Traditional Catholics (Trads) and in particular, a new generation of Catholics, are incensed (pun intended) over the new restrictions and limitations placed on the Latin Mass. Some of us would much prefer to see good use of faculty in limitations and restrictions on tambourine playing and strumming in tie-died Chasubles...but who are we to judge? Then again, love (Chasuble) does cover a multitude of sins...
The Tridentine Mass, also known as the TLM (when young people abbreviate something, take note—it has already been deemed a cultural phenomenon: symbol), is a form of worship that draws from the Ancient Tradition of the Church (Ad Orientem) the facing East towards Jerusalem, where the sun rises, promulgated by the early Church Fathers and Latinized anew from 1570-1970. Saint Basil the Great affirmed that "facing the east to pray was among the oldest unwritten laws of the Church".
Pope Francis‘ Apostolic Letter Traditionis Custodes transmitted in the form of Motu Proprio, rededicates the 1970 Roman Missal as the Ordinary Form and liturgical format under the Second Vatican Council by declaring “The liturgical books promulgated by Saint Paul VI and Saint John Paul II, in conformity with the decrees of Vatican Council II, are the unique expression of the lex orandi of the Roman Rite” (Traditionis Custodes, 2021).
The manner in which Pope Francis sent out his message to the Church (Motu Proprio) is in some ways more significant than the limitations reintroduced to the Latin Mass itself. When an Apostolic letter is delivered in the form of Motu Proprio, it is designated as the personal discernment of the Pontiff alone and not influenced or advised by the Council of Cardinals. This means that an interior spiritual concern took place and the Pope has the sole faculty to change and alter Canon Law. The Traditionis Custodes document asserts that probability by limiting the Tridentine Mass to certain occasions and completely removing it from parochial Churches. For the United States Catholic Parishes, mostly parochial, Catholics who are edified by the Tridentine Mass feel the loss. Afterall it was partly the lay Faithful’s renewed interest in and requests for the Tridentine Mass that prompted Pope Benedict XVI to relax restrictions on the Latin form and allow wider use of it in parishes. This resulted in a fondness and affection for Pope Benedict XVI’s papacy and a growing inclination towards a more solemn liturgy among the next generation who more than past generations crave the transcendental, mysterium fidei, the mystery of Faith. And yet by affinity to that same Tradition—we yield to the magisterium.
What stands out in Pope Francis’ letter to Bishop’s accompanying the Apostolic Motu Proprio is a tone of respect for the proper attitude towards the Tridentine Mass and a reluctance but necessity to roll back his Predecessor’s generous allowance for the use of the Latin Mass within Vatican II. “In defense of the unity of the Body of Christ, I am constrained to revoke the faculty granted by my Predecessors. The distorted use that has been made of this faculty is contrary to the intentions that led to granting the freedom to celebrate the Mass with the Missale Romanum of 1962.” (Pope Francis‘ accompanying letter).
At the time, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope John Paul II were responding to a genuine renewal and interest in the Latin Mass as well as preventing a schism over it—A new Saint Pius X Society (SSPX) formed in direct opposition to changes made in Vatican II, held that the Tridentine Mass was the only legitimate form of worship for the Church (lex Oriandi).The installing Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) by Archbishop Lefèvre againts a private warning by Pope John Paul II caused 4 excommunications. The spirit behind the actions of Archbishop Lefèvre were viewed as a schismatic act by Pope John Paul II because it held an incomplete view of the full Tradition and defied the Pontiff (Vatican Council II. Const. Dei Verbum). “It is impossible to remain faithful to the Tradition while breaking the ecclesial bond with him to whom, in the person of the Apostle Peter, Christ himself entrusted the ministry of unity in his Church” (Ecclesiae Dei,1988). Under pastoral clemency, Pope John Paul II allowed Bishops to continue to use the Latin form as long as they were not denouncing the Second Vatican Council by celebrating it, in order to preserve the Ecclesial bond.
