Latin Days Are Here Again?

Newsweek Web Exclusive

« Return to Article

Discuss

Member Comments

  • Posted By: saint_chrisburg @ 06/20/2008 3:56:47 AM

    I personally would love to attend mass in Latin. The mass was performed in Latin for more than 1500 years. The only way you might get something closer to the mass experienced by the very first Christians would be to attend a mass in koine Greek. It seems unfair that people living today don't have the right or privilege to attend the same mass that our forefathers did, all because of some ultra-reformists hijacking the intent of Vatican II.

    Sure, many people won't technically understand all the words of a Latin mass. I believe if the Latin mass truly returns, however, Latin will once be more widely studied; that would then mean more and more people wouldn't be lost in a Latin mass. Regardless, there is a certain mystery in hearing mass in a language you don't fully understand. It allows you to focus on the spirituality of the mass, the rituals, and the religion itself.

    • Posted By: jazzmanjim @ 06/20/2008 9:08:09 AM

      Greek would be interesting. If one really wants to hear in the original language how 'bout Aramaic which is the language Jesus spoke on an everyday basis. The Maronite rite (one of the Eastern Churches that are part of the Roman Catholic Church) still uses Aramaic in it's Divine Liturgy,

  • Posted By: NorthBridgePatriot @ 06/20/2008 8:13:23 AM

    I think the Latin Mass is great. Even though I don't speak Latin (at all) you can still follow the Mass pretty easily if you're a regular church-goer, and it's pretty cool to see and hear. The Latin Mass, for me, reminds me t hat I'm part of something old, something wonderful, and something greater than myself. I like that, and thus I welcome the return of the Latin Mass.

    • Posted By: jazzmanjim @ 06/20/2008 9:00:10 AM

      This is the same as taking my son (adopted from Vietnam in '98) to a Vietnameese language parish here in St Louis. Really cool as a one-time experience but not something I would want to do on a regular basis

  • Posted By: DwightJ @ 06/20/2008 8:22:37 AM

    "The overwhelming majority of Catholics throughout the world have welcomed the new form of the mass that became normative in 1970". Which is to say, the majority of those who still bother to come to Mass. The older generation of this remnant are profoundly disappointed with the Church, expecting that it would be a democracy by now, with women and married priests, and clapping throughout the Mass. The younger generation comes, but aren't quite sure why. They usually wander away, especially when their "first" marriage turns sour.

    • Posted By: jazzmanjim @ 06/20/2008 8:57:35 AM

      Um, my parish (3300 famlies) is packed every Sunday.

  • Posted By: XAndrewX @ 06/19/2008 6:56:42 PM

    I think it is a great idea. I like Latin Mass, it's deeper and more meaningful on the whole.

    • Posted By: jazzmanjim @ 06/20/2008 8:55:55 AM

      No, the central mystery ios exactly the same. Different form - same mystery.

  • Posted By: HoundofHeaven @ 06/19/2008 7:40:07 PM

    Comment: I think that Weigel could not be more wrong in his final conclusion and its more hopeful aspirations than fact. This movement has nothing to do with more " reverent prayer" of the 1970 Missal and in fact, it has nothing to do with the 1970 Missal at all. This is fanciful aspirations at best. Weigel's statements that this is a Reform of the reform is also misplaced and misguided from an historical basis. The World Youth Day in Australia this year will be replete with the Latin Mass, Gregorian Chant and Vespers, all in Latin. Notice I did not say that this was going to be in support of the 1970 Missal. If in fact this is what the Pope wanted then this is what we would have for the most important Youth Day Celebration every held given the introduction of the Latin Mass to the youth of the world. I think the viewers of this story should go the UK Times online and read the story for themselves, what Weigel is representing to the US readers is inaccurate and misleading. Like it or not, the Latin Mass will be in all parishes in the West within 10 years. There are instructions from Rome going to every Parish Priest and every seminary in the West as well as the educational materials in order for this to happen. When Rome says every Parish, it does not mean some or many, but all parishes as Cardinal Hoyos mentioned last week in Europe, there was no misunderstanding and this is the 2nd time he has repeated the same position, just to make sure there are no misunderstandings of course.

