Dominus Vobiscum

Since I have way too many blogs up my sleeve already I guess I’ll just make it a point to post announcements pertaining to my interests in Catholic thought and liturgy here every now and then since I have already set up a blog dedicated to tackling such matters. Entitled “Ex Fide in Fidem”, such an online hub on Catholicism is located at http://saiden.page.ph/fidem.

So… there. I merely desire that everybody please do pray for the Pope nowadays as he is being scrutinised and sometimes unjustly criticised for matters utterly confusing or unjustifiable. May the good Lord continuously preserve our beloved Pontiff from the snares of the evil one.

Mater Ecclesiae ora pronobis.

This has been a buzz since yesterday, that Pope Benedict had kind of shrugged off against convention by celebrating the Novus Ordo Mass "facing the east" or ad orientem. This truly is significant for it heralds the Pope’s vision of an organic development of the liturgy through the "reform of the reform" a realisation of a vision that has been ever since upheld by the Second Vatican Council (a fact which has been misinterpreted by some Vatican II implementors). This is actually not very surprising, for Pope Benedict has always been a staunch supporter of the return to liturgical orthodoxy in an optimistic way that the Extraordinary Form (or the Tridentine Latin Mass as we know it) may somehow produce an "influencing effect" upon the Novus Ordo that the latter may grow more fully. Critics of the Pope have frowned upon his actions, saying that his attitudes and outlooks merely pushes the Church back into medieval times where "active participation" (actuosa participatio) in the Liturgy is supposed to be too oblivious to everyone’s comprehensions. As far as my understanding is concerned about this matter, active participation is always present either in the Novus Ordo or in the Missa Tridentina. The question lies in the upholding of the manner of worship that must be duly accorded to God, primarily based on sound teachings of Catholic orthodoxy. This Pope Benedict wishes to implement, and by his celebration of the Ordinary Form in a manner that has always been a feature of the Extraordinary Form, it is thus evident that the principles of the hermeneutic of continuity is given full attention.

For pictures on this marvellous event last January 13, check out the website of The New Liturgical Movement (http://thenewliturgicalmovement.blogspot.com)

Vatican english translation.

____________________

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

"The time came for Mary to be delivered. And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn" (Lk 2:6f.). These words touch our hearts every time we hear them. This was the moment that the angel had foretold at Nazareth: "you will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High" (Lk 1:31). This was the moment that Israel had been awaiting for centuries, through many dark hours - the moment that all mankind was somehow awaiting, in terms as yet ill-defined: when God would take care of us, when he would step outside his concealment, when the world would be saved and God would renew all things. We can imagine the kind of interior preparation, the kind of love with which Mary approached that hour. The brief phrase: "She wrapped him in swaddling clothes" allows us to glimpse something of the holy joy and the silent zeal of that preparation. The swaddling clothes were ready, so that the child could be given a fitting welcome. Yet there is no room at the inn. In some way, mankind is awaiting God, waiting for him to draw near. But when the moment comes, there is no room for him. Man is so preoccupied with himself, he has such urgent need of all the space and all the time for his own things, that nothing remains for others - for his neighbour, for the poor, for God. And the richer men become, the more they fill up all the space by themselves. And the less room there is for others.

Saint John, in his Gospel, went to the heart of the matter, giving added depth to Saint Luke’s brief account of the situation in Bethlehem: "He came to his own home, and his own people received him not" (Jn 1:11). This refers first and foremost to Bethlehem: the Son of David comes to his own city, but has to be born in a stable, because there is no room for him at the inn. Then it refers to Israel: the one who is sent comes among his own, but they do not want him. And truly, it refers to all mankind: he through whom the world was made, the primordial Creator-Word, enters into the world, but he is not listened to, he is not received.

These words refer ultimately to us, to each individual and to society as a whole. Do we have time for our neighbour who is in need of a word from us, from me, or in need of my affection? For the sufferer who is in need of help? For the fugitive or the refugee who is seeking asylum? Do we have time and space for God? Can he enter into our lives? Does he find room in us, or have we occupied all the available space in our thoughts, our actions, our lives for ourselves?

