Is Tridentine Mass More Solemn?

Rome, after Vatican II, changed the way how a Catholic Mass is said from Latin (Tridentine Mass) to the vernacular  (Novus Ordo Missae) although the Council and Pope Paul VI did not outlaw the saying of the Latin Mass.

The last Vatican Council brought closer the Church to the faithful by allowing them to fully participate in her rituals in their respective languages. Vatican II, without changing Church doctrines, dogmas and teachings also fine-tuned  the Catholic Church in relation to and with the modern world.

I was able to catch the last years of pre-Vatican II and I  am fully familiar with the Latin Mass. The gestures of the officiating priest, except the daily readings and prayers were the same. The chasuble’s color changes depending upon the liturgical season or holidays. The faithful were in unison  like a marching military in kneeling, standing and sitting. From the “Introibo ad altare Dei” till the “Ite Misa est”, the priest does not change, add or subtract parts of the Mass.

That was the Mass Catholics had for four centuries regaled with Gregorian Chants.

I have no intention to demean the Mass or the clergy or even the Vatican but these days if one has a chance to fulfill his Sunday obligation in different parishes overseas, chances are he notices a lot of differences  on how priests offer the Mass. A keen churchgoer may also discover the alteration of prayers and salutations  (or short speech?) if the priest does not ad lib or pray straight from the heart without following the Sacramentary.

There are priests who start the Mass in front of the altar while some stand close to the tabernacle. One starts with the sign of the cross, a short greeting then proceeds to the penitentiary rite. Another starts with a lengthy greeting then the sign of the cross. Another priest may say “The Lord be with you” while one says “The Lord is with you.”

In some parishes, a brief introduction before each reading is done while in other parishes, the two readings and the Gospel are immediately said. What is the use of the introduction if the people are to listen and digest the readings?  Another observation on  the first reading, some readers start with "Thus says the Lord" for the Old Testament verse instead of "In those days" from the original Latin "In illo tempore".  For the reading of the New Testament, some lectors start with "Brothers and sisters" but Paul and companions as attested by the Bible did not start every sentence of their Epistles with that address.

While preaching, the priest leaves the lectern and goes forward over the communion rail closer to the congregation and freely moves (or roams?) from left to right, to and fro like a candidate delivering his campaign speech or in a manner where a matinee idol does his piece before a raucous teen-audience.  A more conservative priest prefers to stay before the lectern to preach and for me that is preferred  if not a must.

In the Creed, some parishes use the “we” pronoun instead of the accurate “I” from the original Latin “Credo” for "I" believe and not "Credimus" for "We" believe. Instead of saying “creator”, other parishes  say “maker”.

“To make” and “to create” are two different things. I can make a kite but I cannot make a “heaven and earth”. In substance, to create is to make something out from nothing. Only God has the power to do that. In Genesis, there is no passage saying that God needed any material to construct heaven and earth. After saying them, they came to be.

During Consecration, in the prayer, “He broke the bread . . ." the priest breaks the host. Most only do that after the “Agnus Dei”.

For the announcements, after the final prayer  and before the final blessing, a litany of messages is read. This is a not a part of the Mass. In no way that the faithful are obliged to listen to them. They can always be posted at bulletin boards or else, they can be said after the Mass. However, this is not a valid reason for anyone to leave the Church when the final blessing is not yet given. That is one of the most important parts of the Mass.

In the Latin Mass, the congregation does not mimic the priest in stretching his hands as he says “Dominus vobiscum” (The Lord be with you.) Today, some faithful also stretch their hands in response. After the priest says “Lift up your hearts”, the people race to raise their hands too. The higher, perhaps the better. In praying the Lord ’s Prayer, the faithful join hand in hand till the line “For the Kingdom, the power . . .” where they again raise their clasp hands.

These are not officially sanctioned by Rome or are required. Catholics mimicked their Charismatic brethren who started such gestures. I am not saying though that these are not good. They are just distractions  and unnecessary for I believe that an aura of solemnity and piety must always be present during Mass.

In a pre-1965 Mass, there were no Eucharistic ministers. These days, there are a lot and I believe that  some  distribute communion even if s/he is not in the state of grace. The ministers, some of them are women (and I am not against them because of their sex) who smile, make faces like slanting their head, nod two to three times before they give the sacred host. Some arc their body forward, raise the sacred host before giving.

For me, these are improper. There is no other reason in going to the Church other than to pray, and give praise to God. The Church is not a place for socials or  a place to show off one’s fancies.

Last but not least, some cantors exaggerate their singing prowess as if they are singing before an opera audience. They mangle the words to the point that they are incoherent.  Their poise when singing with complete hand, head and body gestures,  spiced with eye expressions  can match the theatrical performance of Hilda Koronel, Bella Flores or the best Hollywood stars.

How I wish that Latin Mass is regularly said in my parish in response to Banedict XVI’s Motu Propio that if the faithful asks for it (Tridentine Mass), they should not be failed.

That is to eradicate all the unnecessary gestures  and distractions invented with fancy and the possibility  that the priest goes beyond the line in offering the Mass  to the faithful  who are there to pray and praise God .  Never that  a priest should act as if he is in front of a camera and glaring lights while doing  a noontime/prime time TV variety show when officiating the Mass.

I am sure that there is a road map, i.e. Sacramentary, for priests to follow in saying the Mass and its prayers.  If alteration is allowed, what is the use of the forms and guidelines prescribed by Rome?  And how useful then is the Sacramentary?

It is my sincere belief that the Tridentine Mass is more solemn than the Novus Ordo Missae but the essence or substance of the two are exactly the same.  Should there be a regular (or even daily) Latin Mass in where I am, that should be a part of my ritual but I must say honestly that I am faithful to the Cathedra Petris. -30-