Posted on 04/07/2003 10:40:50 AM PDT by Land of the Irish
Question from R James on 04-02-2003:
Dear Father Levis:
On this expert forums, there is sometimes debate over the validity of the New ("Novus Ordo") Mass.
I would like to respond to this debate by noting that oftentimes the reason that many Catholics avoid the New Mass (and attend the traditional Latin Mass instead) is not out of concern over its validity (as most "traditional Catholics" I know believe that the New Mass is indeed valid), but rather out of a fear that by attending the New Mass, they would be immorally scandalizing their CHILDREN. Please allow me to explain.
The dramatic fall-off in Mass attendance, along with the dissipation of priestly vocations, can be clearly traced to the introduction of the New Mass. Similarly, decline in the belief in the Real Presence of Christ can be traced to the introduction of the New Mass. Thus, many Catholic parents fear that it would be immoral to subject their children to the New Mass out of concern that they would, among other things, (1) stop going to Mass, (2) less likely to be called to the priesthood / religious life, and (3) less likely to believe in the Real Presence.
And this is not simply a matter of "post hoc ergo propter hoc" (in other words, coincidence). There are simple, cogent reasons why the New Mass could be seen as detrimental to the Faith.
For instance, the Real Presence of Christ in the Latin Mass is undeniably confirmed by the fact that (1) the priest must not separate his fingers once he touches the Sacred Host, (2) laity receive the Host on their knees, (3) laity may not touch the Host, (4) a paten is placed under the chins of those receiving the Eucharist to guard against the chance that a crumb may fall to the ground. None of these safeguards are present in the New Mass.
The notion of Mass as a SACRIFICE is obscured by replacing altars with tables. Sure, they may still be called altars, and they may even be marble (although they're usually not), but they do indeed look much more like tables to children rather than something different and set apart -- like a Tridentine altar.
The fact that the priest faces the congregation throughout the New Mass makes it appear much more like the priest is talking to the congregation, rather than to God. Children see this.
In sum, children are quite perceptive, and they notice these little things. Catholic parents need all the help they can get in raising children in the Faith. Sadly, the New Mass is not that helpful -- indeed, it often undermines many of the key tenets of the Faith via practices that are inconsistent with the Truths of the Mass.
So please understand that many of us who avoid the New Mass do so not because we believe it's invalid (we don't), but rather because we are parents who believe that it would be immoral to subject our children to a liturgy that can confuse or undermine Church teaching.
(An obvious response to this would be: how can the Church do anything to undermine its own teaching? One need only look at "Catholic" colleges, and many "Catholic" high schools, to see that this sadly happens all the time. Or see how Catholic bishops have responded to the sex-abuse scandals; the Church is certainly infallible in matters of Faith and Morals, but is NOT infallible in matters of prudential judgment. In other words, the Church can make a mistake with regard to the best method of evangelization, safeguarding the Faith, etc.)
Answer by Fr. Robert J. Levis on 04-03-2003: R. James, Many thanks. Your arguments are very interesting; I am not sure I would use them like you do, but they have some strength. God bless. Fr. Bob Levis
Well, then I'm thankful I'm not at "ministry workdays." ;-)
SD
Thanks for your inspiring story which parallels mine in several ways. Good insight on the sanctity inherent in the traditional Catholic Mass.
Ha, ha, that reminds me of a parish in Boston which took the tabernacle off their altar and placed ferns in that spot. Later when they were beginning a "wreckovation" project they asked for comments on their website. I replied that the new church was a non-Catholic monstrosity but it would have 1 significant advantage: attendees would no longer feel as though they were engaged in nature worship since their adoration would no longer be directed towards ferns.
Furthermore, in my experience, reverently-said novus ordos that conform to the rubrics are much rarer and more difficult to find that a traditional mass.
The first revision of the New Mass had a literal translation of the Latin, "Domine non sum dignus ut intres sub tectum meum, sed tantum dic verbo et sanabitur anima mea," meaning "Lord I am not worthy that Thou should come under my roof, speak but the Word and my soul shall be healed." But later they revised the translation to a non-literal, "Lord I am not worthy to receive you, only say the word and I shall be healed."
We actually have a similar problem even at our Latin Mass as a carryover from the New Mass. When the Gospel is read in English, the priest says, "The Lord be with you," and based on their New Mass experience the people respond, "And also with you." But the correct response is "And with your spirit," which is the translation of "Et cum spiritu tuo."
Here is just one example -- I chose an issue unrelated to the liturgy, but one which affects every aspect of your life as a family. Have you ever been taught the primary purpose of marriage? Many popes have dogmatically stated that the primary purpose of marriage is the procreation and education of children.
It's to get lower car insurance rates, right?
Any Catholic who is not active in the traditional movement will be unaware of such fundamental matters. There are hundreds more.
Well, I'm glad that you are getting everything you need. Please pray for us poor, ignorant souls, that God may have mercy on us as well, and maybe throw us a scrap of knowledge.
SD
God certainly used Hebrew and Greek to write His Scripture. I don't know if that means they were "blessed" by God. Perhaps God just decided to use the language that we happened to speak at the time.
Latin has no such claim. It was just the common language of the Empire. The language literate people understood.
SD
But that does nto mean that the Church has no capacity to regulate Her own liturgies.
SD
Pope John XXIII, the pope who initiated Vatican II, promulgated an encyclical "Veterum Sapientiae" which outlined the prime importance of LATIN for the Church. He listed the reasons why no other language could replace Latin, and he insisted that all seminary instruction must take place in Latin. That means that you can't enter the seminary until you already know Latin. We are friends with a young man in a diocesan seminary, and he will not even know such basic phrases as "Pater Noster" by the time he is ordained. Here is a link to the document:
Veterum Sapientia
Among other points, Pope John said:
Thus the "knowledge and use of this language," so intimately bound up with the Church's life, "is important not so much on cultural or literary grounds, as for religious reasons." These are the words of Our Predecessor Pius XI, who conducted a scientific inquiry into this whole subject, and indicated three qualities of the Latin language which harmonize to a remarkable degree with the Church's nature. "For the Church, precisely because it embraces all nations and is destined to endure to the end of time . . of its very nature requires a language which is universal, immutable, and non vernacular."
You assume wrongly. I am only objecting to the idea that the language is somehow "blessed" by God in a way that modern tongues are not.
I am indeed in favor of Latin for the ordinary parts of Mass because of its universal uniting and historical attributes.
I also appreciate a "dead" language for the purpose of expressing unchanging truths.
SD
How many times do I have to state that I do indeed think Latin has a place in the liturgy, and that Latin has its use as the language of the Church?
SD
All the saints? I would think the earliest ones spoke Hebrew or Aramaic.
SD
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.