I love attending the Mass of Masses:
the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM).
I, also, love attending daily Mass, but because of work and time constrains I am forced to go mostly to Novus Ordo (NO) Masses on weekdays.
I am in paradise at the Sunday TLM, but I must go to purgatory for the weekday NO Masses.
The way I survive the NO Mass is by pretending I am at the TLM.
I make zero responses and am silent at the entirety of the NO Mass. I pray the Our Father and creed silently.
At the NO Mass I don't shake hands, but if someone comes to me then I will respectfully nod to them if they are next to me and are attemping the apparent other central moment, for many, of the NO Mass: the handshake.
I pray my rosary, silently, before the readings and often during what apparently many NO priests symbolically seem to think is the central part of the NO Mass: the homily.
I knee during the Holy Consecration when Our crucified Lord and Savoir Jesus Christ is made present by the sacred words of the priest.
I kneel when I receive Our Lord at Holy Communion despite the startled looks of the NO priests.
And even more startling for NO priests, I receive on the tongue. Last week, a elderly NO priest gave me a very slight slap on the face because he was so disconcerted he almost dropped and missed placing the Blessed Sacrament on my tongue.
I feel sorry for him and all NO priests because they don't seem to realize or are blind to the tremendous loss of celebrating the NO "Eucharistic celebration" with it's emphasis on the "dialoguing" with the "people" instead of the Mass of the saints with it's emphasis on adoring Our Lord in the sacrifice of the Mass.
After receiving, I kneel, adore, offer reparation, make petitions, make a short examination of conscience, meditate and silently listen to Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament inside of me until the ending blessing.
I stand when we are supposed to stand then kneel at the priest blessing at the end of Mass.
I generally try to sit in the front row so as not to be distracted by all the immodestly dressed women.
I spend an half hour of thanksgiving and prayer after I receive Holy Communion unless an act of charity forces me to do otherwise.
Most of the time, I can't do my thanksgiving and prayer with Our Lord inside of me in the church so I silently do it as I drive and at home.
And that is my survival guide if one has no choice, but to attend a NO Mass.
When I leave the NO Mass sometimes it feels like I am leaving a battle zone.
I can envision the angels as I leave sounding the battle cry:
Viva Cristo Rey!
Long live Christ the King!
The hour of battle has sounded!
The hour of victory belongs to God!
Remember all you battle worn warriors with so many more battle wounds, all you heroes who make me look like a midget in comparison, never give up and never forget we will win if we don't drop God's war banner. Remember:
The hour of victory belongs to God!
Pray an Our Father now for the restoration of the Church.
the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM).
I, also, love attending daily Mass, but because of work and time constrains I am forced to go mostly to Novus Ordo (NO) Masses on weekdays.
I am in paradise at the Sunday TLM, but I must go to purgatory for the weekday NO Masses.
The way I survive the NO Mass is by pretending I am at the TLM.
I make zero responses and am silent at the entirety of the NO Mass. I pray the Our Father and creed silently.
At the NO Mass I don't shake hands, but if someone comes to me then I will respectfully nod to them if they are next to me and are attemping the apparent other central moment, for many, of the NO Mass: the handshake.
I pray my rosary, silently, before the readings and often during what apparently many NO priests symbolically seem to think is the central part of the NO Mass: the homily.
I knee during the Holy Consecration when Our crucified Lord and Savoir Jesus Christ is made present by the sacred words of the priest.
I kneel when I receive Our Lord at Holy Communion despite the startled looks of the NO priests.
And even more startling for NO priests, I receive on the tongue. Last week, a elderly NO priest gave me a very slight slap on the face because he was so disconcerted he almost dropped and missed placing the Blessed Sacrament on my tongue.
I feel sorry for him and all NO priests because they don't seem to realize or are blind to the tremendous loss of celebrating the NO "Eucharistic celebration" with it's emphasis on the "dialoguing" with the "people" instead of the Mass of the saints with it's emphasis on adoring Our Lord in the sacrifice of the Mass.
After receiving, I kneel, adore, offer reparation, make petitions, make a short examination of conscience, meditate and silently listen to Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament inside of me until the ending blessing.
I stand when we are supposed to stand then kneel at the priest blessing at the end of Mass.
I generally try to sit in the front row so as not to be distracted by all the immodestly dressed women.
I spend an half hour of thanksgiving and prayer after I receive Holy Communion unless an act of charity forces me to do otherwise.
Most of the time, I can't do my thanksgiving and prayer with Our Lord inside of me in the church so I silently do it as I drive and at home.
And that is my survival guide if one has no choice, but to attend a NO Mass.
When I leave the NO Mass sometimes it feels like I am leaving a battle zone.
I can envision the angels as I leave sounding the battle cry:
Viva Cristo Rey!
Long live Christ the King!
The hour of battle has sounded!
The hour of victory belongs to God!
Remember all you battle worn warriors with so many more battle wounds, all you heroes who make me look like a midget in comparison, never give up and never forget we will win if we don't drop God's war banner. Remember:
The hour of victory belongs to God!
Pray an Our Father now for the restoration of the Church.
Comments
For a reverent weekday NO Mass, try Blessed Sacrament Church in Newark, OH.
No chance that the Cathedral in which Fr. Damien of Molokai was ordained with the altar rail tragically ripped out and the beautiful high altar abandoned for a table will hire a trained priest for the TLM anytime soon. I get it: we are isolated. No one is trained; we are not sure it would be worth our while. People can't hide here; what is done is very public; it's a small space. No one rocks the boat as on the mainland where many societal things appear to be much less peaceful (it's a false peace) than Hawai'i. I've spoken with the Bishop and a Monsignor - haven't looked up the difference between the two. Attendance on Sundays is already very good. IN fact, that's the reason the powers that be told me for communion in the hand.
I'm a convert; I will benefit when I relocate from everything I am missing here, from being able to speak with a traditional priest. The Episcopal Church when I was raised in it was certainly more Catholic than the Novus Ordo at the Cathedral here. The best part about it even as a child I thought was the Book of Common Prayer which is a truncated Divine Office.
When I was in my former town with no TLM and heresies and irreverence, I started to pray with the Latin/English 1962 Missal which is where I learned the TLM. I tried ear plugs for a time as well. It still was intolerable and we moved to a different diocese in the state. Thanks be to God. The one priest in the former town was a sodomite and if the other one was not, he was a narcissist to the extreme. Very bad situation. Now I feel I live in a 'Catholic bubble' of sorts and am grateful.