The pastoral intention of Pope Benedict XVI in Summorum Pontificum was to "offer worthy worship to the Divine Majesty, for "the praise and glory of his name" and "the good of all his holy Church" and to respond with pastoral care, just as his Predecessor Pope John Paul II did, the "love and affection to the earlier liturgical forms which had deeply shaped their culture and spirit". His own Motu Proprio “expresses that ordinary and extraordinary forms of the Mass fullfill the outward expression of the Church and that the Roman Missal revised by Blessed John XXIII should be “duly honoured for its venerable and ancient usage”. (Summorum Pontificum, 2007). Following in continuity with Tradition, Pope Benedict XVI seamlessly grafted back in the 1962 Roman Missal in order to broaden ecclesial harmony and allow for the “legitimate pluralism in the expression of Faith” (Dubois, S.J, 2004). And yet by affinity to that same Tradition—we yield to the magisterium.
The two words attached to the Tridentine Mass or Latin Mass in the Extraordinary Form are “love” and “affection”. If you ask a layperson, the appeal of the Tridentine Mass is that it is imbued with a symbol-rich liturgy. The foundations of the Christian Faith are expressed through symbol: the Cross, the Eucharist, the Greek alpha Α (ἄλφα) and Omega Ω (ωμέγα), Ad Orientem and the Paschal Lamb. Christ spoke in parables and the early Church established its official Symbol by the spiritual deliberations over the Apostle’s Creed. The Church is both Religion and Culture in its Apostolic Tradition as Saint Gregory the Great passed down the relics of worship and traditions from the Romans. On the other hand, the Church is not merely symbol, an abstraction or a concept, it is living and breathing with every believer and “exalted in Christ’s Presence” (Pope Paul VI. Mysterium Fidei, 1965). We eat, we chew (echereste) with thanksgiving, the Eucharist (Greek, ευχαριστώ, meaning thank you).
The Tridentine Mass (Latin, Tridentinus) is derived from the city of Tridentum-Trent, Italy where the council of Trent took place. As a counter-reformation initiative, Pope Pius XIV promoted the 1570 Roman Missal that adorned the Latin Mass with subsequent editions until 1962 and made this form of worship mandatory to maintain the authenticity of the Roman Catholic Faith, distinct from Protestant Reforms. This is not the first time the Latin Mass has been censored (sensər, assessed). As Protestant and Catholic conflicts waned, the Second Vatican Council with its ecumenical impulse stressed the efficacy of the vernacular in the Mass as a way to make the Church more accessible. Pope John Paul XXIII‘s “Sermon on the moon” and his desire to “open the windows and let the fresh air in” signified the “spirit of Vatican II”. Although the metaphor was a fitting one for a burgeoning new springtime in the Church and Bishop Cardinal Wojtyła (JPII) who would be present at the Second Vatican Council to be divinely positioned later as “the” Pope of the New Springtime, there was still a skepticism of the “spirit“ of Vatican II and with it, liturgical questions. The altar of the Mass would now face the people Versus Populum in contrast with Ad Orientem (facing East) and the Mass would no longer be celebrated solely in Latin after 400 years. This was a radical change. And yet by affinity to that same Tradition—we yield to the magisterium.
The Ad Orientem worship is missionary, it practices what it preaches to “go Forth” with the faithful following their Shepherd. Dating back to the 1590’s, the word “Mass” came from the Jesuit charism: Latin missionem (nominative missio) "act of sending forth (a mission), missionaries”. The Church herself in her plurality of expression is missionary. JPII states:
”However, it is necessary that all the Pastors and the other faithful have a new awareness, not only of the lawfulness but also of the richness for the Church of a diversity of charisms, traditions of spirituality and apostolate, which also constitutes the beauty of unity in variety: of that blended "harmony" which the earthly Church raises up to Heaven under the impulse of the Holy Spirit” (Ecclesia Dei,1988). We are witnesses during the Mass to the miracle of consubstantiation, the “conversion of the whole substance of the bread into the Body and of the whole substance of the wine into the Blood of Christ” (Pope Paul VI, 1965. Mysterium Fidei). This is a glorious daily event that even the angels look onto with awe. The Eucharist, the sacrifice of the Mass is the “fulfillment of all of the sacrifices of the Old Covenant” (CCC) deserving of our most solemn gaze. And yet by affinity to that same Tradition—we yield to the magisterium.
