...but I'm not so sure! In addition to homeschooling the three boys, cooking obscene amounts of food for freezer storage, keeping our home, keeping me on track, and oh yeah, preparing to give birth to our fifth child, she also blogs. And a few weeks back, Wifey posted a transcript from a fantastic yard sale treasure called Our Faith and Belief (c. 1917 Murphy and McCarthy, New York, NY) discussing why the Church uses Latin in the liturgy.
[Please note, I'm not trying to stoke up any Novus Ordo vs. Extraordinary Form rivalries here.]
In full disclosure, I've only ever been to one Mass in EF, and honestly, I was clueless at the time. But this article, written decades before Vatican II and the subsequent hijacking of the liturgy, while in purpose, was to justify and explain the use of Latin, sheds a deeper meaning on the celebration of the Mass, regardless the form.
Striking to me is to remember that the priest is not addressing us, even though he faces us. He is addressing God the Father. He is not so much talking as doing; he is offering; he is sacrificing. And no matter how loudly we sing or in which key (please, pick one, people!) our action is to offer along with the priest, our own sacrifices, gifts, prayers, and petitions to God.
"If you get to Heaven, it's by God's grace. If you go to Hell, it's your own damned fault." This is a blog by some guy trying to be a better Catholic despite his well-honed ability to get in the way of the Gospel. Thanks for reading this blog, it might be worth some time off of Purgatory.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
3 comments:
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When I attended my first Latin EF mass some years ago, the biggest impression I also had was the focus on our Lord, and not on the "community." I remember sarcastically thinking, "does this mean that the mass isn't all about me?"
ReplyDeleteIf you get the chance to attend the missa cantata at the friary when the family from Rhode Island is singing (I forget their name,) you should. I grew up in the Byzantine (eastern) rite where they are renown for the liturgy, but the beauty of the EF missa cantata beats even that by far.
Steve
I found the book online for $24. Not bad, but you can't beat $1! This is good stuff!
ReplyDeleteGreat job Dawn! I tried to find a link to this book for my post, but I couldn't find even a copy...You go girl:)!!!
ReplyDelete