Thank God, this negative detail is not the only one, nor the last one that we find in the Gospel. Just as in Luke we encounter the maternal love of Mary and the fidelity of Saint Joseph, the vigilance of the shepherds and their great joy, just as in Matthew we encounter the visit of the wise men, come from afar, so too John says to us: "To all who received him, he gave power to become children of God" (Jn 1:12). There are those who receive him, and thus, beginning with the stable, with the outside, there grows silently the new house, the new city, the new world. The message of Christmas makes us recognize the darkness of a closed world, and thereby no doubt illustrates a reality that we see daily. Yet it also tells us that God does not allow himself to be shut out. He finds a space, even if it means entering through the stable; there are people who see his light and pass it on. Through the word of the Gospel, the angel also speaks to us, and in the sacred liturgy the light of the Redeemer enters our lives. Whether we are shepherds or "wise men" - the light and its message call us to set out, to leave the narrow circle of our desires and interests, to go out to meet the Lord and worship him. We worship him by opening the world to truth, to good, to Christ, to the service of those who are marginalized and in whom he awaits us.

In some Christmas scenes from the late Middle Ages and the early modern period, the stable is depicted as a crumbling palace. It is still possible to recognize its former splendour, but now it has become a ruin, the walls are falling down - in fact, it has become a stable. Although it lacks any historical basis, this metaphorical interpretation nevertheless expresses something of the truth that is hidden in the mystery of Christmas. David’s throne, which had been promised to last for ever, stands empty. Others rule over the Holy Land. Joseph, the descendant of David, is a simple artisan; the palace, in fact, has become a hovel. David himself had begun life as a shepherd. When Samuel sought him out in order to anoint him, it seemed impossible and absurd that a shepherd-boy such as he could become the bearer of the promise of Israel. In the stable of Bethlehem, the very town where it had all begun, the Davidic kingship started again in a new way - in that child wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger. The new throne from which this David will draw the world to himself is the Cross. The new throne - the Cross - corresponds to the new beginning in the stable. Yet this is exactly how the true Davidic palace, the true kingship is being built. This new palace is so different from what people imagine a palace and royal power ought to be like. It is the community of those who allow themselves to be drawn by Christ’s love and so become one body with him, a new humanity. The power that comes from the Cross, the power of self-giving goodness - this is the true kingship. The stable becomes a palace - and setting out from this starting-point, Jesus builds the great new community, whose key-word the angels sing at the hour of his birth: "Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth to those whom he loves" - those who place their will in his, in this way becoming men of God, new men, a new world.

Gregory of Nyssa, in his Christmas homilies, developed the same vision setting out from the Christmas message in the Gospel of John: "He pitched his tent among us" (Jn 1:14). Gregory applies this passage about the tent to the tent of our body, which has become worn out and weak, exposed everywhere to pain and suffering. And he applies it to the whole universe, torn and disfigured by sin. What would he say if he could see the state of the world today, through the abuse of energy and its selfish and reckless exploitation? Anselm of Canterbury, in an almost prophetic way, once described a vision of what we witness today in a polluted world whose future is at risk: "Everything was as if dead, and had lost its dignity, having been made for the service of those who praise God. The elements of the world were oppressed, they had lost their splendour because of the abuse of those who enslaved them for their idols, for whom they had not been created" (PL 158, 955f.). Thus, according to Gregory’s vision, the stable in the Christmas message represents the ill-treated world. What Christ rebuilds is no ordinary palace. He came to restore beauty and dignity to creation, to the universe: this is what began at Christmas and makes the angels rejoice. The Earth is restored to good order by virtue of the fact that it is opened up to God, it obtains its true light anew, and in the harmony between human will and divine will, in the unification of height and depth, it regains its beauty and dignity. Thus Christmas is a feast of restored creation. It is in this context that the Fathers interpret the song of the angels on that holy night: it is an expression of joy over the fact that the height and the depth, Heaven and Earth, are once more united; that man is again united to God. According to the Fathers, part of the angels’ Christmas song is the fact that now angels and men can sing together and in this way the beauty of the universe is expressed in the beauty of the song of praise. Liturgical song - still according to the Fathers - possesses its own peculiar dignity through the fact that it is sung together with the celestial choirs. It is the encounter with Jesus Christ that makes us capable of hearing the song of the angels, thus creating the real music that fades away when we lose this singing-with and hearing-with.

