I feel that the overall resistance to the Traditional Latin Mass and many of its traditional teachings (e.g. no salvation outside of the Church, necessity of Baptism for salvation, the existence of an eternal hell, et cetera) is attributable to a pervasive lack of faith and spiritual laxity that have penetrated our culture. Our culture has not only neglected the Faith of our Fathers but has repudiated traditional and time-tested philosophies, governments, ways of public conduct, attire, etc. Some would say that the cause of discord in the Church originated at the 2nd Vatican Council. While I do feel that the Council was one of the most debilitating assaults to the traditional faith, our world has been suffering from a pernicious cancer induced during the Enlightenment. The philosophers of the enlightened led to the French Revolution and the essential collapse of Catholicism in what was once regarded the most Catholic nation in the world. Since that time we have seen mankind exalted and the faith and piety of many vanish.
Our Blessed Lady’s appearance in Fatima (1917) illustrates the revolution in the hearts of mankind long before the Council. And, recall Our Lady’s similar appearance in La Salette (1846). Our world has been rebelling against authority, against traditional manners of dress and practices of sexuality, etc, etc for generations. And it was this modernism that was so forcefully condemned by His Holiness Pope St. Pius X. Unfortunately, modernism – the true cause of our problems – has been misunderstood. We are certainly – and should not be – opposed to advances in technologies and ways of life that improve our living. However, modernism the heresy is the movement in Roman Catholic thought that sought to interpret the teachings of the Church in the light of philosophic and scientific conceptions prevalent in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Unfortunately, modernism entered the ranks of some prominent members of the clergy in the 1950s and 1960s leading to the collapse of interior piety and reverence as well as the exterior visibility of our internal faith (e.g. genuflections, public processions, etc). It was precisely this school of thought of modernism that individuals present at the Council sought to fight – people like Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Unfortunately, the members of the clergy who consented to the enlightenment philosophies have worked exceedingly hard to tarnish the name and reputation of His Grace Marcel Lefebvre and any Catholics who wish to attend the Mass of the Saints. Have you noticed that of all priests canonized as of this point, none of them said the Novus Ordo Mass.
I would highly recommend that you read “Apologia Pro Marcel Lefebvre” by Michael Davies. There are also other sophisticated accounts behind your question on why the clergy can seem so opposed to the Traditional Mass. One such account which details the modernistic influence at the Council is
“Rhine Flows Into the Tiber”
4 comment(s):
As a Catholic i love both the Latin and vernacular Mass. For similar and different reasons.
The Latin Mass because it is beautiful. Also, because people of all cultures are united by it. And other reasons.
The vernacular Mass because we can understand the words, directly, in our own language. Where it's not just about beauty but about the total impact of the meaning (i don't understand Latin that well, therefore, English Mass has a more profound meaning / impact on me than the Latin Mass - i feel closer to Christ in the English Mass, and that's so important when you consider what Holy Communion is all about). And there is, also, a beauty to the vernacular Mass when you don't understand it. I remember listening to Mass in Vietneamese in Ho Chi Minh (couldn't find English Mass there). It was beautiful, too, although can't quite put my finger on it.
When i think of my relationship to God, i think of my relationship to God who knows me as a human (with Jesus, of course, human in every sense except sin). And i think God loves our humanity. He loves that we have personality. That we're quirky and humorous. This is like the natural side of our relationship to God. And then there is our more supernatural, mysterious relationship to God. I think both relationships are equally important. And i kind of see both relationships mapped a bit into the Latin and vernacular Masses (with the vernacular Mass often being more natural in tone - but supernatural, too, of course - it has to be, and with the Latin Mass often being more supernatural in tone - but natural, too, of course - it has to be).
Also, i think a lot of educated people who understand Latin, appreciate Latin Mass more (i think). Where as less educated people who only understand their own vernacular language appreciate the vernacular Mass more (i think).
I prefer the vernacular Mass though. But that's just me. Saying that, i'm no liberal Catholic. I believe in hell (and the devil who people often seem afraid to mention). And I'm opposed to homosexuality, married and women priests, condoms and birth control, abortion and so on.
Regarding salvation outside the Church, i think we need to be careful about being prescriptive / legalistic about this. I think there is hope for salvation for those outside the Church. Firstly, nothing is impossible for God. Not forgetting that there are non-Catholic people who are loving (not just nice) human beings - people who clearly shine with the love of God in their hearts (people who believe in a loving God - but might live outside a Catholic environment / culture etc ..). Also, to say there is definetly no hope of salvation outside the Catholic Church could lead some to despair (i.e. for people in general outside the Church). And saying that, we must still work as hard as we can to try and bring Christ to as many people as we can. Saying all of that, i don't want to be prescriptive / legalistic about the nature of salvation either.
And, lastly, i think we Catholics have to be very careful about being fundamentalist in our views. It's not ultimately about how good we are as Catholics and how perfect our faith is, but, rather how good we are as Christians - followers of Christ - above all followers of Christ in love - because without love it's all useless (1 Corinthians 13).
I think most of what Anonymous said is great, but what Matthew is talking about has more to do with the effects of modernism on our perception of authority (in particular the authority of the Church) than EF vs OF Masses. Having said that, I have to disagree on the language issue that Anon brought up. I've never taken a class in Latin, but when I first went to a EF Mass not only did I not have any difficulty following the Mass, I barely even realized it was in a different language!
To be honest, I find it hard to believe that the vernacular really does that much more to make the Faith more accessible to us. I know that sounds counter-intuitive, (I mean, I've been going to EF Masses for 5 years now and I still don't know a lick of Latin) but just consider what language was used when the Jesuits first came to the Americas - or any where else for that matter...
Also, I don't think it takes a learned person to appreciate the Latin: St. Juan Diego didn't speak Latin, he didn't even speak a Latin based language like Spanish! Or think of the countless Japanese saints who were also converted during a time when the EF was the norm.
As far as the last little ticbit that Anon. said about whether 'it's about how good we are as Catholics, or how good we are as Christians' That is something that I've also noticed as I've gone down the 'Tridentine road', that is, that 'traditionalists' more readily refer to themselves as Catholic than as Christian. Whether it's vice-versa for 'non-tradies' I don't know... but what I do know is that the Catholic Church was instituted by Christ and I see it as the fortress that safe-guards my faith: I turn to the Church for guidance on how to follow Christ: I try to be a good Caholic in order to be a good Christian (follower of Christ). (Also, without really getting into it: can you really be a good Christian w/o being Catholic?)
My parting thought: I don't really have this discussion a lot, but I always find that people who have missgivings about the EF Mass generally have some other issue that they are struggling with - I hadn't thought of it before but maybe the issue, like Matthew says, is modernism...
Please study the Novus Ordo mass.
It's not a matter of language, but theology.
It is a man-made product of men in the 1960s, bears NO Apostolic succession, stripped itself of MUCH CATHOLIC THEOLOGY and presents itself with PROTESTANT THEOLOGY. Luther would be proud, and I mean this sincerely.
The 2 masses are diametrically opposed. It is impossible to love both if one understands both.
Denis St. Paris
Fb: Adoremus in Aeternum, a Catholic Tradition
It's not a matter of language, but theology.
It is a man-made product of men in the 1960s, bears NO Apostolic succession, stripped itself of MUCH CATHOLIC THEOLOGY and presents itself with PROTESTANT THEOLOGY. Luther would be proud, and I mean this sincerely.
The 2 masses are diametrically opposed. It is impossible to love both if one understands both.
Denis St. Paris
Fb: Adoremus in Aeternum, a Catholic Tradition
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