So the Mass I referred to in the post below was a Latin High Mass. We do not normally attend the Tridentine Rite, but a friend phoned the night before and proposed it.
“It would be something lovely to do for Lent,” she suggested.
I agreed. She told me that she had invited another mutual friend and her family. “If you can make it, great!” she said. “We’ll see you there.”
Having spent well over a year and a half assisting at the Latin Mass exclusively, (this during my SSPX days), I have a great love for the beauty and richness of this liturgy. The familiar Latin prayers hold a very special place in my heart—the Confiteor, the Sanctus, the Agnus Dei…
For most of the Mass, though, I rely heavily on my missal!
We arrived before our friends did and chose a pew in the back third of the church. As such, we were behind my two friends, and I glanced over from time to time to see how they were doing. To my knowledge, neither family had attended the Latin Mass before and I remember well what it was like to try to follow along.
As we approached the altar rail for Communion, we passed the other family who had been invited. It was clear by the looks on their faces that they didn’t know we were coming. “What a surprise to see you here!” they seemed to be thinking. “Imagine that!”
After Mass, we gathered in the vestibule. My two friends were beaming—“That was so beautiful!” they exclaimed, “A little hard to follow, but still!”—and I told them that, in my opinion, the learning curve for assisting at the Latin Mass was high but oh so worth it.
We made our way toward the church basement for coffee and donuts. My friend’s 12-year-old daughter came over and said, “I just don’t understand it.”
“It takes a few times,” I reassured her, “But you’ll learn to follow along with the Latin soon enough.”
“Oh, I don’t mean that.” She glanced at the rest of my family. “I just can’t believe that you guys were here this morning also!”
AMDG,
Well worth it, indeed. To assist at the Mass that the saints knew ~ it’s as close to heaven as we can get here on earth.
Well, which one did you go to? St. A?
We were at the brand new one in R.dale. A Low Mass. Fr. P explained to the newbies today that the TLM was for some like coffee – an acquired taste. I must admit I love a good High Mass – like coffee with a lot of cream and sugar!
Beautifully put Lisa. I like to imagine the Saints at this Mass too.
We started attending about 3 years ago and fell in love with the reverence, the prayerfulness, all of us facing God and no-nonsense or deviations from the Priest. We went as a field trip, to honor the past of our church and were surprised to become so attached to it. We can see now why our Holy Father is so intent on restoring our Catholic Identity. It is like no other, this Mass sets us apart.
It is what defined Catholics and our history for all the years up until the last 40 and deserves our respect. We should embrace it like we would a grandparent. Can you imagine not looking back in a family album? Closing the book and saying “there’s nothing we can learn from our ancestry, no wisdom there” is not something any of us would probably do. And yet I think there are people who feel threatened or angry by the Pope’s efforts and desire to have a Latin Mass in every parish…….hmmm….
Would he work so hard at something that would not benefit us?
We were at our local Latin Mass last night too! I’ve gone back and forth, carefully weighing each ethical issue – no matter how small. And finally, I got fed up with our nearest church which has great priests but feels like a community center. The Latin Mass is more sacred and I love that. I love kneeling to receive Communion. I love that I don’t have to fret about the sign of peace. I love the awe my daughter feels during the Mass. My son however thought it was “Boring. So boring!”. 🙂
>>>I love the awe my daughter feels during the Mass. My son however thought it was "Boring. So boring!"
That’s why Angela resorted to the catapult antics mentioned in my previous post. She, too, was rather…distracted throughout the liturgy and one point muttered at me, “Stand up, kneel down, stand up, kneel down…argh!”
And yes, Tracy, we were indeed at St. Agnes.
Hey Margaret! We were there, too! Must have been in front of you, didn’t see/hear any commotion. My dh is in the schola, and I was sitting with my 5 boys and little daughter who is handicapped. We usually go down for donuts, too, but my dh can’t take a break from his lenten sugar fast, even on Sun. (too hard for Mon.!) Shoot! I would have liked to introduce myself, finally! I’m often at HF on Sat. eves.-love the convenient Confessions!
Great post, can’t agree more. The reverence and awe offer a tranquil peace of soul like nothing else when attending a TLM. Our children behave so much better at a longer TLM than any other mass, and often sing the high mass responses at home during the week, surprising me to bits. Naturally the girls love the veils, the boys love dressing up and looking like “a man”. 🙂 The hardest thing is finding a mass such as this without having to drive for hours. You are so fortunate to have one closer by to you. Oh, and by the way, you are a most gorgeous and radiant pregnant woman from the picture of your last post! Congratulations! God bless your day! 🙂
The only Catholic service I’ve ever been to was a Latin mass – I’m afraid I got rather lost in the missal and ended up just listening. It was, however, incredibly beautiful!
What a surprise indeed! There are few things in life that bring as much joy as worshiping and sharing the Eucharist with close friends and loved ones.
Intensify that with a traditional Latin High Mass, and well, it just doesn’t get much better than that.