I was born just as Vatican II ended. I have never known anything else. I was a young Catholic in the 1970’s. There was A LOT of felt, and mass (sic) production of banners; orange, and yellow, I can tell you.
When I was younger, I loved to serve Mass. I even loved when my parish priest, Fr. Michael Orsi, would chant the Sanctus and Agnus Dei in Latin, and served Mass for him, or read. Granted there was A LOT of yellow and orange felt in the 70’s, but we lived.
I loved knowing the words and responses to Mass; its beauty and simplicity. It drew me. It allowed me to fall in love, with Him. It was my rock, my foundation, my everything, my constant in a world of dizzying technological change, in which I have made my profession, my calming North Star. Catholics, if they have not been to Mass on Sunday, “feel weird” during the week. We do, in addition to knowing we are going straight to Hell, do not pass “GO”, do not collect $200, if we should die before confessing the fact we missed. Comforting. Comforting. Mortal sin.
Now, seemingly, beyond just allowing the extraordinary rite (Tridentine) for those who sway that way, takes ALL kinds, we will ALL be dragged, willing or unwilling into a Frankenstein liturgy, part old, part new, all awkward, faltering, and ugly, a Christian embarrassment. To worship the God Who was born in obscurity, poverty, behind enemy lines, as it were; Who warned the rich and powerful and pompous and arrogant of the moral dangers of their station and attitude. That they would NOT enter the Kingdom of God, they would not. Was maliciously betrayed, tortured, crucified, and died, and lived in the flesh, again. Really? God is more pleased? With pomposity? Really? Trying to contain and behave myself, but there are times more polite is inappropriate, wrong, and rude, this being one of them. Are you high?
My reason for this is not that I do not like or value history or Roman Catholic heritage. My main concern is of the Tridentines I have met, I have just not been impressed with them as Christians, even as I am disaffected with myself, as sinner, but still. I DON’T like them!!!! But, these are not the people I would ever intentionally attend Mass with. They tend to lack patience and compassion, in my experience, compared to others, Catholic or not. Mt 23:5.
I have not been impressed. I have met finer Jews, Protestants, Muslims, Wiccans, Atheists, Agnostics, you name it. I have. I would rather hang, or burn, with the hippies, than anything with the fascists. I am not a flaming liberal. I am a Catholic & a Christian, a moderate!!! What a rare animal!!! I am not a fan of heresy, maybe you’ve noticed. But, I know I can tolerate it much more easily than fascism. I can. And, I do.
Fear not. I have found my hippies. We talked. And I can’t wait to celebrate Eucharist with them. I will go to them, or they will come to me. A small group, without pomposity; just a simple meal. In an upper room? Now, where have I heard that before??? Nope. Nope. Nothing.
Love,
Matthew
Summa Catechetica, "Neque enim quaero intelligere ut credam, sed credo ut intelligam." – St Anselm, "“Si comprehendus, non est Deus.” -St Augustine, "Let your religion be less of a theory, and more of a love affair." -G.K. Chesterton, "As the reading of bad books fills the mind with worldly and poisonous sentiments; so, on the other hand, the reading of pious works fills the soul with holy thoughts and good desires." -St. Alphonsus Liguori, "And above all, be on your guard not to want to get anything done by force, because God has given free will to everyone and wants to force no one, but only proposes, invites and counsels." –St. Angela Merici, “Yet such are the pity and compassion of this Lord of ours, so desirous is He that we should seek Him and enjoy His company, that in one way or another He never ceases calling us to Him . . . God here speaks to souls through words uttered by pious people, by sermons or good books, and in many other such ways.” —St. Teresa of Avila, "I want a laity, not arrogant, not rash in speech, not disputatious, but men and women who know their religion, who enter into it, who know just where they stand, who know what they hold and what they do not, and who know their creed so well that they can give an account of it, who know so much of history that they can defend it. I want an intelligent, well-instructed laity… I wish you to enlarge your knowledge, to cultivate your reason, to get an insight into the relation of truth to truth, to learn to view things as they are, to understand how faith and reason stand to each other, what are the bases and principles of Catholicism, and where lie the main inconsistences and absurdities of the Protestant theory.” (St. John Henry Newman, “Duties of Catholics Towards the Protestant View,” Lectures on the Present Position of Catholics in England), "We cannot always have access to a spiritual Father for counsel in our actions and in our doubts, but reading will abundantly supply his place by giving us directions to escape the illusions of the devil and of our own self-love, and at the same time to submit to the divine will.” —St. Alphonsus Ligouri, "The harm that comes to souls from the lack of reading holy books makes me shudder . . . What power spiritual reading has to lead to a change of course, and to make even worldly people enter into the way of perfection." –St. Padre Pio, "Screens may grab our attention, but books change our lives!" – Word on Fire, "Reading has made many saints!" -St Josemaría Escrivá, "Do you pray? You speak to the Bridegroom. Do you read? He speaks to you." —St. Jerome, from his Letter 22 to Eustochium, "Encounter, not confrontation; attraction, not promotion; dialogue, not debate." -cf Pope Francis, "God here speaks to souls through…good books“ – St Teresa of Avila, Interior Castle, "You will not see anyone who is really striving after his advancement who is not given to spiritual reading. And as to him who neglects it, the fact will soon be observed by his progress.” -St Athanasius, "To convert someone, go and take them by the hand and guide them." -St Thomas Aquinas, OP. 1 saint ruins ALL the cynicism in Hell & on Earth. “When we pray we talk to God; when we read God talks to us…All spiritual growth comes from reading and reflection.” -St Isidore of Seville, “Also in some meditations today I earnestly asked our Lord to watch over my compositions that they might do me no harm through the enmity or imprudence of any man or my own; that He would have them as His own and employ or not employ them as He should see fit. And this I believe is heard.” -GM Hopkins, SJ, "Only God knows the good that can come about by reading one good Catholic book." — St. John Bosco, "Why don't you try explaining it to them?" – cf St Peter Canisius, SJ, Doctor of the Church, Doctor of the Catechism, "Already I was coming to appreciate that often apologetics consists of offering theological eye glasses of varying prescriptions to an inquirer. Only one prescription will give him clear sight; all the others will give him at best indistinct sight. What you want him to see—some particular truth of the Faith—will remain fuzzy to him until you come across theological eye glasses that precisely compensate for his particular defect of vision." -Karl Keating, "The more perfectly we know God, the more perfectly we love Him." -St Thomas Aquinas, OP, ST, I-II,67,6 ad 3, “But always when I was without a book, my soul would at once become disturbed, and my thoughts wandered." —St. Teresa of Avila, "Let those who think I have said too little and those who think I have said too much, forgive me; and let those who think I have said just enough thank God with me." –St. Augustine, "Without good books and spiritual reading, it will be morally impossible to save our souls." —St. Alphonsus Liguori "Never read books you aren't sure about. . . even supposing that these bad books are very well written from a literary point of view. Let me ask you this: Would you drink something you knew was poisoned just because it was offered to you in a golden cup?" -St. John Bosco " To teach in order to lead others to faith is the task of every preacher and of each believer." —St. Thomas Aquinas, OP. "Prayer purifies us, reading instructs us. Both are good when both are possible. Otherwise, prayer is better than reading." –St. Isidore of Seville “The aid of spiritual books is for you a necessity.… You, who are in the midst of battle, must protect yourself with the buckler of holy thoughts drawn from good books.” -St. John Chrysostom
