As someone who is present at the Traditional Latin Mass almost every single day, and so would say Amen (that's Ah-men!) to his praise of that venerable Rite and congratulate him on his many insights into its theological and aesthetic depths, I would only caution this young and enthusiastic devotee that, as with everything in this valley of tears, the pre-Novus Ordo REALITY was often far less than the IDEAL.
What do I mean?
Well, our young friend never attended the weekday morning Mass at any parish in . . . oh, say . . . Dorchester, Massachusetts in the late 1950s . . .
The Mass was usually in black. Why? Because whenever there was a "4th class" ferial day, the Requiem Mass "cotidianum" could be said, and most parish priests took advantage of this option. Not only because of Mass intentions or devotion to the Souls in Purgatory, but because it was the SHORTEST MASS POSSIBLE to say in the old rite: no Psalm 42 at the foot of the altar, no Gloria Patris in the Introit and Lavabo, one less prayer before Holy Communion - and the readings! Look them up in your Missal.
15 to 20 minutes tops - does anyone else remember this? - the daily "requiem" - and, once I went to high school and learned Latin from the Carmelite Fathers, I realized just how HORRENDOUS was the Latin of most of the priests (except at the Scalabrini parish, where the native-born Italian priests had been praying in Latin most of their lives). For years I thought that the Irish Monsignor was remembering an old sister-in-law or housekeeper at every Mass: AGNES DALY! AGNES DAILY! AGNES DAILY!
Yes, you might say that the Daily Requiem was the Tridentine Rite's equivalent of Eucharistic Prayer II !!!
It wasn't all beautiful, all the time, dear young undergraduate! :-)
In fact, if anything, having been deprived of that ancient Rite lo these many years just might have helped bring it back with a fresh awareness of its beauty and a new devotion to offering it as it was meant to be offered!
"In fact, if anything, having been deprived of that ancient Rite lo these many years just might have helped bring it back with a fresh awareness of its beauty and a new devotion to offering it as it was meant to be offered!"
"the pre-Novus Ordo REALITY was often far less than the IDEAL."
You are absolutely correct here on both accounts. As a 26 year old TLM person myself, the last thing I want to see happen is for the TLM to digress into the sad state of 1950's Americanist Liturgical Minimalism. Happily, most TLMs today are not repeating this error, with pastors taking a very conscious and active role in fostering liturgical devotion and participation in the old rite. Unfortuantely, I happen to live right now in a place where my only Indult available is done by a less than stellar diocesan priest (he rushes the Mass terribly, people don't sing any responses or chants, etc.) But, this is an isolated occurrence in today's TLM reality.