional Roman liturgy, which was celebrated without change for centuries and centuries, should be preserved for all generations. With his milestone document “Summorum Pontificum,” Pope Benedict XVI, restored to priests the freedom to celebrate the “extraordinary form” of the Roman rite. Many do not realise that the Traditional Latin Mass was the exclusive form celebrated during the Second Vatican Council. As a matter of fact, most of the changes that have been introduced by the 1960’s liturgical reform took place in the years after the Second Vatican Council. The Council itself never abolished the traditional liturgy, and its famous document about the Liturgy of the Church, “Sacrosanctum Concillium,” mentions only the possibility of some adaptations but never called for the change of language nor the rite of the Holy Mass as a whole. It is, therefore, very desirable that all the faithful should know the traditional liturgy and should be able to understand its significance and its importance for the future of Holy Mother Church. More and more young people, who have never before experienced the profoundness and beauty of the traditional liturgy, are deeply touched by their first contact with it and are everywhere requesting its wider use. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is like a diamond that needs a dignified, beautiful setting to show even more its value and brilliance. For this reason, at the Chapel of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we strive to surround the Holy Sacrifice with the perfectly traditional Catholic teaching and the utmost beauty and solemnity of the rite. Truth, liturgy, and charity should form an ever-greater harmony to render evident the sacramental power and riches of grace present in the Holy Mass. The integration of these elements in celebration of the Traditional Liturgy becomes the highlight and the climax of what our priests and faithful are living in their commitment to our Roman Catholic faith. The Words, Gestures, and other details The moment of Consecration, where the mystery of Transubstantiation takes place, is like a peak of a majestic mountain from which the streams of Paradise flow down into our daily life. Our relationship with God is profoundly linked to the presence of our Savior in the Holy Eucharist, made possible through the Holy Mass and received with awe during Communion. In a human relationship, every word, every gesture, and every detail is important — how much more in our relationship with God! Therefore, to secure this relationship, on which our life and salvation is depending, the Church has always taken the greatest care with the words, gestures, and details of the Sacred Liturgy. God Himself, by the power of the Holy Ghost, has instituted the Holy Eucharist in such a way that, even after 2000 years, we can be sure of His Divine Presence if we do what the Church does and has always done. The Liturgy, under the influence of the Holy Ghost, has developed such words, gestures, and details that God Himself has esteemed worthy to express the right kind of worship that is due to Him. No individual has permission to change these rubrics and formulas at will. The more we are faithful to the liturgy that has grown under the influence of God’s Almighty Spirit for centuries and celebrated by the Church for much more than a thousand years, the more we will become faithful to the Church itself and worship with Her the presence of the Holy One whose glory is our redemption. The traditional priests of our chapel are very aware of the fact that the rubrics of the Mass, inspired by the Holy Ghost, are to be observed with loving care if we want to maintain the treasure of the Catholic Faith. The famous sentence stating “Lex orandi, lex credendi ” “the law of prayer [is] the law of the faith.” meaning that “the way that we pray and worship informs the way that we believe.” Which gives to the exact and careful celebration of the liturgy’s great importance. He who changes words or gestures of the Liturgy endangers the faith of those for whom he celebrates and becomes responsible for diminishing the integrity of their belief. Not only the ceremony in itself with its beautiful rubrics, the dignified Latin language, and the profound expression of theological truth is important, but other details matter when it comes to making every single person understand how important the liturgy is for our lives. The vestments, the altar cloths, the candlesticks, the cruets, the garments of the servers—all of these and many other items used during the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass have to show that we care to give the Lord only the most beautiful things that we have. Through Sacred Liturgy is the Path to God The Lord has left us the Holy Liturgy to make sure that we can remain in contact with Him. It has been the aim of the Church to bring as many people as possible to the liturgical celebration of the Sacrifice of the Lord. As a matter of fact, we could say that the only aim of the Church is to bring people in contact with the Lord through the celebration of the Sacraments, especially through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. It is the center of the Church, and at the same time, Her nourishment, Her protection, and Her goal because therein is the Lord. What could we do more than to strive with all our forces to make it clear to every single person that without the assistance at this holy celebration it remains very difficult, if not impossible, to stay with the Lord. What graces are derived from assisting (assisting means attending) at Mass (the traditional Latin Mass)?
