After seeing some blogs that have signs saying they love the Traditional Latin Mass I thought it would be good to have one saying something positive about the "Novus Ordo" Mass, or the Mass of Paul VI. Now please don't get me wrong--- I do love the Tridentine Mass, but I also love the Novus Ordo because in this Mass is the same awesome Sacrifice and the same Christ made present to us in the Most Holy Eucharist! But there is a pressing and valid question that many have asked--- If the Novus Ordo Mass is good, then why is the Church in such a state of chaos? Why are there so many abuses that take place in so many of the Masses? Many people have tried to answer these questions, and some have decided that the Novus Ordo is evil and should be completely avoided. They have broken away from the Church and try to term themselves "Traditional" Catholics, when in reality they are not even fit to call themselves Catholic and should rather be called "Protestant" (From the word 'Protesting"). This is a wrong approach to the recognized state of chaos the Church is presently in.
Other people have have taken the opposite road and are really one of the major cause of the present state in the Church. These are the people who would like to live a certain way and therefore push their religion to fit their life styles. They want abortion and contraceptives so they convince people that these are OK things and that you can still be Catholic. They try to make the Mass more of a "performance" rather than a Sacrifice and ceremony as it is in reality. They draw emphasize away from God and onto the people so they do not have to come to terms with their Creator and Judge. This is also a wrong approach as it is a rebellion to the Church and to God. It is placing worship on "me" rather than on Him.
So what approach should we take? And how do we answer that original question as to why the Church and many Masses taking place are in a state of confusion? First of all, since the Novus Ordo Mass was instituted by Pope Paul VI, and the Magisterium has put forth the Mass in this form of Ceremony, then it cannot be said to be false or wrong by Catholics. The simple matter of fact is that unless you deny the authority that Christ gave to Peter and that has been Apostolically passed down from Pope to Pope, then you must believe that the Novus Ordo is OK. Now, you don't have to like it. I sympathize with those people who have been so worn out from the abuse done at Novus Ordo Masses that they only wish to attend the Tridentine Mass. I understand how sickening it is. But the Novus Ordo is NOT evil. The abuse done to it is evil! I think that so many people have not seen a Novus Ordo Mass done without abuse and therefore they cannot appreciate the beauty that it truly possesses. I highly recommend going to a Mass said by the Legionaries of Christ, or watching EWTN to see how beautiful the Novus Ordo Mass really is. The Novus Ordo is not evil, but the abuse is!!! Please pray that the Church would be rid of the terrible abuses man has put into the Holy Mass!
5 comments:
Unfortunately the writer of this makes no distinction between faithful Catholics who attend the indult TLM and are not separated from the Church. We know the Novus Ordo masses are valid. In my case, I simply tired of having to search for a NO mass that was celebrated in a sacred manner--without applause, without singing "happy birthday" to the priest, without inappropriate music (sometimes including drums). You NEVER find these in a TL mass. Furthermore, the respect, fidelity to Catholic teaching, is just impressive at TL masses. I just got tired of "bad" NO masses. I know there are "good" ones out there, but where??
Thank you anonymous for bringing up the point that some Traditional Latin Masses (Tridentine) are said within the Roman Catholic Church with full approval. I believe right now all a priest must do is have permission from the bishop to say the Tridentine Mass, and I think that soon a universal indult is coming that will allow every priest, no matter what, to say the Tridentine Mass once more! I love the Traditional Latin Mass most of all because of its reverence, and many times the priests there are faithful to the Church and actually give good solid teaching. However, it would be wrong for us to attend (At least as counting it as your Sunday obligation) a Church celebrating the TLM outside of the union with Rome. I believe the future holds for us more orthodox priests who will celebrate the Mass with a spirit of holiness and reverence. I mentioned EWTN and the Legionaries of Christ as two great examples of priests saying a "good" Novus Ordo Mass (meaning faithful and reverent). I know how tiring it is to attend Masses with abuse, but we must fight against the abuse and not against the Church. If you can attend a TLM that is a ROMAN Catholic Church and not one of these split offs then I would definitely favor that over a Novus Ordo Mass with abuses. May God Bless you!
Excellent post. Those are very good points you made.
Good post!!
The problem is that there is no point in having a "reverent" Novus Ordo. In most people's minds, that defeats the purpose. If you have the new Mass in Latin and facing ad orientem and with incense...why not just have the old Mass? Except as a sort of "loyalty test" to the new order in the Church. I'm no schismatic, and am forced by circumstances to attend a novus ordo weekly, pretty much. But what people like about the new mass is not the new text. It's the vernacular, facing-the-people, women-ministering attitude of it. You dress up the novus ordo like the old mass...and...why bother at that point?? Seriously, what was so necessary to change about the old mass? You could have introduced a greater (though still one year) cycle of readings to the old mass. You could have restored a weekly prayers of the faithful modeled off of Good Friday. You could have re-expanded the introit, gradual, offertory, and communion to full psalms. But why did so much have to be CUT, REMOVED, EXCISED, REDUCED, etc??? Well, because it's easier, less work for lazy priests. And the neo-conservatives eat it up because they feel they have to enthusiastically support all the pope's decisions to be "good catholics" because they have a positivistic standard, not based on a long tradition. Which leads to a lot of rather impressive juggling of cognitive dissonance on their part, with elaborate rationalizations for reconcilling the old and new positions. Just so ridiculous.
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