What Does The Prayer Really Say?
W D T P R S

Mr. John L. Allen, the ubiquitous former Rome correspondent for the still left-leaning National Catholic Reporter, pass along a brief interview with H.E. William Skylstad, Pres. of the USCCB. Mr. Allen ask H.E. about a potential "freeing up" of the so-called "Tridentine Mass" (with my comments):

What are your thoughts about wider use of the pre-Vatican II Mass?
We’re a church of unity and of common worship. The thrust of Vatican II calls for more active participation on the part of the faithful in the liturgy itself, and from my standpoint trying to move further in that direction would be most helpful. [I suspect H.E. has a view of "active participation" which is focused mostly on people doing stuff, rather than what we here at WDTPRS talk about] On the other hand, the Holy Father is trying to reconcile with the Lefebvrite group, whose members have an attachment to the older Mass. To date, those efforts have not been successsful, but we are always in the business of reconciling, healing and unifying. [So…. we are to expect much more widespread permissions for the older Mass even before the rumored indult??] Perhaps some further accommodation can be found. ... The bishop has to decide when and where it will be pastorally effective.

So you would not want a ‘universal indult’ that doesn’t require approval from the bishop?
I would hope [A great use of the "prelatial subjunctive": "I would hope…, I should think…, it could be that I would imagine that…]that somehow there would be this encouragement or directive that the local bishop is able to make decisions about the liturgical life of his diocese.

Ho hum… same ol’ same ol’, it seems to me. Diocesan bishops want to keep all the control over everything.

In the present environment, can you blame them?

Over course, total control in the hands of the diocesan bishops can be good, or very bad, for this issue of the older form of Mass.

I don’t think anyone in his right mind believes that there should be absolutely NO controls in the hands of the bishops, at least in the very beginning of such a liberalization. But must we continue to fear the use of the older form of Mass? After all, if there are so few people (allegedly) who want it, how could they possibly be a force for widespread change?

Also, until we actually see the document, this is still all rumor. Nevertheless, these two people, Mr. Allen and Bp. Skylstad, seem to think it is happening.

Since I am on the cusp of leaving the bucolic delights of the Sabine Farm for the activity and rapid pace of the City, this morning I remembered I needed to get an absentee ballot for the upcoming election.  I had the pleasure of a decidedly American experience of driving over to house of the clerk of the little township, on a large nearby dairy farm.  Surrounded by a great many dairy cows I voted on the kitchen table. 

The last time I had to go to the clerk’s house to vote, for the last Presidential election of 2002, on my way over I saw a heifer calving, literally in partu.  By the time I got back the little thing was up on its wobbly legs and blinking around. 

Won’t see that in Rome.