St. Padre Pio - "While assisting at Holy Mass renew your faith. Have your mind elevated to the mystery that is happening before your eyes." The community of the Chapel of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, where I am a member, live for the Liturgy, which is the source of everything else when it comes to the Faith. Liturgical matters are not minor details, but they are and they have always been one of the main preoccupations of Holy Mother Church. If not for the Liturgy, many people would not know about the doctrine, and if not for the Liturgy many people would never have met the Lord. It is a worthy task and a highly important aim to maintain the fullness of the liturgical tradition to safeguard the meaning of its mystical gestures and to defend the right to do today what the Church has always done. In total obedience to Holy Mother Church, the Chapel of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is proud and happy to serve the Lord present in the Holy Mysteries of the Liturgy and to give all the energy of its members to this decisive liturgical apostolate. This care for the Liturgy includes care for a complete Catholic lifestyle and for the integrity of Roman Catholic Doctrine. It is never an end to itself, but it always guides us to Him who is the beginning and the end of everything: Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We have often heard the phrase “active participation in the Mass” numerous times, and with the Latin Mass, you could actively participate in the Mass without doing any of those things. Instead, you participate through silent adoration and worship, joining your heart and mind to that of the priest who was offering the holy sacrifice of the Mass. This is active participation at the Latin Mass. In other words, you could participate with your whole being, without having to speak a bunch of words or make a bunch of hand gestures. Latin Mass attendees relish the silence, the incense, the somewhat dim lighting, creating an atmosphere of holy somnolence. Almost all the people at the Latin Mass wore modest, respectful clothing. Many of the women wore veils. Veils were worn in church by Catholic women since time immemorial, and it was only a recent change to canon law that removed the requirement for women to wear veils. In the minds of many N.O. Catholics, the people who went to the Latin Mass were the radical traditionalist Catholics. It is wrong to assume this before one has even researched on it. Instead, one would discover that the people going to the Latin Mass were kind, warm, welcoming, and, like many, did not grow up with the Latin Mass at all but came to it from a desire for something deeper in the faith, thinking that there must be something more, and then discovering this hidden jewel. In most traditional Latin Mass communities there is a good community spirit; I have experienced with European communities and they welcome any visitor like a family member, and likewise the parish of this Chapel. The families that gather here are not perfect, but we share the same desire in embracing traditional Catholicism, to be reverent as we should be, at Mass, to worship God like the saints of the old did, to receive guidance and graces to become saints, as we ought to, to attain heaven. By embracing traditional Catholicism and having the Latin Mass at this Chapel, it is a way of “doing something” about the crisis in the Church by having the real presence of the Holy Eucharist in this Chapel, the Sacred Heart of JESUS, He will draw more souls to Him thereby countering the effects of the crisis, the key aspect of the Latin Mass. In this Chapel, with the presence of the Holy Eucharist, it is a haven, a sanctuary, a hospital where our tired, busy, frenetic modern souls can have an hour of silence, and beauty, and worship that transcends our natural human world. “Come to me, all you that labour, and are burdened, and I will refresh you.” Matthew 11:28 Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition. The chapel of the Sacred Heart of Jesus recently hosted, for a week, an annual priestly meeting, of a group of traditional priests whom the community had benefited regularly the traditional Latin Mass. For 5 consecutive days 11 priests offered Masses daily at this chapel. What a great grace compared to having no Mass for almost two years during the lock-downs. Thanks be to God. Below are some quotes of Saints, the greatest lovers of God and of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. We invite you to meditate upon the words of the saints prayerfully, converse with the saints as your dear friends, and strive to imitate their love for God and Holy Mass. “For this is the Mass that St. Gregory the Great inherited, developed, and solidified. This is the Mass that St. Thomas Aquinas celebrated, lovingly wrote about, and contributed to (he composed the Mass Propers and Office for the Feast of Corpus Christi). Inspired Words of the Saints and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. “Man should tremble, the world should quake, and Heaven should be deeply moved when the Son of God appears on the altar in the hands of the priest.” (St. Francis of Assisi)