In the stable at Bethlehem, Heaven and Earth meet. Heaven has come down to Earth. For this reason, a light shines from the stable for all times; for this reason joy is enkindled there; for this reason song is born there. At the end of our Christmas meditation I should like to quote a remarkable passage from Saint Augustine. Interpreting the invocation in the Lord’s Prayer: "Our Father who art in Heaven", he asks: what is this - Heaven? And where is Heaven? Then comes a surprising response: "… who art in Heaven - that means: in the saints and in the just. Yes, the heavens are the highest bodies in the universe, but they are still bodies, which cannot exist except in a given location. Yet if we believe that God is located in the heavens, meaning in the highest parts of the world, then the birds would be more fortunate than we, since they would live closer to God. Yet it is not written: ‘The Lord is close to those who dwell on the heights or on the mountains’, but rather: ‘the Lord is close to the brokenhearted’ (Ps 34:18[33:19]), an expression which refers to humility. Just as the sinner is called ‘Earth’, so by contrast the just man can be called ‘Heaven’" (Sermo in monte II 5, 17). Heaven does not belong to the geography of space, but to the geography of the heart. And the heart of God, during the Holy Night, stooped down to the stable: the humility of God is Heaven. And if we approach this humility, then we touch Heaven. Then the Earth too is made new. With the humility of the shepherds, let us set out, during this Holy Night, towards the Child in the stable! Let us touch God’s humility, God’s heart! Then his joy will touch us and will make the world more radiant. Amen.

Gloria in Excelsis Deo!

I had mentioned to Cantor Dennis last Friday of my desire to sing at Latin Mass… and yesterday was somehow the fulfillment of my longing.

Inasmuch as the celebration of the Seven Sorrows of our Lady was willed that it be celebrated through a High Mass, the said feast was celebrated yesterday at the usual 1:30 schedule of the TLM at Lord of Divine Mercy Parish in Sikatuna Village. There were new polyphony songs to be chanted, those being the "Stabat Mater", as well as the "Kyrie" and "Sanctus" proper to the feasts of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Of course, since these were new to me, I had a difficulty in following the intricate designs of the hymns. Good thing that I still have my rusty knowledge of note reading with me, that somehow I did manage my chanting travails, so to speak.

Coincidentally, Father Joe Zerrudo’s sermon touched on "active participation", and of whether the charges of some people regarding the TLM supposedly nullifying the essence of the Vatican II document "Sacrosanctum Concilium" pertaining to such people’s participation in the liturgy. Well, it is nonetheless true that many of our churches are more adept into bringing the world into the liturgy and not otherwise. Thus, the incorporation of different "innovations" that are supposed to make people participate more actively and wholeheartedly–the results of which are noisy masses: entertainment galore in a supposedly sacred and silent celebration of the Eucharist. However, the sacrifice of the Mass is most reminiscent of the actual events at Calvary and that Calvary itself is present in the Mass. The Mass itself is a sacrifice, and a commemoration of the sacrifice of the Most Precious Lamb who was slain for our sins. Now, those who were present at Calvary were of two intentions: one to deliberately mock the Lamb, and those who were pierced with much sorrow upon witnessing His suffering. We had always understood the demeanour of those whose aims were to deride the Christ: they were noisy, unruly and full of debauchery. However, those whose hearts were united with the suffering Christ were otherwise: they were full of sorrow, and thus were meditating upon this great feat to which all of mankind would receive remission of sins. It was upon their uniting themselves of this suffering that they were most strengthened about the mystery of Christ’s redemption, for the sanctification of the world. Therefore, they verily participated in this tremendous action of salvation, as they felt what the Suffering Christ had felt. Our Blessed Mother is the foremost example of this participation, since it was she who also suffered directly being the Mother of God. Her sufferings were united with His, inasmuch that she is His Mother, her heart pierced with different woes ever since the prophecy of Simeon in which he said "a dagger shall pierce through your heart."

Given these, should we then say that the Mass must be as boisterous as possible in order to elicit more participation from the faithful? What is needed is the uniting of ourselves with those of the actual Mass itself, uniting ourselves with what happened in Calvary, in utter meditation of the process of salvation. It is through the Mass that we gather ourselves to ponder on the mysteries of the Resurrection, in which we derive our new life in Christ.