    • Posted By: jazzmanjim @ 06/20/2008 8:54:19 AM

      Sorry, this is not happen the way tradionalists think. What is happening is that current seminarians are being trained in both the Ordinary Form (the Mass of Paul VI) and the ExtraordinaryForm (Mass of John XXIII). The normative form will be the Ordinafy form with the option of the Extraordinary form.

      One of the reasons I am Catholic is that there is a variety of forms of worship that all have the same central truth - namely a non-bloody representation of the mystry of Calvary with Jesus being bresent Body, Blood, Soul & Divinity. I can go to our youth Mass (which is loud), play with my group (guitar, bass & piano), go to the 10:15 with the adult choir (I guess I'm not an adult even at 51) or a quiet weekday Mass and guess what - thay are all the same mystery.

    • Posted By: jazzmanjim @ 06/20/2008 8:53:44 AM

      Sorry, this is not happen the way tradionalists think. What is happening is that current seminarians are being trained in both the Ordinary Form (the Mass of Paul VI) and the ExtraordinaryForm (Mass of John XXIII). The normative form will be the Ordinafy form with the option of the Extraordinary form.

      One of the reasons I am Catholic is that there is a variety of forms of worship that all have the same central truth - namely a non-bloody representation of the mystry of Calvary with Jesus being bresent Body, Blood, Soul & Divinity. I can go to our youth Mass (which is loud), play with my group (guitar, bass & piano), go to the 10:15 with the adult choir (I guess I'm not an adult even at 51) or a quiet weekday Mass and guess what - thay are all the same mystery.

    • Posted By: jazzmanjim @ 06/20/2008 8:53:28 AM

      Sorry, this is not happen the way tradionalists think. What is happening is that current seminarians are being trained in both the Ordinary Form (the Mass of Paul VI) and the ExtraordinaryForm (Mass of John XXIII). The normative form will be the Ordinafy form with the option of the Extraordinary form.

      One of the reasons I am Catholic is that there is a variety of forms of worship that all have the same central truth - namely a non-bloody representation of the mystry of Calvary with Jesus being bresent Body, Blood, Soul & Divinity. I can go to our youth Mass (which is loud), play with my group (guitar, bass & piano), go to the 10:15 with the adult choir (I guess I'm not an adult even at 51) or a quiet weekday Mass and guess what - thay are all the same mystery.

  • Posted By: DwightJ @ 06/20/2008 8:23:03 AM

    "The overwhelming majority of Catholics throughout the world have welcomed the new form of the mass that became normative in 1970". Which is to say, the majority of those who still bother to come to Mass. The older generation of this remnant are profoundly disappointed with the Church, expecting that it would be a democracy by now, with women and married priests, and clapping throughout the Mass. The younger generation comes, but aren't quite sure why. They usually wander away, especially when their "first" marriage turns sour.

  • Posted By: C. MacLean @ 06/19/2008 10:00:41 PM

    Well, of course the Pope wants the mass to be in Latin - if mass is in a language people can understand the hypocrisy that is Catholicism becomes much more apparent.

    Far better to keep parishioners ignorant - they're much easier to control that way.

  • Posted By: sjbrock80 @ 06/19/2008 4:48:46 PM

    The pope is the anti-christ.

    • Posted By: ben nevis @ 06/19/2008 9:16:09 PM

      If you KNOW that for sure, then it seems to me that you are a minion of the Anti-Christ.

  • Posted By: XAndrewX @ 06/19/2008 6:55:46 PM

    I think that is a great idea. Latin mass is deeper and more meaning full.

  • Posted By: paulte @ 06/19/2008 5:13:11 PM

    Weigel has it right. Catholics today are more interested in self-affirmation than worship. The creature must render his Creator worship. God not man should be the center of things. Pope Benedict XVI has his work cut out for him. The Catholic Church has been left in ruins thanks to the flawed Council and all the post Conciliar Pontiffs.

    The jury is still out on Benedict. Hopefully, he will have the courage to do the right thing and that is to annul the flawed and ambiguous Council, Vatican II. Religious liberty can only be understood in the sense of tolerance and freedom of conscience. Man has no right to embrace falsehood. All the religions other than the Roman Catholic religion contain some degree of falsehood and should not be embraced. This is the perennial teaching of the Catholic Church affirmed by Pope Benedict XVI.

Reply

Report Abuse

Enter comments if any for reporting abuse