Unanticipated, Pope Francis’ move to restrict the Latin Mass has inadvertently brought more attention than limitations to the Tridentine Mass—a Catholic Streisand effect. The Church’s diversity in her expression is a great witness to the world. So here we are in 2021 in a global catechism class, revisiting the mysteries of the Faith, many thoughtful responses from Cardinals and Bishops, laypersons alike, and non-Catholics inquiring about these things. We should see this moment in the Church not as divisive but as an opportunity to pray, to reflect and consider that Pope Francis has acted according to the measure of his Faith. A particular ascent is required on the part of the faithful to reconcile the affection and love for the Latin Mass as prior to the 1970 reform and yielding to the Chair of Peter, (Pontifex Maximus) who speaks on behalf of the wisdom of the Church and the rule of Faith that have informed our many traditions of worship “combining both transcendental and incarnational”
(Dubois, S.J, 2004).
We strike a balance between the Old and New: Christ himself in the Scriptures is always forward thinking “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” Isaiah 43:19 ESV. And yet he does not banish Tradition “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” Matthew 5:17. Just as the Church continues to reveal eternal realities through the Holy Spirit and the Sacraments, Pope John Paul II called for a universal acceptance of Vatican II in “renewed commitment to deeper study in order to reveal clearly the Council's continuity with Tradition, especially in points of doctrine which, perhaps because they are new, have not yet been well understood by some sections of the Church.” (Ecclesia Dei, 1988). And yet by affinity to that same Tradition—we yield to the magisterium.
It is good and just to look back at the foundational cornerstones set by the early Church and through the middle ages to have a full appreciation for the Universal Catholic Faith and the doctrines that were agreed upon by the Church Fathers and the Faithful. The continuity and unanimity within the Roman Catholic Church on matters of Faith are nothing short of miraculous. That both Pope Benedict VXI and Pope Francis can support the will of Vatican II is a matter of looking at two sides of the same coin or “two usages of the one Roman rite,” (Pope Benedict XVI). The existence of disagreements, is only further proof of the authenticity of the Church.
In every age, Mother Church, Mater Ecclesiae has nurtured her children and engaged the culture. Our current digital society suffocates the contemplative spirit and the information age does not satisfy the hungry soul for truth or throw us a rope to “assent from the cave” (Plato). In reality, it only casts more shadows. This explains the attraction to the Tridentine Mass. We walk then in humility—even Moses caught only a glimpse of the Promised Land, forbidden to cross the Jordan. We have been grafted in to the Olive branch “we the wild shoots of the Olive Tree” Romans 11: 11-31. In her own way, the Church will once again, beyond our own understanding feed its people and all will be satisfied. “For now we see in a mirror, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know fully even as also I was fully known” 1 Corinthians 13:12.
And so, in the light of Faith and by affinity to that same Tradition—we yield to the magisterium.
CODA
References/ Bibliography:
1.Pope Francis July 16, 2021. Muto Proprio Apostolic Letter Traditionis Custodes, On the Use of the Roman Liturgy Prior to the Reform of 1970.
2. Pope Francis Accompanying Letter to Bishops. Lettera del Santo Padre Francesco ai Vescovi di tutto il mondo per presentare il Motu Proprio «Traditionis Custodes» sull’uso della Liturgia Romana anteriore alla Riforma del 1970, 16.07.2021
3. Pope Benedict XVI July 7, 2007. Apostolic Letter in Motu Proprio, Summorum Pontificum, On the Use of the Roman Liturgy Prior to the Reform of 1970.
4. Pope John Paul II, July 2,1988. Apostolic Letter in Motu Proprio, Ecclesiae Dei.
5. Pope Paul VI, September 3,1965. Mysterium Fidei, Encyclical on the Holy Eucharist.
6. J. Neuner S., J. Dubois, S. J. 2004. The Christian Faith in the Doctrinal Documents of the Catholic Church, Bangalore, India.
7. Murphy, Dennis J. MSC, 2000. The Church and the Bible. Theological Publications, India.
8. Vatican Council II Documents. Vatican Council II. Const. Dei Verbum, n. 8. Cf. Vatican Council I, Const. Dei Filius, cap. 4: DS 3020.
9. Pope John Paul II.1992. Catechism of the Catholic Church ( CCC).
10. Plato (514a–520a). The Allegory of the Cave, Republic.