Tea at Trianon: Baby Boomers and the Latin Mass

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Sunday, February 7, 2016

Baby Boomers and the Latin Mass

My experience with the Latin Mass has been the same as the author of the article. I never took Latin in school but after a short time of assisting at the Latin Mass as an adult I had no trouble following along. Not only did I understand what was going on but I found it easier to concentrate on the mysteries. I wish there was a Latin Mass nearby that I could attend. From The Liturgy Guy:

Someone in the wonderful world of social media left this comment in response to my most recent Liturgy Guy post on the use of Latin within the Mass:

“I remember Latin Masses. No one understood what was being said. If you tried to follow where the priest was you couldn’t because you couldn’t see what he was doing. So, you took out your rosary and prayed. The common expression was that the Mass was in Latin so that NO ONE in the world could understand it.”
I’m sincerely beginning to believe that some baby boomer Catholics are making a concerted effort to undermine the resurgence of the Latin Mass with such “memories” as this one. The comment above is unfortunately a rather common occurrence on social media these days; a recollection that is invariably shared each and every time an attempted discussion of the traditional liturgy begins. (Read more.)

Nancy Reyes said...: The Latin mass is not the real issue: The issue is that the modern mass often becomes a cheering section for people to celebrate themselves, not to worship God.

that is what is missing: A deep reverence that the Lord is real. A respect for the Eucharist. My neice just finished 12 years of Catholic school and told me she doesn't have to go to mass anymore. And how many Catholics find Jesus for the first time in Protestant churches, because they were never taught that they meet him in the Eucharist?

And yes I studied Latin and can follow the Latin Mass But I live in the provinces of the Philippines, and suspect many of the poor here could not. The same would be true for African Christians.; February 7, 2016 at 7:35:00 PM EST
elena maria vidal said...: Very true and very disturbing, about the lack of catechesis. It seems that having the Mass in the vernacular is not helping young people learn about the Real Presence. My ancestors, also from the Philippines, embraced the Catholic faith for generations when it was all in Latin. But they also were taught doctrine, which is missing now.; February 7, 2016 at 7:48:00 PM EST
julygirl said...: Young people want everything to be short and sweet and abbreviated. They do not have the capacity to concentrate on the meaning and essence of the words, language and meaning.; February 8, 2016 at 8:41:00 AM EST