Yesterday was the Feast of the Exaltation (Triumph) of the Cross of which coincided the worldwide granting of the indult for the traditional mass. In the Diocese of Cubao, this was celebrated by a Missa Cantata in the Parish of our Lord of Divine Mercy in Sikatuna Village, Quezon City. The Mass started at 6PM, and although late, I still was able to catch the sermon by the priest (Fr. Jojo Zerrudo) and participate in the Mass of the Faithful (although I restrained myself in taking in the communion host as it would be improper to do so). And the parish, starting this week, will now have masses everyday according to the 1962 Missal by blessed Pope John XXIII. In congruence to these celebrations in the diocese of Cubao, there was also a celebration of the TLM in the diocese of Jaro in Iloilo. Both masses started at 6PM, and the reason for such is what the Pro Deo et Patria blog had mentioned in one of its posts:

In the Philippines, daily mass-going is alive and well, and daily
masses are often scheduled around 6:00 AM and 6:00 PM. The 6:00 (or
6:30) PM mass often attracts larger crowds than the morning mass,
because it is the mass that is most convenient for working people.
Celebrating the TLM on such an hour, therefore, signifies the full
integration of this rite of the Mass into the liturgical life of the
churches concerned. It also allows the TLM to be introduced to more
people who, perhaps, have never seen it before.

As regarding the attendance of the Mass yesterday, the church was not that jampacked, but many people did have the chance to participate. Many of the usual attendees of the Sunday TLM were also present; and surprisingly, a number of TLM "newbies" were also there. Good thing that an LCD projector and a powerpoint presentation of the Latin responses were set up, thus providing an ample guide for those who aren’t familiar with the Mass rubrics. As usual, the Mass was solemn, and complementing the solemnity was Fr Zerrudo’s brilliant sermon on the relevance of the Holy Cross and our celebration of the Eucharist.

Given the now "free" celebration of the Mass in extraordinary form, it is thoroughly comforting to understand that this indeed is a dawn of a new era in terms of the liturgy. It is time that Catholics recover the sense of the sacred, and it is by harmonising the two rites–both extraordinary (TLM) and ordinary (Novus Ordo)–we give due worship to the Lord in line with Church teachings.

(unofficial english translation)

***

SUMMORUM PONTIFICUM
Pope
Benedict XVI

Up to our own times, it has been the constant concern of Supreme Pontiffs to
ensure that the Church of Christ offers a worthy ritual to the Divine Majesty,
"to the praise and glory of His name," and "to the benefit of all His Holy
Church."

Since time immemorial it has been necessary — as it is also for the future –
to maintain the principle according to which "each particular Church must concur
with the universal Church, not only as regards the doctrine of the faith and the
sacramental signs, but also as regards the usages universally accepted by
uninterrupted apostolic Tradition, which must be observed not only to avoid
errors but also to transmit the integrity of the faith, because the Church’s law
of prayer corresponds to her law of faith."^[1]

Among the Pontiffs who showed that requisite concern, particularly outstanding
is the name of St. Gregory the Great, who made every effort to ensure that the
new peoples of Europe received both the Catholic faith and the treasures of
worship and culture that had been accumulated by the Romans in preceding
centuries. He commanded that the form of the sacred liturgy as celebrated in
Rome (concerning both the Sacrifice of Mass and the Divine Office) be conserved.
He took great concern to ensure the dissemination of monks and nuns who,
following the Rule of St. Benedict, together with the announcement of the
Gospel, illustrated with their lives the wise provision of their rule that
"nothing should be placed before the work of God." In this way the sacred
liturgy, celebrated according to the Roman use, enriched not only the faith and
piety but also the culture of many peoples. It is known, in fact, that the Latin
liturgy of the Church in its various forms, in each century of the Christian
era, has been a spur to the spiritual life of many saints, has reinforced many
peoples in the virtue of religion and fecundated their piety.

Many other Roman pontiffs, in the course of the centuries, showed particular
solicitude in ensuring that the sacred liturgy accomplished this task more
effectively. Outstanding among them is St. Pius V who, sustained by great
pastoral zeal and following the exhortations of the Council of Trent, renewed
the entire liturgy of the Church, oversaw the publication of liturgical books
amended and "renewed in accordance with the norms of the fathers," and provided
them for the use of the Latin Church.

One of the liturgical books of the Roman rite is the Roman Missal, which
developed in the city of Rome and, with the passing of the centuries, little by
little took forms very similar to that it has had in recent times.

"It was towards this same goal that succeeding Roman Pontiffs directed their
energies during the subsequent centuries in order to ensure that the rites and
liturgical books were brought up to date and when necessary clarified. From the
beginning of this century they undertook a more general reform."^[2] Thus our
predecessors Clement VIII, Urban VIII, St. Pius X,^[3] Benedict XV, Pius XII and
Blessed John XXIII all played a part.

