1937 Tridentine Mass, Narrated by Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen #Catholic

I just discovered this and thought some of you may enjoy it. It's a nice explanation of what is happening during a Tridentine Mass. I love Archbishop Sheen's voice. Everything sounds like poetry when he says it...

Michael Voris' "The Vortex" on the Traditional Latin Mass #Catholic

I've been watching more of these Real Catholic TV videos online. I like Voris more and more! Here is a Catholic broadcaster who is completely devoted to Catholic teaching and promoting Catholic identity.

Everything he says in this video is so true. I love the Traditional Latin Mass exactly because it isn't "watered down." The liturgy is strong and un-tampered with; and it encourages me greatly that this is the Mass that built our strong saints. When I am participating in the TLM, I feel a powerful connection with my Catholic lineage, the history of those who have gone before me, and a sense of encouragement from our heavenly brothers and sisters in Christ.

My focus is on what Christ has done on the Cross. I still get teary-eyed when our priest lifts up the Holy Eucharist and offers it up, raising his arms toward heaven and repeats the words our blessed Lord said to His disciples on the last night of His freedom on earth. The Last Supper, which Jesus Christ celebrated before entering His Passion, is not "a meal," but a commemorative act, giving thanks to His Father for providing all things, most especially the Perfect Sacrifice to atone for mankind's sin.

These thoughts do not come easily when I'm at a Mass where the priest rushes through the offering or adds different phrases to "embellish" the act. And through all the years that I grew up with the Novus Ordo Mass, I have finally realized what I missed. Now that I'm reclaiming what has rightfully been my birthright as a believer, I will not yield it so easily and I will place my efforts toward promoting the Traditional Latin Mass as often as I can.

My faith has been strengthened by the TLM in ways I never expected. It's my hope that if you as a Catholic have never attended one, that you would at least once. Allow the silence of that profound moment at the altar permeate your soul. Allow yourself to rest and meditate on the work of our Lord. Yes, there are certainly N.O. Masses being offered that have reverence, but you can know that when you attend a TLM, it will always be there.

Praise God for our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, who has restored this precious rite. It is giving life to so many, including me.

What I Love About the TLM: Wearing a Mantilla #Catholic

It will be two years this May since I started to attend the Traditional Latin Mass. When I first visited, I didn't wear a head covering. But I've always been fascinated by it. When I was in North Carolina, I attended a Messianic Jewish congregation for a short period. During the service, a woman would light candles and recite a prayer in Hebrew. Every woman who did this had a veil on her head.

I knew the reason for head coverings according to St. Paul's writings to the Corinthians. (1 Cor. 11:5-15) When I was in my twenties, the Lord had quite a bit of work to do with my heart regarding submission. It is an area of contention for many women, and unfortunately, not too many churches teach it. Elisabeth Elliott is one of my favorite writers and Christian thinkers. (I could say, "One of the ones I turn to most..." ala Anita Dunn. Heh.) Elisabeth is one of the few Christian women who consistently taught about submission through her radio program.

There are so many misunderstandings about submission. Some women equate it with being a doormat. I have a pretty strong personality, myself, and nothing grates my nerves faster than someone thinking they can push me around. However, submission is what I am called to embrace although I admit I've questioned how this works at times.

When I started to wear the mantilla to Mass, I felt a little conspicuous. Even with others around me doing the same, I felt that at one point, someone would say, "Oh, who are you kidding?!" But soon I forgot about what others would think and instead focused on God. I believe the covering for women is yet another opportunity to die to ourselves. It's an opportunity to demonstrate visibly that we belong to God first. It is an act of submission and one that is what I call a beautiful "reverse defiance" toward the enemy of our souls who has tricked women for centuries, going all the way back to Eve.

I have to admit I like that. I like reclaiming the holy ground that was lost during the 60's and 70's when feminists convinced church-going women that they could lose their head coverings because it was just a symbol of man's oppression. How wrong they were. It isn't a symbol of oppression but a beautiful symbol of our willingness to trust in God for all things and give glory to Him for His divine order of authority in our lives. It is an outward expression of a pliant spirit, much like a tender tree bends to the wind. As a woman, I believe I should be that fluid to God's touch, so that His hand would not have to push me but the slightest whisper of His Spirit into my heart would turn me where He wants me to go.

This type of pliant heart doesn't happen overnight. And with the hardheaded, rebellious attitudes in our culture, it only makes it more challenging. However, small things such as wearing a chapel veil for a little over an hour can be an exercise in humility. Both men and women are called to humility but I believe God uses different approaches to humble us. For the woman, in this age, I believe it is the head covering.

