Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary | Embracing Peace

It is now late in the day of the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, and I've found a new sense of peace and hope. I have not had the willpower to avoid all news and stay entirely off YouTube, as I planned to this month, but I've gained a new perspective on the issues I've been recently writing about. 

Yesterday while using the computer I saw that Dr. Taylor Marshall was live from Rome on YouTube, and out of curiosity I tuned in. I didn't watch the whole thing, because I could feel my serenity being broken, and I was proud of myself for tuning back out. 

Taylor was bemoaning an indigenous Amazonian tree planting ceremony, led by a woman (quel horreur!), and attended by Pope Francis in the Vatican garden. He basically said that he and his cronies had been commiserating about how they might be able to destroy the tree. It just seemed silly, and the scrupulosity I've seen growing among some traditional Catholics is beginning to grate on my nerves. 

Taylor also spoke about how happy he was to have gone to a High Mass that day, without all the Novus Ordo type "distractions" of altar girls, Eucharistic ministers, communion in the hand, etc... While it's certainly wonderful that he had the privilege of attending the Latin Mass in Rome, and if I were there, I'd welcome the opportunity as well, I felt tired of this typical spiel. 

I had gone to Mass that morning myself. My daughter was an altar server, and my husband was the commentator and lector. Our priest, still weak from cancer treatments, needed to sit during Holy Communion, so everyone received it from a Eucharistic minister. I received on the tongue, which anyone has the choice to do. The kids who will receive the sacrament of Confirmation in February and their parents were called up front for a ceremony, and we prayed for them as a congregation. After Mass we all ate a delicious brunch together and fellowshipped with one another. The entire morning was lovely and Spirit filled, the weather was gorgeous, and I was grateful to be there. 

Here's my point. Dr. Marshall did mention that the Novus Ordo (Ordinary Form) Mass is valid, but he clearly seems to think it's inferior to the Tridentine Mass (Extraordinary Form). After encountering this attitude prevalent on the Internet, I too once became distracted by what were being called the "liturgical abuses" of the Ordinary Form. It turned out that nothing I was concerned about was actually an abuse. I refuse to be influenced anymore by this elitism that attempts to suck the joy out of the fact that I receive the Real Presence of Jesus, body, blood, soul, and divinity, every time I partake of the Eucharist! 

The pews in my Novus Ordo parish church were packed yesterday. I did not feel like a member of a dying Church. It's time for me to go to sleep now, as I pray my Rosary in the dark. And I pray that you let nothing disturb you. Simply be in awe of the wonder of our enduring Faith. 

Restoring the Catholic Church: Dr. Marshall's Infiltration, Receiving on the Tongue, and Veiling

Infiltration: The Plot to Destroy the Catholic Church from Within, by Dr. Taylor Marshall, will be released May 31. I've been following Dr. Marshall's YouTube show, "TnT," co-hosted with Timothy Gordon. These guys shoot straight from the hip about all-the-things surrounding the ongoing crisis in the Church. The goal of this book is to provide an explanation for what and who led to the events and revelations related to the 2018 "summer of shame." Last summer exposed for the world a systemic sex abuse scandal involving the highest levels of Church hierarchy and reaching back many decades. 

How can the laity help to heal and restore the Body of Christ? I'm awaiting Dr. Marshall's recommendations, but I've already begun to implement small steps of my own. Many Catholics have been calling for a return to tradition for some time, especially in the liturgy of the Mass. Some are fortunate to have regular access to the Tridentine Mass, or Traditional Latin Mass, and have been spiritually edified by what they feel is a more reverent worship of God. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI re-instituted this pre-Vatican II form of the Mass while he was still the acting pope. He asked that the faithful refer to this as the Extraordinary Form. (The 2nd Vatican Council was held from 1962-1965.)

The Ordinary Form of the Mass, instituted after Vatican II, is the one most available across the world and is spoken in the vernacular languages. It's often referred to as the Novus Ordo. Unfortunately, division has been created by liturgical abuses in the Ordinary Form and by those who prefer one form over the other, with very vocal protests. I won't go into the reasons for the debate here, but you can read all about it on the Internet. Do be aware that there's a lot of misinformation out there. 

One approach to bridging the gap is to return, even if only on an individual basis, to more traditional practices in both worship during the Mass and in private devotions. Near to where I live, the Extraordinary Form is only available once a month, at a parish in an adjoining county. I've been to it a couple of times, but my family has always attended the Ordinary Form otherwise. Even with a guide to follow the Latin with English translations, I was honestly lost during the Tridentine Mass. I plan to go again soon so I can make a better evaluation of the differences between the two forms.

