Sunday, December 9, 2007

Pride?

I have heard of a priest who is going around saying that the Latin Mass is from the devil and that those who assist at it do so out of pride. What?! I am hoping that his original words were perhaps misconstrued. I cannot imagine any intelligent and informed Catholic, much less a priest faithful to the magisterium, saying such things. How could the Latin Mass, which has the full approval of the Pope, be from the evil one? Latin is still the official language of the Church. Anything, of course, can be a source of pride, even the vernacular Mass, which actually has more opportunities for people to creatively express their unique personalities. Indulging the ego, although it can and does feel good, is highly likely to be connected with pride. At the Latin Mass, one assists quietly and in prayer...what is prideful about that?

There are some, of course, who say the same thing about head-coverings for women, that it is all pride and vanity. So following traditions and immemorial customs of the Church are prideful? Yet this same philosophy does not seem to apply to those who introduce rituals and customs which are not part of the Roman rite, such as liturgical dance, the people praying the Pater Noster with arms extended, and many other late innovations. So it is not prideful to be creative and use the liturgy to express one's own personality? But it is prideful to follow tradition? Such reasoning is hard to follow.

UPDATE: The Ten Most Common Liturgical Abuses (Via Spirit Daily) Share

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Whoever made that criticism is vain and prideful himself, to set himself up as being so wise and all knowing.

elena maria vidal said...

You don't know the half of it.....

Anonymous said...

Wow, talk about "judging" others. I guess he is one of those that thinks it is only wrong to do when dissidents are the ones being "judged". How much more beneficial it would be to others, as well as for his own spiritual health, if this man looked for the good intentions in others.I wonder if he thinks it is not possible that those who want the Latin Mass do so out of a sincere desire to deepen their love and devotion to God? In my limited experience with TLM, the focus of the worship is on God, rather than on ourselves, and that is completely opposite to ego and pride!

Anonymous said...

Someone should knock sense into him!
In the meantime, to paraphrase, forgive him for he knows not what he says.