But lest I sound as though wearing a mantilla is a chore or that I feel chastened by it - the exact opposite is true. I feel that it is a joy, a privilege, a gift. I feel cherished. These feelings only came to me after submitting to God and laying aside any desire to usurp authority. This has been a lifelong journey for me, and it has taken me years to arrive at this point. At one time, not too long ago, I believed that women should have equal opportunity within the church to be advanced to leadership. I was a pastor and was on the brink of being admitted to the exclusive circle of our church's leadership team. But something happened along the way. I was convicted by the Holy Spirit that this was not the way for me. After much prayer and Scripture study, I started to see church leadership and authority in a different light. I also started to see what happens when women have a misconception of their role within the church. (And yes, we have very important roles.)

The head covering is an ancient practice. Women of faith throughout the world wear a head covering. I feel that the feminist movement stole something precious from women when they convinced some that the head covering was a bad thing. Think about what we cover: valuable objects, our loved ones like the baby swaddled in blankets, things that are meant to be secret or mysterious, things that are protected.

This is how I feel when I wear the mantilla. Protected. Loved. Valuable. God loves us with an everlasting love. To run to the embrace of a loving Father is a joy-filled event. As I wear the mantilla, I feel embraced by His love as I lay aside the world. Amen and amen.

To Rev. Michael G. Ryan on the New Roman Missal Translation: What If We Said Go For It? #Catholic

I've said it before and will say it again: did I return to the Catholic Church at an exciting time, or what?!

Rev. Michael G. Ryan wrote an article entitled "What If We Said 'Wait'? The Case for a Grass Roots Review of the New Roman Missal," published in America Magazine. I found the article "fisked" hilariously by Fr. Zuhlsdorf. His comments in red were so funny that I found myself several times bursting into laughter.

Some of the changes in the liturgy can be seen here. Below are a few examples:

Present text:

The day before he suffered he took bread in his sacred hands and looking up to heaven, to you, his almighty Father, he gave you thanks and praise. He broke the bread, gave it to his disciples, and said:

TAKE THIS, ALL OF YOU, AND EAT IT: THIS IS MY BODY WHICH WILL BE GIVEN UP FOR YOU.

New Text:

On the day before he was to suffer he took bread in his holy and venerable hands, and with eyes raised to heaven to you, O God, his almighty Father, giving you thanks he said the blessing, broke the bread and gave it to his disciples, saying:

TAKE THIS, ALL OF YOU, AND EAT OF IT: FOR THIS IS MY BODY WHICH WILL BE GIVEN UP FOR YOU.


Present Text:

I confess to almighty God,
and to you, my brothers and sisters,
that I have sinned
through my own fault,
in my thoughts and in my words,
in what I have done,
and in what I have failed to do;
and I ask blessed Mary, ever virgin,
all the angels and saints,
and you, my brothers and sisters,
to pray for me to the Lord, our God.


New Text:

I confess to almighty God
and to you, my brothers and sisters,
that I have greatly sinned
in my thoughts and in my words,
in what I have done
and in what I have failed to do,
through my fault, through my fault,
through my most grievous fault;
therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin,
all the Angels and Saints,
and you, my brothers and sisters,
to pray for me to the Lord our God.

I for one, cannot wait for this beautiful new translation. Fr. Ryan seems to be blind to the effects of the bland liturgy that was given to us after Vatican II. When I think of the words, "he took the cup" versus the new translation, "he took this precious chalice into his holy and venerable hands," there is simply no contest.

What our current translation of the Roman Missal did, at least for me, was strip the Mass of any sense of awe and mystery of what we were experiencing. It rendered the power of the gospel almost impotent and about as interesting as reciting a grocery list.

I know I may come across as being harsh. But after years of being involved in the "touchy-feely" auditoriums of non-denominationalism, I can attest to the fact that when you water down the sacred, you get weak faith. Church, in my eyes, should be like a spiritual "boot camp" of sorts. It should help me develop my faith so I can take a lickin' in the world and still keep on tickin'. There are hard issues in our world but Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Those who imagine that our life "today" is so much more complicated than those who were living "yesterday," miss the point that humanity never changes. We may have electricity and a bunch of overpriced gizmos to collect, but anger, envy, gluttony, greed, lust, pride, and sloth - hasn't changed. Selfishness hasn't changed. Cruelty still exists.

What can equip us as believers against such a sinful world and our sinful nature? The lulling words of insipid praise songs and the rousing calls to join Marxist organizations that promise "justice for all?" And how would that help a believer if indeed they were to face a firing squad to be martyred for the faith? Would such a believer try to remind their oppressor that they supported the power coup all along? Would the issue of faith, sacrifice, and submission play a part in the conversation?

This is why I love the idea of a newer, beefier, translation. St. Paul said there was a time to move from milk to meat and sadly, many Catholics have only had milk to drink. (And watered-down milk, at that.) The new liturgy will challenge many, yes - but instead of being viewed as a "threat" to one's prayer life, why can't it be viewed as a challenge to grow? Why can't the new translation be received as a call to go deeper in our faith? Because that's how I'm viewing it.