Last Sunday I began to receive the Eucharist on the tongue rather than in the hand, and to make sure that I'm in line to receive from either the priest or deacon, rather than from lay persons (known as Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, who can only distribute the Eucharist in the Ordinary Form). In the Tridentine Mass, the Eucharist can only be received on the tongue and is distributed exclusively by a priest or deacon. Here, only the host (the bread) is available. Both the bread and wine can be received at the Novus Ordo.

I felt a profound difference immediately from receiving the consecrated bread on the tongue. I'd been feeling awkward and uncomfortable receiving in the hand and from a lay person. These practices are allowed in the U.S. and do not desecrate the Eucharist, which Catholics believe is the Real Presence of Jesus, body, blood, soul, and divinity, in the transubstantiated bread and wine. In order to receive the consecrated wine, doing so from a lay person is unavoidable at the parishes I attend, but it's fine to receive the host alone. And since the wine is in a chalice and isn't directly touched by the Extraordinary Ministers, I'm more comfortable with it. 


Today I wore a head scarf, in the tradition of women veiling, a practice which goes back to the early Church and is a biblical exhortation.  The Church no longer requires women to veil at the Mass, but from what I understand, this was never officially stated. Rather, the requirement was only omitted from an update to Canon Law at some point following Vatican II. My feeling is that women can have a profound impact in their parishes by taking up this devotion in humility to Christ and as role models for the restoration of tradition. I have veiled at other times, and once it brought such great joy to a man who had grown up with women veiling at church. He said to my husband, "You must be so proud of her!" I feel an internal shift toward piety when I wear a head covering at Mass, and I don't think I'll be able to go without it anymore. 

In so many ways our modern society is faltering, failing, and sinking into the abyss as a result of the loss and intentional rejection of traditional values. As the rot in the hierarchy is rooted out, we can return to the roots of our Faith. The solution is not to leave the Church. I converted to Catholicism because I came to believe that this is the one Church founded by Jesus on the rock he named Peter. I believe that in this Church, full of snakes and sinners, the fullest expression of Christian Truth can be found. I believe in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, and I will not be deprived of this spiritual nourishment. Don't let Satan win. Fight in your own little way, until the light you shine becomes irrepressible. 

My goal for this summer is to continue to implement ideas for the restoration of tradition in Catholic worship and with my family in the domestic church, and to create a picture for you of how all this fits with the virtue of simplicity. Please share your own ideas and practices in the comments!

St. Rita of Cascia, patroness of Impossible Causes, pray for us!

Traditional Catholicism and the Novus Ordo Mass

What is tradition? Here are some definitions from Merriam-Webster:

1)

a :  an inherited, established, or customary pattern of thought, action, or behavior (as a religious       practice or a social custom)

b :  a belief or story or a body of beliefs or stories relating to the past that are commonly accepted as historical though not verifiable

2)

:  the handing down of information, beliefs, and customs by word of mouth or by example from one generation to another without written instruction

3)

:  cultural continuity in social attitudes, customs, and institutions

4)

:  characteristic manner, method, or style <in the best liberal tradition> 

There is a new group on Facebook called "Novus Ordo Traditionalists".  Isn't that a contradiction in terms? Didn't Vatican II and the new form of the Roman Rite do away with traditional Catholicism?  That is precisely what you would think if you spent enough time searching the internet for just one good word about the Novus Ordo Mass.  But about all you get is a barrage of venom from "traditionalists" and sedevacantists.  Haters, consider your label officially hijacked! 

As a convert from Protestant Christianity, I fell in love with the Catholic Mass.  I didn't know there was a Tridentine Mass in Latin at all, except for my RCIA director mentioning that someone she knew drove an hour on Sundays to go to one, and she couldn't imagine why.  But I knew nothing about the debates on the subject; I just thought the Mass was beautiful.  I had found the fullness of the Christian religion.  I now knew what had been missing (the Real Presence in the Eucharist), and I was finally home. 

The How-To Book of the Mass by Michael Dubruiel provided the catalyst for creating the Novus Ordo Traditionalists group.  This inspirational guide through the Novus Ordo Mass features where to find the prayers of the Mass in Scripture and shows how the parts of the Mass trace back to practices of the early Church.  I got this book as a Confirmation gift.  I hadn't read it much, because I thought that I already knew all about the Mass.  Alas, there is always more to learn.  Grumblings over various aspects of the Mass were threatening my faith, and this book was the shot in the arm I needed to more deeply understand and be filled with the graces of the Mass. 

I hadn't realized that all of the prayers and responses of the Mass are based on the Bible.  And check out what St. Cyril of Jerusalem wrote about receiving the Eucharist in A.D. 350:

"In approaching, therefore, do not come up with your wrists apart or with your fingers spread, but make of your left hand a throne for the right, since you are about to receive into it a King. And having hallowed your palm, receive the Body of Christ, saying over it the amen. Then, after cautiously sanctifying your eyes by the touch of the Holy Body, partake, being careful lest you lose anything of it."

