Fr. Z's Blog

The liberal-biased Religion News Service has run a piece by Jesuit Thomas Reese.

The future of Catholic liturgical reform

It is every bit as bad as you might imagine. A Jesuit on liturgy… after all.

First, you might remember that Reese was so bad as editor of Amerika that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith had him removed. It could be that Reese has had it out for Ratzinger/Benedict ever since. That may have something to do with his lack of ability to see the liturgical issue clearly and his attitude about Summorum Pontificum.

You might remember that, back in the era when Reese was guiding Amerika, they published on the cover a photo of the Blessed Virgin wrapped in a condom.

You might remember the sharp rebuke he received from Card. Dolan for arguing that Planned Parenthood should not be defunded.

In this new piece… about liturgy, among other things:

(RNS) — Other than sex, nothing is more heatedly debated by Catholics than the liturgy. Everyone has strong opinions based on years of personal experience.

One of my correspondents wrote: “He can’t get 10 words into it without mentioning sex.”

Pre-Vatican II Mass

After the Pauline reforms of the liturgy, it was presumed that the “Tridentine” or Latin Mass would fade away. Bishops were given the authority to suppress it in their dioceses, but some people clung to the old liturgy to the point of schism.

Benedict took away the bishops’ authority and mandated that any priest could celebrate the Tridentine Mass whenever he pleased.

It is time to return to bishops the authority over the Tridentine liturgy in their dioceses. The church needs to be clear that it wants the unreformed liturgy to disappear and will only allow it out of pastoral kindness to older people who do not understand the need for change. Children and young people should not be allowed to attend such Masses.

Did you get that?

“Children and young people should not be allowed to attend such Masses.”

“… should not be allowed…”

That’s how the left rolls.

The fact is that the number of Traditional Latin Masses is rapidly growing.  The average age of the faithful attending these Masses is really low.   The people give more in the collection than they do at the Novus Ordo.  Fulfillment of Sunday Mass attendance is must higher than most Novus Ordo attendees.   As the demographics of the Church in these USA change, those who attend the TLM will be more and more important.   The number of young priests learning the traditional Mass is growing.  Eventually, as numbers of vocations drops under Francis, these men will wind up more and more as pastors of influential parishes and even as bishops.

The fact is, the Traditional Latin Rite is not going away and it is going to grow.

In the meantime, I suggest to Reese that he learn how to celebrate the Traditional Mass before he flaps his pie hole about it again.  Until he does, he only knows a fraction of the Church’s liturgy for which he calls a new reform.

Also in that piece:

[…]

When liturgy is out of touch with local culture, it becomes boring and dies. These new liturgies need to be beta tested before adoption.

[…]

Can a deacon or layperson anoint the sick or hear confessions?

[…]

The church might also allow Catholics’ spouses to share Communion if they share our faith in the Eucharist.

[…]

There is no reason the hierarchy could not allow priests to use the 1998 translation as an alternative, allowing the priest decide which translation works best in his parish.

[…]

More important than the transformation of the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ is the transformation of the community into the body of Christ so we can live out the covenant we have through Christ. We do not worship Jesus, in this sense; with Jesus we worship the Father and ask to be transformed by the power of the spirit into the body of Christ.

[…]

The church needs more and better Eucharistic prayers based on our renewed understanding of the Eucharist.

[…]

I think you get the idea.