Alleluia! Christ is Risen! Indeed, He is Risen!

   Since Pope Benedict XVI issued his apostolic letter, Summorum Pontificum, on the use of the preconciliar liturgical forms, many have questions concerning what Mass they should be attending...the Tridentine or the Novus Ordo? Do they use their Missal that they grew up with or change to the book in the pew? As I travel across the country it is obvious that we have not reached a total understanding of which liturgical form of the Mass is to be celebrated and it has even caused some division among Catholics. Before exploring this subject, let's first look at a few key terms:

    Tridentine Mass: another name for this is the Traditional Mass, most commonly referred to by Catholics as the Latin Mass, that was codified through the Council of Trent (1545-63) - hence the name, Tridentine, meaning "of Trent" - by St. Pope Pius V as the standard liturgy in the Western Church. It does, however, go back in its essentials to St. Pope Gregory the Great (590-604) and beyond.

    Novus Ordo Missae (New Order of Mass): the new liturgy as introduced in 1969 by Pope Paul VI. It was a radical re-write of the previous Roman rite (the Tridentine Mass), performed by the Consilium (liturgical committee) after the Second Vatican Council (1962-65).

   Some people think that since the Novus Ordo was created, it has been the cause of confusion for Catholics. I do not think that the Novus Ordo is itself the cause of the problem but rather the occasion for the abuses that have occurred. I believe, rather, that the problem began with the priests and religious, plus many lay people, who so accepted the post-war philosophies, especially existentialism and, for some, Marxism, that the Catholic Faith and their commitment to Jesus Christ the Son of God and Redeemer were replaced with a humanistic set of assumptions. The faith needed to be judged by the standards of philosophy rather than judge philosophy by the standards of the Faith. Add to this the social turmoil of the 1960's, when all institutions were treated as suspect, at best. The liturgy became an occasion to express ideology and politics. Furthermore, the teaching of catechism was seriously compromised after 1968, so people were not being taught the Faith. In such a context, everything new seemed to be acceptable, even though the instinct of faith went contrary to the nonsense. The heterodox Catholic progressives had the dynamic force from the 1960's into the 1980's.

   That situation is changing, in some ways for the better. The left is aging and has no young followers to push its agenda. The young either become apathetic about a faith emptied of its truth and power through the progressive agenda, or they become orthodox. I describe the heterodox liberals as spiritual geldings and spays; they have removed the essentials of their faith and cannot reproduce, bringing in neither converts nor vocations. The best they can do is make geldings and spays of those who do possess the faith: this is not an appealing prospect for most people.

   I am in favor of the restoration of the 1962 liturgy, though I do not intend to celebrate it. I use my talents in the Maronite Mass, where the default language is Aramaic, which I studied in grad school. My Arabic studies are also useful there. However, I promote the Latin Mass because it is an extremely important corrective to the abuses that have been - and still are - foisted upon the people of God in the Novus Ordo. This is not merely a tip of the hat to its inherent beauty, but also to the truths it proclaims in its very nature. I also promote the improvement of the translation of the Novus Ordo. The present translation altered so much - apparently with an ideological purpose - that it becomes easy to miss the proclamations of the Catholic Faith which the liturgy actually proclaims.

    Finally, I hope for a full reconciliation among all Catholics who believe the truths of our Faith. The divisions need to end, with a true reconciliation and not with mere capitulation. We need to focus on converting our modern world to Christ, especially the Muslims. God's grace is already operative within Islam, as over ten million Muslims a year become Christian - a first in history. May the dignity and truth of the liturgy be one more of God's tools for this service.

In Christ Jesus,

Fr. Mitch Pacwa, S.J.