Recently, H.B. Marcel wrote an article on Behold The Faith about the Novus Ordo (N.O.) mass, the mass in the vernacular language of an area known to many in the U.S. as the English mass they hear weekly. As someone who enjoys both the Traditional Latin Mass (T.L.M.) and the N.O., I felt compelled to respond.
I gave The Novus Ordo Gave Me PTSD a read….at first glance, it feels no different than sede logic. Upon sharing it with a friend of mine, he saw it differently. “I know a lot of good people hurt by the church, yet striving to remain in it because it is the right thing to do. I see this piece as a pressure valve for such pain. Is it immature? Maybe. That hurt is real, though.”
While this may be true, what stuck out to me was the lack of grit of Traditional Catholics, so-called “Trads.” Why is it hard to take many of them seriously? Many would rather wallow in their pain than use it as an opportunity to grow in strength. Be warriors for Christ! Many N.O. parishes have thriving faith communities. Regardless of liturgical preferences, Trads do a disservice to constantly rail against such priests for no reason other than the mass they say.
Such Trads care about parishes that support the Latin Mass, but why don’t I see them at non-T.L.M. gatherings? Plenty of younger kids altar serve at those liturgies who’d love someone to look up to, a fellow Catholic role model. Battle cries, such as this piece, perpetuate the stereotype that Trads are just overgrown autistic boys stuck in their fantasy world. For many people, the N.O. mass is their only option because of language barriers or travel hardships. How we Trads “voice it,” our frustrations and concerns, and handle deaf ears also matters.
Generally speaking, the liturgy battle is mainly for reverts. To converts, the N.O. is rightly understood as an expression of the mass, and Catholicism allows for diverse liturgies. For reverts, crappy masses are the reason we stopped going to church in the first place or dreaded going growing up since, as Catholics, you have to go every Sunday and on Holy Days of Obligation. The T.L.M. takes pride of place in their faith journey since, for many, it is responsible for these prodigal sons and daughters to return to the bosom of Holy Mother Church. While this is beautiful, it does not mean reverts should become borderline-sedes, especially if the T.L.M. were ever to go away. It is also a bad look for potential converts. Fortitude is a virtue for which Traditional Catholics ought to strive.
One of the primary reasons I converted was my Godfather leading by example: he carried an irreverent N.O. parish on his shoulders until he passed a little over two years ago, fighting for orthodoxy. Not every N.O. parish is a Peter, Paul, and Mary concert. For the ones that are, we have an obligation as Traditional Catholics to accompany our N.O. brothers and sisters and show them the importance of reverence at the mass and how to practice it. Answer their questions and gently remind them why the Eucharist is at the heart of Christian worship. Yes, there is yet to be a roadmap for exactly how to do that. That being said, if your parish offers both the T.L.M. and the N.O., getting more involved in the activities of the N.O. side would be a great start.