So in the 4th century Catholic Church, Communion was received in the hand! It is not a less reverent way of receiving than on the tongue, and it certainly isn't less traditional. Here's the thing, peeps. We have big "T" and small "t" traditions in the Church. Tradition with a capital letter refers to the deposit of Faith handed down from the apostles of Jesus, both the oral and the written teachings. In matters of faith and morals, Tradition does not change. Tradition includes belief in the Holy Trinity, the Incarnation, the transubstantiation of the Eucharist, and the four Marian dogmas. It includes the Church's stance on abortion, artificial birth control, marriage, and the priesthood. The seven sacraments of the Church represent Tradition that is permanent. The canon of the Bible is Tradition. These things will never change.

At the same time, the Church has changeable traditions. Notice the lower case letter there. Receiving the Eucharist either in the hand or on the tongue is a small "t" tradition. The use of Latin in the Mass is a long-standing tradition. A newer tradition is the praying of the Mass in the vernacular (and in fact, it was originally prayed in the local languages). In the Novus Ordo, the priest faces the congregation, whereas in the Traditional Latin Mass, the priest and the congregation face the same direction. Only boys could be altar servers at one time, but now girls can too. Women no longer have to wear head coverings at Mass, though they can if they feel called to this devotion. Gregorian chant is the traditional music used in the Tridentine Mass. Other types of music, such as traditional hymns that the congregation can sing in English, are used in the Novus Ordo. 

Those Catholics who attend the NO Mass can be every bit as traditional as those who attend the TLM. Traditional Catholics are loyal to the Magisterium of the Church. We believe what the Church teaches and trust in her authority. We appreciate traditional practices such as the Rosary, novenas, devotions to saints, the wearing of medals and scapulars, May crownings, processionals, the use of incense and bells, etc...  There is no such thing as the "Vatican II Church" in opposition to the pre-conciliar Church.  The Church is the Church is the Church. That's not to say that there are never liturgical abuses or that everyone receives perfect catechesis.  But let's erase this petty line in the sand.

As we move forward, I advocate for focusing on the continuity of Church Tradition.  The Church isn't perfect.  She never was.  She has from the beginning been full of sinners; she wouldn't exist otherwise.  But she is full of saints too.  We are all joined with God, the Virgin Mary, the communion of saints, and the angels in the Mass, in both the Tridentine and Novus Ordo forms.  Both are valid.  Both are good.  Either way, what we experience is literally a meeting of Heaven and Earth. 

.

The Novus Ordo Mass and Protestant Church Services

Earlier this week I had a group suggested to me by Facebook called Traditional Catholic Mothers. Here is the group's description:

From the Administrator: Hello Ladies, I just wanted to give everyone a heads up on what is going on with this group. As of a couple months ago our old administrator has left this group and handed over the administrative responsibilities to my sister Marrissa Garratt and I. We have had a lot of new member requests lately and many new members have joined in the last month. SO as a refresher here is what this group is for, it was founded as a place where we can share and enrich each other with the Traditional Catholic Faith. Anyone who attends a Latin Mass, or acknowledges the true Mass to be the Latin Mass is welcome for membership in this group. We will not tolerate any Novus Ordo!! So if you are sympathetic to the Novus Ordo and Vatican II, I suggest you leave this group and look for membership into another group as I will moderate what is posted and delete anything Novus Ordo! Please DO NOT post about what is happening in Rome and all that stuff, we are well aware of what is going on in the Vatican II church. We are also a Homeschooling group for those who Homeschool or are supportive of Homeschooling. Personally, my views are Sedevacantist, but I'm not here to enforce my views on anyone, again, we are not here for debate. I want this page to be a page about living the Traditional Catholic Faith, Homeschooling, and also a source for those new to the Traditional Faith who are trying to learn more about the One, True, Holy, Catholic Faith. Thank You!

Wow, right?! This is why I am occasionally tempted to get off FB altogether. It leads me to unfortunate places. This isn't the first time I've felt disturbed by the "traditional vs. progressive" debates and the hullabaloo over Vatican II. Once again I was sucked into surfing the internet for articles and conversations on these topics, and the more I read, the less serenity I was able to preserve. I read on a sedevacantist website (people who believe that the Chair of Peter is empty, that there hasn't been a real pope since at least Vatican II) that the only valid Mass is the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM), that the Novus Ordo Mass (NOM) is evil (as was Vatican II); and that in fact the transubstantiation does not take place in the Novus Ordo. It became very difficult to discern what was true. I was too much in my head.

