From a reader:
In light of your rather depressed email correspondent [HERE], I want to share a more uplifting story.
[…]
I have again become a Roamin’ Catholic. After decades as a “Novus Ordo Catholic,” I have thrown in the towel and decided to attend the Latin Mass. I understand almost nothing. But I know there must be a reason why this Mass existed for so long, and continues to persist despite so much hatred.
Last weekend, I traveled home to Milwaukee for a wedding. I attended Mass at St. Stanislaus, which I am sure you have visited.[Indeed I have.]In a way, I felt like I was attending Mass itself for the first time ever. This was my first Latin Mass outside of my new small Latin Mass parish.
Again, I don’t understand the Latin Mass. But I feel dedicated and energized by my experience to understand it the way so many in my generation understand it.
If we want to fix the world, we have to [with reliance on the grace of God] fix ourselves. I have known for a long time that this is something I needed to do. And I am going to figure it out.
Amen, brother.
Do I hear an “Amen”?
How about a “¡Hagan lío!”?
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AMEN! Accept no substitutes!
You’ve gone home, and we always feel better when we go home. The Latin Mass (Holy Mass in the Extraordinary Form) was not my experience, but I felt home when I went to it. It’s not about my participation, what a relief, although I am participating, in being prayerful, following the Mass, occasional responses. Get a nice old Missal on Ebay, say, St. Joseph’s with the Latin on one side and the English on the other, maybe from 1957-era or so.
In these days of catastrophic apostasy, and that is what it is, we can only go home to find peace, consolation, and sanity.
All those years of Latin in college…finally a use? BTW, my professor was a Jesuit (noviciate?) in training; left because the Jesuits ‘weren’t Catholic anymore’. This in 1989-91.
I’ve been right where you are now. It’s not easy. This book will really help though: Treasure and Tradition: The ultimate guide to the Latin Mass.
Best of luck to you!
[I fully endorse and recommend this splendid book!]
Amen! And pick up a good Latin/English missal and follow along. You will be so immersed in the Mass, you will be in awe. You will “know” exactly what is being said and why. Love it. Thank you Jesus for the gift.
I also just attended my first Traditional Latin Mass at an FSSP parish out here in DFW. It was definitely home. It was a low mass and we sat far enough back to have plenty of folks to get visual cues off of, so we couldn’t hear too well, but I’ve been told the first few times one goes to an EF mass it’s better to just experience it rather than try and keep up with a missal. That said, I’ve already got this bad boy for when we are more confident:
http://www.ccwatershed.org/Campion/
Look Folks, lets face it, over the past 50 yrs + or so all that has been shoved down our throats is you can not participate in Holy Mass in Latin. Really? Did anyone ever hear about all the Missals that we had/have. Latin one side English on the other. Total Participation regardless what has been said over the years, During a High Mass singing the parts of the Mass and responses were also in place. In fact being at Latin Mass was a form of participation? The Sacred, Reverence, Holiness?
Do those who hate the Latin Mass ever realize it is the Mass Celebrated during V II? Prior to bugnini being given free rein?
The Latin Mass is also the Mass many of our Dear Saints attended when they were here on earth.
The reasons the liberals and those who hate the Latin Mass are so flawed. What are they afraid of? maybe an increase in vocations? The Devil hates the Latin Mass most of all, or so we have been told. It is time to return to the sacred, It is wonderful that those who were not living during the time of the Latin Mass being a norm in the church, find it so Beautiful.
Our FSSP sung High Mass yesterday was beautiful.
So, No I’ll never throw in the towel.
If by “I don’t understand the Latin Mass”, the author means that he/she doesn’t understand what the words of the liturgy mean in English (or any other native language), all he/she has to do is follow along with a missal that contains the text in both languages. If a side-by-side language presentation is difficult to follow, an interlinear translation would solve that problem. For example:
The Gloria:
Gloria in excelsis Deo, et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis.
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will.
Laudamus te, benedicimus te, adoramus te, glorificamus te.
We praise Thee. We bless Thee. We adore Thee. We glorify Thee.
Gratias agimus tibi propter magnam gloriam tuam.
We give Thee thanks for Thy great glory.
Domine Deus rex coelestis, Deus Pater omnipotens.
O Lord God, Heavenly King, God the Father Almighty.
Domine Fili unigenite, Jesu Christe.
O Lord Jesus Christ, the Only-begotten Son.
Domine Deus, Agnus Dei, Filius Patris,
O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father.
Qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis.
Who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Qui tollis peccata mundi, suscipe deprecationem nostram.
Who takes away the sins of the world, receive our prayer.
Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris, miserere nobis.
Who sits at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us.
Quoniam tu solus Sanctus,
For Thou alone art holy.
tu solus Dominus,
Thou alone art Lord.
tu solus altissimus, Jesu Christe,
Thou alone art most high, Jesus Christ,
cum Sancto Spiritu † , in gloria Dei Patris. Amen.
together with the Holy Spirit, † in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
I would be happy to provide more. God bless and be patient.
“Treasure and Tradition” sounds like a wonderful investment and I may get one myself. Also there is “Know Your Mass” available from Coalition in Support of Ecclesia Dei. It is really done for children I think, but that should make it simple. Another suggestion would be the video narrated by Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, “The Immemorial Tridentine Mass.” And finally, Kathleen1o’s suggestion to get a missal with the Latin prayers and English translations on each page in two columns is an excellent one. “The Saint Andrew Daily Missal” is one I find especially helpful because there is background historical information for the various time periods like Christmastide, Epiphany, Season of Septuagesima to Ash Wednesday and on through the rest of the year. Happy homecoming!
Dear Reader, Excellent! A perfect spiral pass, 98 yards against the wind, with a towel!
In 1964 Barry Goldwater said there has never been a successful liberal program. In my opinion he was quite a prophet, because history is replete with liberal disasters, Vatican II is at the top of my list.
If the reader is also looking for fellowship at St. Stans there is Sursum Corda for young adults 18-40 and a mens group “Holy Name Society” for men 18 and up.
Would that every diocese had a church like St. Stanislaus! I go there every time I get back to Milwaukee.
“Look Folks, lets face it, over the past 50 yrs + or so all that has been shoved down our throats is you can not participate in Holy Mass in Latin.”
They said it so much that people forgot how to mentally and spiritually participate, and now that most people don’t know how to participate unless they are physically doing or saying something, what they said has now become true.
for sure!
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I am pretty sure that the poster understands what is being said, in a general way. The problem is fitting one’s internal understanding of the Mass structure, where things have gotten, etc. into one’s general familiarity with Mass. One has to find a way to conform oneself.
Download the Laudate app for your smartphone. It has an excellent Latin Missal.
I returned to the faith via St. Stan’s and was confirmed there at the age of 37. It took a while to unravel but I truly believe that they set me on the road to working out my salvation and by the grace of God I was able to rid myself of a boatload of sin and incorrect catechesis.
Keep on keeping on.
“How about a “¡Hagan lío!”?”
I’m partly inclined to settle for an “Amen!”, as I have not yet progressed with Wheelock’s Latin to understand what this means. However, in the spirit of the posting, wherein we don’t yet understand what we’re saying…
(I do hope you’ll forgive the lack of the non-English pieces)
Hagan lio!
The correct towel we should be throwing is the manutergium.