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Although some may not be aware, Roman Catholics can still attend a traditional 'Tridentine' Latin Mass, even in today’s 21st century. The Novus Ordo Missae ("New Order Mass"), promulgated in the 1960's and undergoing frequent "updating", is much more common today, but the traditional Latin Mass, "the Mass of all ages" is making a great comeback among Catholics of all ages. Some might be wondering why anyone would still want to attend an "old Latin Mass" - we are in the 21st century. The majority of people probably don't know a thing about Latin and, to top it off, traditional Latin Masses can be pretty hard to come by, which involve much silence, and require a lot of kneeling (for those physically able). So why is it attracting more youth of today? That's a great question that many Catholics are asking themselves. Nowadays, many younger people who were never exposed to the traditional Latin Mass are flocking to it with great joy. They are in love with the traditional Mass and are willing to undergo long drives to attend licit Latin Masses, and may even be willing to uproot their entire family and move to be near them. Those blessed enough to remember attending the traditional Mass before the 1960's changes may also go through great pains to attend this incomparable Mass. So what is the attraction of this ancient Mass? The reasons for such devotion are many, and they are: * The great reverence of the Mass - evident with the priest and devoted faithful, * The great respect shown to the Holy Eucharist, * The unquestionable Catholicity and orthodoxy of the Mass, * The lack of liturgical abuse, distraction, sacrilege, and profanation, (which, unfortunately, are so common to Novus Ordo Masses), * The prayerful atmosphere of the Mass, * The beauty and majesty of the Mass - in the ceremony and vestments, * The clear sense of the Mass as a sacrifice - the priest offering the Eucharist facing the Cross with his back facing the people, * The clarity of the doctrine of the Real Presence, * The reception of Holy Communion kneeling and on the tongue, * The modestly dressed women and veiled, * The good inspirational sermons by the priests, * The emphasis on our sinfulness and dependence on God, * The safeguards inherent in the Mass * The clear vertical focus of the Mass * And many other reasons... Devotees may also point to the Mass' long history, its outstanding fruits, its ability to keep persons safe from modernism ("the synthesis of all heresies"), and the ability of the Mass to foster one's faith. It also preserves a link to our Catholic ancestors. Furthermore, attendance at 'Tridentine' Masses enables one to avoid the concerns so often associated with the Novus Ordo Mass. For example concerns: * regarding the assistance of Protestant 'advisors' in the fabrication of the Novus Ordo Mass (during Vatican Council II); the parallels to the Protestant 'worship services' and the changes made to the Mass parallel to the changes made by the 16th century Protestant 'Reformers' who purposely introduced changes to destroy the faith of Catholics; * regarding the near elimination of all negative topics in the readings and prayers of the Novus Ordo Mass (e.g. references to sin, judgment, hell, purgatory, etc.) * that the Novus Ordo Mass fail to produce a sacred atmosphere conducive to prayer; * regarding the blurring of the distinction between the laity and the priest in the Novus Ordo Mass * over the irreverence at the Novus Ordo Mass, (e.g. no women's head coverings (1 Cor. 11:4-10), silence of women in church (1 Cor. 14:33-35), worship in reverence and awe (Heb. 12:28), communion in the hand, etc.) * over the rampant liturgical abuse and novelties in the Novus Ordo Mass (e.g. altar girls, loud pop music, communion lay 'ministers', etc.) * over the bad fruits associated with the Novus Ordo Rite of Mass (e.g. reduced Mass attendance, loss of belief in the Real Presence, etc.) * Etc. Some are also troubled by the fact that the Novus Ordo Mass may vary so widely among parishes as to be almost unrecognizable - unlike the 'Tridentine' Mass which remains fixed, with only the variations of High Mass and Low Mass. Ultimately, many Catholics have come to believe that the Traditional Latin Mass must be more pleasing to God and that it is best suited to our primary duty in life [that is, "to know, love, and serve God" (Baltimore Catechism)]. Today’s Catholics who have never experienced a 'Tridentine' Latin Mass may consider the time spent at Mass as a time for "religious entertainment" or socializing. In fact, some even think the "sign of peace" is the focal point of Mass! The cure for such mistaken beliefs surely is knowledge of and attendance at traditional Latin 'Tridentine' Masses, which makes the purpose of the Mass eminently clear. Although such Catholics may initially be perplexed about the silence and majesty of the traditional Latin Mass and might not immediately "get it", a little perseverance and some additional knowledge, prayer, and reflection, may cause them to also flock to the Mass of their grandfathers, regardless of what obstacles may be placed in the way. They may soon find themselves so in love with this Mass - the "Mass of the saints" and "the most beautiful thing this side of heaven" - that they would do just about anything they could to attend it. We warmly invite you to attend this incomparable Mass and see for yourself what has captured the hearts of so many other good and faithful Catholics over the centuries.