Other recurring themes were that the NOM lacks reverence and is filled with liturgical abuses, and that it has "Protestantized" the Catholic Church. Now, there is so much that could be discussed in the TLM vs. Novus Ordo debate that it simply would not fit into one blog post, even if I thought myself informed enough to take it on, which I do not. I've only even been to a TLM once. However, the reverence and Protestantization issues I can knowledgeably speak to. So what is reverence? According to Merriam-Webster, the first definition is  

honor or respect felt or shown :  deference; especially :  profound adoring awed respect.

I am a Protestant convert to the Catholic Faith. The first time I attended a Catholic Mass as an adult, I thought to myself, Wow, I didn't know Catholics were such Jesus freaks! This might sound incredibly irreverent, but I meant it as a sincere compliment. Considering that I had heard along the way in life that Catholics weren't real Christians, I was extremely struck by the reverence paid to Jesus in the Mass. The entire thing was saturated with Jesus. I can't say whether the TLM is even more reverent, because I honestly couldn't follow what was going on. I have a book coming to explain the TLM to me, and I plan to go again soon. 

Are the accusers against the NOM implying that the Novus Ordo is less reverent, for one reason, because they believe that it closely resembles a Protestant service? First of all, I have to wonder if most of these people have ever been practicing Protestants or even visited Protestant churches enough to have an educated opinion. Second, with there being something like 22,000 Protestant denominations and independent churches, I can't see how one could even make a sweeping generalization of comparison. And the implication that Protestants are less reverent Christians is quite presumptuous!

On the surface the NO Mass has similarities to some Protestant church services. That shouldn't be surprising, as we are worshiping the same Lord. When I started to attend Mass regularly, I was glad that the experience wasn't entirely foreign. The priest told bad jokes just like I was used to hearing from Protestant ministers! Scripture was read, hymns were sung, prayers were said, the priest gave a homily, which I took to be a sermon like I was familiar with, all done in English, and there was Holy Communion. But that's where things get radically different. Grape juice was always substituted for wine in the Protestant churches I attended, and the bread and juice were understood to be only symbolic of Jesus' body and blood. 

The entire Catholic Faith, and the central reason for the Mass, pivots on the belief in the Real Presence of Jesus, body, blood, soul, and divinity, in the transubstantiated bread and wine. Grape juice is never substituted for wine. The bread must be wheat. The bread and wine must be properly consecrated by a bishop or priest, who obtains the power to do so through apostolic succession. The lineage of the bishops and priests today (via their connection by ordination) can be traced back all the way to the 12 apostles. Where did Peter end up going after Jesus' Ascension and where was he subsequently martyred? Rome, my friends, Rome. Peter was the first pope, which means he was the first head bishop. Pope means "papa", a term of endearment. 

I don't think Protestants are any less reverent as people of God than are Catholics. Reverence is an attitude of the heart. A greatly significant difference is that a Protestant minister would have no power to change the bread and wine into the Real Presence of Jesus. The Eucharist is a re-enactment which makes present, today, the one sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. It is an un-bloody sacrifice, as well as a memorial meal. This key difference in belief renders Catholicism and Protestantism into virtually two different religions. Differences aside, I have never experienced Communion in a Protestant Church that was not done with great reverence.

The only place in the Novus Ordo where I question the suitability for reverence is the practice of singing a hymn during Communion. Usually my family sits close to the front of the church, so my attention is divided between singing and keeping an eye out for when it's time to stand up and get in the Communion line. Then when I get back to my seat, I have to try to locate where everyone is at in the song. This is so distracting, and at a time when we should be focused on receiving our Lord. I think silence during Communion would be more reverent, but that's my opinion, not a fact. I do my best by simply not singing the hymn at that time and praying when I get back to my seat. The song distracts me from my prayers, but it is what it is. And sometimes it's a hymn I love, and I go ahead and sing. 

To wrap it up, I had been praying on my concerns, and yesterday I went into the adoration chapel to pray to Jesus before the tabernacle, where the consecrated host that hasn't been consumed yet is stored. As soon as I walked in, the Presence swept over me. I felt it in my bones. Without doubt, Jesus was there, not just spiritually, but in the unique form of transubstantiated, Eucharistic bread. The Novus Ordo is valid. It should really be enough for the doubters and dissenters that the Church says the NO Mass is valid. The risk of Protestantization occurs when Catholics stop respecting the authority of the Church!

I rejoice that through this trial (and it is Lent, after all!) I had the opportunity to offer up my suffering and to experience a renewal of my faith. I started reading a book I have owned since my conversion, The How-To Book of the Mass by Michael Dubruiel, to deepen my understanding of the Novus Ordo. There are many other differences between Protestant and Catholic worship, which perhaps I will explore in a future post. But for now I am consoled that the Catholicity has not been removed from the Church. She remains the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.