Over the year, as I've spoken to a few people about why I returned to the Catholic Church and in particular, fallen in love with the Traditional Latin Mass, I've used the illustration of the "tough teacher" in schools. I think if we were all honest, we would admit that it was those teachers that we "loathed," the ones who continued to harp on us and claim we could do better - who actually did get our best. We may have given it to these teachers grudgingly, but we gave it to them. And secretly, we had to admit to ourselves that we were the better for it.

The TLM demands something of me. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate this more than ever. Who demands anything of me, other than my boss? Who requires that I show up, giving it my all, my everything, in order to acquire something so precious as my spiritual growth, as the TLM does?

I've always felt a little hesitant about referring to the Mass as a "celebration." It is, of course, a celebration of our Lord's victory over death, but it is a somber, more serious matter to ponder. Puppets and sappy liturgical dance are inappropriate during such a time of reflection. Such creative expressions of the faith are fine for special events outside of the Mass but during Mass, we are remembering something profound. Puppets and liturgical dancing only serve as distractions.

I think the new translation is going to mix it up wonderfully, and for those who balk at change can be reminded that most of them voted for a President who made "hope and change" his motto. Change, we've been told, is good so that we can progress. I think the new Roman Missal is going to help the Church get out of a rut, a sad, barren rut - in order to move us forward into rich fertile faith that will mean something again. I don't think I'm the only one saying to the USCCB: Go for it.

What I Love About the Traditional Latin Mass: Silence

I love silence.

Ever since I was a young girl, I have needed silence in my life. As a bee is drawn to flowers, so I have been drawn to finding places that allow me to step away from the world and simply think. Or ponder. Or pray. Or - just be. I feel we live in a hyper-overdrive world, constantly shouting at us to run faster, do more, get to the point and move along because we're holding up traffic. There is a "rushrush" to our daily lives that is so taken for granted that the moment one has some time to rest and reflect - they feel guilty. Guilty because they're not "doing" anything and "doing" is so highly valued in our society.

Did Jesus Christ rush around in life? I have never gotten that impression. In fact, I used to joke to myself that He didn't carry around a day planner to schedule His day. He simply took orders from His Father. However, I am a bit of a planner, myself, and realize that planning can be good. But how often do you find a place to be quiet so you can think or pray?

The Traditional Latin Mass is that place, at least for me. I am slowly discovering the beauty of our liturgy, but it has taken time. It is as though I found a treasure that has been caked with mud and as I slowly cleaned it, finally saw the amazing beauty of it. I almost want to whisper, where have you been all my life? But it was hidden. Now I'm seeing it and simply reveling in its truth.

I would like to point out that I believe the TLM is a mighty gift to the church. I know there are many Catholics who would love to attend one, but can't - or others who prefer the Novus Ordo. I think the TLM may be a gift because it can filter the strength of the liturgy through it's historic lens, and shine it into the "regular" Mass. The truth of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is a very awesome thing. Unfortunately, it has been diluted many times by man's flights of fancy. One of the areas I believe has been tossed in exchange for "the new" has been the silence.

Silence was the response of our Blessed Mother as she pondered what the angel had told her. Silence was the response of the Wise Men as they beheld our Savior for the first time. Silence was the response of the disciples when Jesus would say some of the most amazing things. Silence was the response of those who loved Him as they looked upon Him hanging from the cross. Silence was the response of the disciples who had breakfast with their risen Messiah.

Silence is our response when we are confronted with the Way, the Truth, and the Life. What else can we do? Words seem to only justify the poor state of our soul. In silence, we are humbled as we realize there is absolutely nothing we could do or say that could justify our standing before Almighty God. Only in humility, kneeling before Him, remembering what His Son did in order for us to be set free from the bondage of sin, can we even attempt any connection with our Creator.

There is so much to ponder during Mass. Each prayer, each action, all points toward the incredible sacrifice that was made by both God the Father and God the Son so that we may live. During the TLM, the silence that is woven within it allows me to separate myself from the world, the chaos, the tyranny of the now, and clearly focus on Jesus Christ. He who is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Such thoughts do not have room to grow during a liturgy that allows no pauses, no breaks for us to fully absorb the meaning of it all. We need time.

It is ironic to me that the pursuit of leisure is so highly prized by our culture but yet rest cannot be found. Jesus Christ said, "Come to Me, all you who are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." He gives us peace, but that peace takes time to consume and absorb. It's not like some fast-food restaurant drive-thru lane. He is inviting us to enter into the most magnificent and sacred of places to take, eat, and remember. To meditate upon His gift, to relish it and give Him glory for it.

The silence, is what allows me to receive fully what He has for me during this time, and for me to give Him the only thing I can offer. My deepest praise and thanks, and a devotion toward pleasing Him in all things.

I pray we all will find those places to rest, and especially find them in the liturgy.