(Excerpt taken from Chapter 14 of the book: Introduction to the Devout Life Abridged) "I have not yet spoken to you about the sun of all spiritual exercises, which is the most holy , sacred and most sovereign Sacrifice and Sacrament of the Mass, the center of the Christian Religion, the heart of devotion, the soul of piety, the ineffable Mystery, in which is found the abyss of divine charity and by which God really gives Himself to us and magnificently communicates to us His graces and favors. Prayer made in union with this divine Sacrifice has an incalculable power." St. Francis De Sales.
(Which Mass do you think he is referring to but the Traditional Latin Mass, the only Mass celebrated during his lifetime. He lived between 21 August 1567 to 28 December 1622.) Strive to attend Holy Mass every day in order to offer, with the priest, the Sacrifice of your Redeemer to God His Father, for yourself and for the entire Church. The Angels are present in great numbers at Mass. The choirs of the Church Triumphant and the Church Militant come to be joined to Our Lord in this divine action in order with Him, in Him and by Him to ravish the heart of God the Father and make His mercy completely ours. What happiness it is to contribute one’s affections to obtaining such a treasure! If for some reason you find your self unable to be physically present at this divine Sacrifice, you ought at least to send your heart there, so as to be spiritually present. Go to the Church in spirit, if you cannot go in person, unite yourself to the intentions of all Christians, and make the same acts of devotion you would make if you were there. In either case: (what one should do during Mass) From the beginning until the priest goes up to the altar, prepare yourself by placing yourself in God’s presence, acknowledging your faults and humbly asking His pardon. Then, from the time he goes up to the altar until the Gospel, make a general consideration of Our Lord’s birth and life. From the Gospel until after the Creed, consider His preaching. Affirm your faith and protest with with all of your will that you will live and die in the holy Catholic Church. From the Creed until the Our Father, apply your heart to the mysteries of the Passion and death of our Redeemer, which are actually and essentially represented in this holy Sacrifice. Along with the priest and the rest of the people, you must offer them to God the Father for His glory and for your salvation. From Our Father to the Communion to the end, thank God for His Incarnation, for His life, death, Passion, and for the love that He witnesses to in this holy Sacrifice, praying to Him for mercy for your parents and relatives, your friends and the entire Church. Then humbly receive the priest’s blessing. Do not leave the church immediately but remain in the pews to say the prayers after Mass.
The Traditional Latin Mass isn’t just extraordinary in its form, it is simply more beautiful as there are beautiful vestments, Gregorian chants, solemn hymns, deep reverence and the ambience that uplifts our spirits as we worship God. Beauty is an attribute of God. If beauty decreases, it becomes more difficult to see God. This Old Mass provides a deeper sense of a truer Catholic identity linking us to all her Saints. The Latin Mass, the only Mass that all the Saints of old attended.
The Beauty of Traditional Catholicism
"All the good works in the world are not equal to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass because they are the works of men; but the Mass is the work of God. Martyrdom is nothing in comparison for it is but the sacrifice of man to God; but the Mass is the sacrifice of God for man."
In a recent Pew Research data shows that only around a quarter of Catholics between the ages of 18 and 29 attend church once a week or more, compared to 98% of Latin Mass goers in the same demographic, according to research published by the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter.
The same research also shows that young people’s move toward tradition is largely self-motivated rather than the outcome of outside influence: “We can see that personal preferences (reverence, curiosity, solemnity, and music) account for 58% of the total, while peer influences (friends, spouses) account for 18% of the total. Thus, to the tune of 76%, the impetus to attend the Latin Mass among 18- to 39-year-olds seems to be largely coming internally from within their own generation, rather than being inherited from previous generations.” With Pope Francis’s recent motu proprio Traditionis Custodes, many people have pointed out that the restrictions he introduced for the TLM would hamper the spirituality of a growing number of young adults who have been drawn to it. The reforms of Vatican II did not age well as it is reflected in the continued decline of Mass attendance over the past 60 years. Though the numbers were dropping before 1962, the modernization emphasized requirement of Vatican II didn’t stop the bleed. If the Church is ageless and eternal, then the trends of the 1970s were doomed to become outdated. The Latin Mass can never be dated because it has remained the same through so many centuries. It can’t belong to just one time. For many who have experienced the Latin Mass, love it for its reverence, ceremony, tradition and beauty. So the first reason the Latin Mass draws so many Gen-Zers and young Millennials is that it is beautiful in a way I’d say 80% of Novus Ordo Masses are not. Humans are naturally drawn toward beauty because it is a physical reflection of God’s perfection. In the midst of a Latin Mass, it’s easy to conceive that it is something that has been going on for thousands of years. “Youth want to know that you, the bishops, believe and embrace the things you teach—that you are authentic. Embracing authentic Catholicism means not trying harder to sell the Faith through new liturgical gimmicks or pastoral compromises. It means presenting the Faith in full and ordering our public lives as faithful, loving, sacrificing Catholics around those internal beliefs. Don’t tell the youth about the Faith, show them. And there is no more beautiful, uplifting, and authentically true way to do so than by a devout presentation of the ancient Latin Mass.” Jake Neu - patent attorney, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
The second reason has more to do with the perennial pendulum swing of the generations: participating in something so old and traditional is a repudiation of societal norms. Every generation has its rebellion against the status quo, and for the youthful Latin Mass goers the reaction is both inter- and intra-generational.