In more recent times, the Second Vatican Council expressed a desire that the
respectful reverence due to divine worship should be renewed and adapted to the
needs of our time. Moved by this desire our predecessor, the Supreme Pontiff
Paul VI, approved, in 1970, reformed and partly renewed liturgical books for the
Latin Church. These, translated into the various languages of the world, were
willingly accepted by bishops, priests and faithful. John Paul II amended the
third typical edition of the Roman Missal. Thus Roman Pontiffs have operated to
ensure that "this kind of liturgical edifice … should again appear resplendent
for its dignity and harmony."^[4]

But in some regions, no small numbers of faithful adhered and continue to adhere
with great love and affection to the earlier liturgical forms. These had so
deeply marked their culture and their spirit that in 1984 the Supreme Pontiff
John Paul II, moved by a concern for the pastoral care of these faithful, with
the special indult "Quattuor Abhinc Anno," issued by the Congregation for Divine
Worship, granted permission to use the Roman Missal published by Blessed John
XXIII in the year 1962. Later, in the year 1988, John Paul II with the apostolic
letter given as "motu proprio, "Ecclesia Dei," exhorted bishops to make generous
use of this power in favor of all the faithful who so desired.

Following the insistent prayers of these faithful, long deliberated upon by our
predecessor John Paul II, and after having listened to the views of the cardinal
fathers of the consistory of 22 March 2006, having reflected deeply upon all
aspects of the question, invoked the Holy Spirit and trusting in the help of
God, with these apostolic letters we establish the following:

Art 1. The Roman Missal promulgated by Paul VI is the ordinary expression of the
"Lex orandi" (Law of prayer) of the Catholic Church of the Latin rite.
Nonetheless, the Roman Missal promulgated by St. Pius V and reissued by Blessed
John XXIII is to be considered as an extraordinary expression of that same "Lex
orandi," and must be given due honor for its venerable and ancient usage. These
two expressions of the Church’s "Lex orandi" will in no any way lead to a
division in the Church’s "Lex credendi" (Law of belief). They are, in fact two
usages of the one Roman rite.

It is, therefore, permissible to celebrate the Sacrifice of the Mass following
the typical edition of the Roman Missal promulgated by Blessed John XXIII in
1962 and never abrogated, as an extraordinary form of the liturgy of the Church.
The conditions for the use of this Missal as laid down by earlier documents "Quattuor
Abhinc Annis" and "Ecclesia Dei," are substituted as follows:

Art. 2. In Masses celebrated without the people, each Catholic priest of the
Latin rite, whether secular or regular, may use the Roman Missal published by
Blessed Pope John XXIII in 1962, or the Roman Missal promulgated by Pope Paul VI
in 1970, and may do so on any day with the exception of the Easter Triduum. For
such celebrations, with either one Missal or the other, the priest has no need
for permission from the Apostolic See or from his ordinary.

Art. 3. Communities of institutes of consecrated life and of societies of
apostolic life, of either pontifical or diocesan right, wishing to celebrate
Mass in accordance with the edition of the Roman Missal promulgated in 1962, for
conventual or "community" celebration in their oratories, may do so. If an
individual community or an entire institute or society wishes to undertake such
celebrations often, habitually or permanently, the decision must be taken by the
superiors major, in accordance with the law and following their own specific
decrees and statues.

Art. 4. Celebrations of Mass as mentioned above in art. 2 may — observing all
the norms of law — also be attended by faithful who, of their own free will,
ask to be admitted.

Art. 5. §1 In parishes, where there is a stable group of faithful who adhere to
the earlier liturgical tradition, the pastor should willingly accept their
requests to celebrate the Mass according to the rite of the Roman Missal
published in 1962, and ensure that the welfare of these faithful harmonizes with
the ordinary pastoral care of the parish, under the guidance of the bishop in
accordance with Canon 392, avoiding discord and favoring the unity of the whole
Church.

§2 Celebration in accordance with the Missal of Blessed John XXIII may take
place on working days; while on Sundays and feast days one such celebration may
also be held.

§3 For faithful and priests who request it, the pastor should also allow
celebrations in this extraordinary form for special circumstances such as
marriages, funerals or occasional celebrations, i.e., pilgrimages.

§4 Priests who use the Missal of Blessed John XXIII must be qualified to do so
and not juridically impeded.

§5 In churches that are not parish or conventual churches, it is the duty of the
rector of the church to grant the above permission.

Art. 6. In Masses celebrated in the presence of the people in accordance with
the Missal of Blessed John XXIII, the readings may be given in the vernacular,
using editions recognized by the Apostolic See.