The third reason the TLM is so popular among young adults is that it’s a shortcut to a faith community. You can either spend weeks hunting for a suitably reverent Novus Ordo, or you can head over to the closest Latin Mass where you’re guaranteed a pious service and a like-minded community. It should be noted that “like-minded” doesn’t mean homogeneous. The age ranges, ethnic backgrounds and economic statuses of the attendees tend to cover a wide range. But most importantly is the sense of being treated like a member of the family, which I personally experienced having been lucky to travel to different traditional Latin Mass centres in Europe. "In the Mass the blood of Christ flows anew for sinners."
Here are some youth testimonies on why they attend the TLM:
Emma White is part of a growing number of young people in the Church who are embracing traditional practices. Despite the popular idea that young people have no attention span, there seems to be a deep desire to encounter God in tradition and silence. More millennials are returning to older prayers and devotions. White was inspired by some of her classmates who chose to wear a veil in the presence of the Eucharist and she decided that it would increase her devotion to Christ. “I am a daughter of the King, and I should adorn myself with a veil to live that out more fully,” she said. White’s veil is a Spanish mantilla, a delicate work of lace that covers most of the hair. Unmarried women traditionally wear a white one, so her veil is ivory. It’s a less bright shade that is beautiful without being too eye-catching. Sr. April Cabaccang, 29, is a Salesian Sister whose order offers her a choice of whether to wear a habit. Although some sisters don’t wear the habit, Sr. April said she chooses to wear hers because it helps her to be a witness for her faith. When people stop her on the bus or in a store to ask about it, she has the perfect opportunity to talk to them about Christ. “It is important for young people to embrace tradition,” she said. “They need to know that there is one Truth, One Good worth sticking to.” Sr. April believes tradition can be a way for people to anchor themselves. Like White, she says the habit reminds her who she is as well as whose she is. It puts her in a space of reverence. Young women are not the only ones wearing something traditional to increase their faith. Shavi Perera, 19, wears a rosary around his wrist as a conscious sign of his faith and a reminder for him to pray. Perera knows the value of traditional prayers. He is currently doing a 90-day novena to Our Lady Undoer of Knots. “We don’t often take advantage of these old fashioned things that show the richness of the Church,” he said. “When people take advantage of those things, it’s so inspiring.” The Latin Mass is often considered old fashioned. But Eric Wong, 24, loves it. His home parish, Holy Family Parish in Toronto, celebrates a weekly Solemn High Mass sung in Latin. He said it is drawing more young people because it raises intrigue. Since first-time attendees don’t necessarily understand this form of Mass, he says, they become curious, leading them to learn about their faith. “I think most young adults, as we grow older, don’t go to church because our parents tell us to; we go because we realize it’s important. We can realize that through tradition,” he said. “It just blows your mind how much more deeply we can love God.”
Latin Mass is very different from the New Mass and not just because of the language. Gregorian chants are sung, there is more genuflection and people must kneel to receive the Eucharist. The choir is always at the back of the church in order to keep the focus on God. The whole Mass is so reverent.
Like the rule about veils, Vatican II changed the Latin Mass. In 1964, it was remade into the way most Catholics celebrate Mass now — in their own language and with more music and reading aloud. In contrast, the Latin Mass is filled with a great deal of silence which Wong said helps him to focus on God’s presence.