Art. 7. If a group of lay faithful, as mentioned in art. 5 §1, has not obtained
satisfaction to their requests from the pastor, they should inform the diocesan
bishop. The bishop is strongly requested to satisfy their wishes. If he cannot
arrange for such celebration to take place, the matter should be referred to the
Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei.

Art. 8. A bishop who, desirous of satisfying such requests, but who for various
reasons is unable to do so, may refer the problem to the Commission Ecclesia Dei
to obtain counsel and assistance.

Art. 9. §1 The pastor, having attentively examined all aspects, may also grant
permission to use the earlier ritual for the administration of the sacraments of
baptism, marriage, penance, and the anointing of the sick, if the good of souls
would seem to require it.

§ 2 Ordinaries are given the right to celebrate the sacrament of confirmation
using the earlier Roman Pontifical, if the good of souls would seem to require
it.

§ 2 Clerics ordained "in sacris constitutis" may use the Roman Breviary
promulgated by Blessed John XXIII in 1962.

Art. 10. The ordinary of a particular place, if he feels it appropriate, may
erect a personal parish in accordance with Canon 518 for celebrations following
the ancient form of the Roman rite, or appoint a chaplain, while observing all
the norms of law.

Art. 11. The Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, erected by John Paul II in
1988^[5], continues to exercise its function. Said commission will have the form,
duties and norms that the Roman Pontiff wishes to assign it.

Art. 12. This commission, apart from the powers it enjoys, will exercise the
authority of the Holy See, supervising the observance and application of these
dispositions.

We order that everything We have established with these apostolic letters issued
as "motu proprio" be considered as "established and decreed," and to be observed
from Sept. 14 of this year, feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, whatever there
may be to the contrary.

From Rome, at St. Peter’s, July 7, 2007, third year of Our Pontificate.

[1] General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 3rd ed., 2002, No. 397.
[2] John Paul II, apostolic letter "Vicesimus Quintus Annus," Dec. 4, 1988, 3: AAS 81 (1989), 899.
[3] Ibid.
[4] St. Pius X, apostolic letter issued "motu propio data," "Abhinc Duos Annos,"
Oct. 23, 1913: AAS 5 (1913), 449-450; cf John Paul II, apostolic letter
"Vicesimus
Quintus Annus," No. 3: AAS 81 (1989), 899.
[5] Cf John Paul II, apostolic letter issued "motu proprio data," "Ecclesia
Dei," July 2, 1988, 6: AAS 80 (1988), 1498.

Of course, this is my Friendster blog but I do not resolve to post anything here pertaining to my personal inclinations but that of what delights me most, i.e. religiosity and Catholic teaching. Apologetics articles are on another blog in my personal website, so I shan’t put anything of that nature here. It is of this that I thought of blogging something regarding the Tridentine Mass, as I could say I am a regular TLM church goer. Hence, this blog shall contain magisterium articles, latest news, papal motu propios, and my personal experiences regarding the Tridentine Mass… well, pictures included at some occasions

But why the Tridentine Mass?

Since the signing of "Summorum Pontificum" by Pope Benedict XVI last August, many so-called Traditional Catholics have rejoiced on the matter. Movements on restoring the Latin Mass have somehow been oppressed throughout the years, inspite of the fact that Vatican II had never deigned into moving the Traditional Latin Mass underground. Many priests and bishops just thought that the Latin Mass would never be effective for evangelisation as compared to the Novus Ordo so it was purportedly agreed upon that the Traditional Latin Mass take a backseat. This, I believe, is a considerably malignant mistake, as the TLM had been for centuries the manner by which the members of the mystical body of Christ had worshipped the Lord in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. For centuries, mass had been celebrated in Latin, and had survived persecutions and even by attempts of nonbelievers in wiping out the whole of Christian civilisation. To keep all of these into distant memory is just too unbearable, besides the fact that Christian worship nowadays have somehow been reduced into so-called "entertainment". Of course, this I do not pinpoint to how the Lefebvrians would cite as the immorality that was Vatican II–of course not! The Latin Mass has never been nullified but Vatican II for it should not be. It was only due to the misconceptions about liturgy and worship espoused by some people (even the clergy and religious) about the Latin Mass that created thorough misunderstandings, misconceptions and — in a certain point in history, schisms — on worship.

The Latin Mass has never been, and shall never be, an outdated means for commemorating the Lord’s passion and death. It is in itself valid for all times, which the faithful should not ever disregard.