“Probably about a month after we started attending the Latin mass, I asked my kids, who were at the time 10 years old and younger, if they’d like to go back to our old parish where the ordinary form is offered or keep going to the Latin mass…… To my surprise, they unanimously and enthusiastically voted to keep going to the Latin mass. If I recall, they cheered as they exclaimed their preference with triumphant fists in air.” Brian Holdsworth, Catholic blogger
So what accounts for the attraction of youth to the Extraordinary Form? “I would say its beauty, its solemnity, the sense of transcendence, of mystery. . . . The liturgy in the old rite really conveys the essential nature and meaning of the Mass, which is the re-enactment of the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross at Calvary.” Abp. Alexander K. Sample It is sad that today that our Catholic church has such a situation and it is thanks to the changes made by the Vatican council II (11 October 1962 - 8 December 1965 ) which came about due to the indoctrination of Liberalism and Ecumenism into the church. Traditional Catholicism is what has been taught and practiced from the beginning of the church handed down by Christ and His Apostles until the changes made by Vatican Council II since 1965. Holding fast to the Traditional Latin Mass, truly practicing a life centered around the Mass, upholding reverence and holiness. “Non-traditional Catholicism are the changes made by liberals in the church for example: the Mass was changed to be in the vernacular (Novus Ordo), no longer in Latin and facing the people and not GOD. And women no longer had to cover their hair in church. Pop songs and dancing in the church. These are but the few obvious changes. Modern Catholicism believes in interfaith worship or taking the “worship space” of one religion and making it into a sacred space for multiple religions, eg. Pope John Paul’s historic 1986 inter-faith summit in Assisi, an initiative he repeated in 1993 and 2002, and one that Benedict VI also presided over in 2011. This is breaking the First Commandment: "I am the Lord thy God, …Thou shalt not have strange gods before me.." The most significant difference after Vatican II, is the change in the form of the Mass; the Traditional Latin Mass is a sacrifice, the unbloody sacrifice of Our Lord on Calvary and the New Mass - the Novus ordo Missae is not a sacrifice but the commemoration of the Last Supper. In Catholic teaching, the holy sacrifice of the Mass is the fulfillment of all the sacrifices of the Old Covenant. In the New Covenant, the one sacrifice on the altar of Calvary is revisited during every Catholic Mass. Jesus Christ merited all graces and blessings for us by His death on the Cross. The Mass is also classed as a sacrifice, as the sacrifice of Christ on the cross is made present and true each time the Eucharist is celebrated. All one has to do is to look at who is the center of focus and the way the people participate, dress and receive God in Holy Communion at the two masses. The following is an excerpt taken from an article written in Jan.29, 2015 by Fr. Carota. Most Catholics tend to judge the two masses from their own subjective perspective and preferences. We are not priests and we are not offering the two masses and have no idea what it is like from the experience of a priest who offers the Sacrifice of the Holy Mass and had previously offered the Novus Ordo. According to such a priest, the difference between the Ancient Mass and the New Mass is like day and night. For the average Catholic who had been born in the late sixties onward has had very little to no experience with the Latin Mass, the New Mass is just fine because it is all they have ever known or at which they feel comfortable and “at home with”. All over the world, the New Mass is all any Catholic is able to go to. That is all they know and that is all the knowledge they have to judge with. The orthodox Neo-Catholics (who are not traditional Catholics) have been constantly complaining about the grave liturgical abuses by priests who do not follow the essential rubrics found in the New Roman Missal. Like when the celebrant changes the words of consecration, does not say the Creed at Sunday Mass, will not genuflect when required, gives communion to everyone, including non Catholics, who comes up at funerals or wedding, and all the other grave abuses they experience at the New Mass. Here is a list of observations Fr.Carota has made while offering the Ancient Mass and the New Mass together. The whole focus of the Holy Latin Mass is on;
The respect, adoration and protection given to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament
The New Mass is focused on God, but at the same time, very much focused on the people.
The final question (and the answer should make everyone who reads this article want to only go to the Holy Latin Mass) is: Do we truly believe that God/Jesus is in the Holy Sacrament of the Altar? If so God deserves adoration, respect and protection. As a priest who says the New Mass and the Latin Mass, the Latin Mass has by far more rubrics built right into the Latin Mass to protect the Body and Blood of Jesus from being desecrated in any manner. It clearly has the strong sacrificial component of the Holy Mass and priesthood. It does not have the protestant emphasis on the Last Supper and “doing this in remembrance of Me” like the Luther advocated. It also has prayers and gestures that facilitate more easily the adoration that Jesus deserves from us His creatures. And because of this, the Latin Mass pleases God way more than the New Mass. “By their fruits you shall know them.” Matthew 7:15-20 - based on a statistical report in 2003 as a result of the changes - see image below. The following survey shows the contrast in believes and practices:
There is much to read to understand and to learn why and what the changes were made that has brought about this sad situation in the church. |
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