#extraordinary form

I know that the nuance is 100% different, but that still makes me giggle every time I think about it.

Not the Latin Mass, the Novus Ordo ends this way.

“Go forth, the Mass has ended.”

“Thanks be to God.”

—

I’m in several Facebook groups with a focus on the Traditional Latin Mass.

Unfortunately, I’ve been wanting to distance myself from visiting those groups because the views of very close-minded and uncharitable individuals have been more apparently lately.

There are some very traditional Catholics in the groups who don’t even give things outside of TLM a chance and proceed to commenting on how “ugly” a Cathedral is if it’s not in the traditional style, or make fun of the Novus Ordo mass when the priest faces the faithful.

Rom 13:11-14; Luke 21:25-33

Psalm 24, Ad Te levavi, focusses our hearts and minds as Advent and this new liturgical year begins - it is the psalm used at the Officium, Responsorium, and Offertorium. We’re to focus on God, from whom all our help comes, and we’re to hope only in him for we shall not ask nor pray nor wait in vain for his help. As the psalm says: “To thee, O LORD, I lift up my soul. O my God, in thee I trust, let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult over me. Yea, let none that wait for thee be put to shame nor confounded” (vv1-3). 

Human beings are not good at waiting, and although we might think this is something modern and current, in fact it’s as ancient as Adam and Eve. For the primordial tale of Genesis recalls that mankind was impatient and could not wait for the glory that God willed to give us in God’s good time, and according to his wisdom and measure. Hence, when the ancient Serpent tempted Eve and enticed her to grasp at the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, she did so. Not content to wait for God to give her a share in divinity through his grace, she reached out and grasped at becoming “like god”. 

Thus in God’s wise design, the impatience of Eve is overturned by the patience of Mary, she is who portrayed in the Scriptures to be silent, pondering, contemplating, waiting. In this Advent season, therefore, Mary is our model, she who is pregnant with God’s Word. She harkens back to the first coming of Christ, standing for the ancient people of Israel, the faithful daughter of Sion who waits for the Messiah. Despite Babylonian captivity, exile, and Roman oppression, the faithful remnant of Israel waits for the Lord’s coming to vindicate them; they wait knowing that “none that wait [for the Lord] shall be confounded.” 

But Mary is also the Mother of the Church, and so she stands for the Church pregnant with God’s grace and Word, waiting for the Second Coming of Christ, when all creation shall be renewed and reborn, refashioned in the likeness of the Son and freed at last from corruption, death, and sin. So, St Paul says, later on in his letter to the Romans: “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God” (Rom 8:21f) Hence, this time of Advent is a holy time of expectation. This holy season of waiting crystallises all our moments of waiting for God’s help, for his coming to us in grace, and in the Sacraments. Thus, when we have been brought low by our enemies, that is, felled by sin or the sorrows and trails of this life, we wait for the Lord to save us and deliver us. Ad Te levavi animam meam: “To thee, O LORD, I lift up my soul. O my God, in thee I trust, let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult over me. Yea, let none that wait for thee be put to shame nor confounded” (Ps 24:1-3).

Our impatience with waiting is made evident in our times by the eradication of Advent in the popular mindset. The supermarkets bring out their Christmas fare earlier and earlier each year, Christmas carols and music and parties dominate this month, and so, what should be a time of quiet and expectant waiting has become filled with noise and shopping and frantic preparation. If we return to psalm 24, we learn, in fact, what we’re to do in this time of waiting, and it tells us how we best prepare in this season of Advent, and indeed, in all our moments of waiting. The psalm says: “Make me to know thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me, for thou art the God of my salvation; for thee I wait all the day long.” (Ps 25:4-5)

So, in this time of waiting, we are to learn God’s ways, God’s truth; we’re to be taught by God. Thus Our Lady is often shown reading the Scriptures when the angel Gabriel comes to her - consider the beautiful sculpture of the Annunciation in this church, for example. For she who  models for us who to wait for the Lord’s salvation is found pondering the truths of God revealed in Scripture, she has been learning the ways of God revealed in prayer and silent contemplation. For this reason, Our Lady gave us the Holy Rosary, a most beautiful way to ponder the Word of God, and to contemplate God’s ways revealed in our human history. This Advent, this new year, I encourage you take up the Rosary again, and if you already do so, to pray it afresh with renewed devotion. For example, come for our monthly Eucharistic Rosary processions here in the Rosary Shrine – the next one is on Sat 21 Dec at 7pm. Come, and let God teach you to walk in his ways, together with our Immaculate Mother.

The disposition of Our Lady is to trust always in God’s providence, to humbly wait for God’s mighty help no matter what calamities might befall us. Hence in the Gospel today the Lord says that when even heaven and earth are shaken and in distress, we can stand firm and look up with confidence for “your redemption is at hand”. So, too, when the silent Host is lifted up during the Mass, look up with confidence and behold, the Lord is here; the Son of Man comes in a cloud with great power and majesty, as he promises in the Gospel (cf Lk 21:27). Our contemplative waiting, symbolised by the silence of the Mass, and our learning of God’s ways as we actively participate, interiorly, in the holy Mass, prepares us for this: we see, in faith, that God comes not as popular imagination demands or as we might expect. Rather he comes in great humility in the Sacred Host, enveloped in silence and fragility. And yet he comes in majesty and with great power. 

For the Blessed Sacrament is Our Lord himself, and he alone has power to save mortal man from death. The great Enemy who seduced Eve and Adam into sin and thus led humanity to death is overcome – death has no more victory, death has lost its sting (cf 1 Cor 15:55). So, when we receive the Eucharist in the Mass, know that your redemption is at hand, indeed, it is in your mouth and on your tongue, redemption is within you. For as Pope Leo XIII said: “In the frail and perishable body that divine Host, which is the immortal body of Christ, implants a principle of resurrection, a seed of immortality, which one day must germinate.”

From my experience, not very many people enjoy learning Latin, even the small amount imposed and or impressed upon them. Two easier ways is through music or learning it as a base/ vocabulary builder for your native tongue (romance languages). Music is far the easier route to go because of the way the human brain is wire. Proven facts that people learn things faster through song than plan facts/visual (alphabet and multiplication tables are two primary examples or how about those tv/radio adverts that you can’t get out of your head!?)

You can get a Latin Dictionary that, for example because I think I speak English >;) , goes Latin to English AND then English to Latin. You could also pick up a missel / hymnal in Latin and English (or another language besides English); my favourite being ‘Saint Edmund Campion Missal & Hymnal for the Traditional Latin Mass’ by Rev Frances X Lasance (imprimatur 1945) c2013 Pere Pierre Production. Its literally and figuratively, a heavy tome. If you really want to get into Latin, look into a language course. Many homeschool, commercial curriculums usually has the basics is they are Christian based (see Cathy Duffy).

If you are a bit hesitant still, Msgr George J Moorman has a book (imprimatur 2007 by Msgr David Kagan JCL) “The Latin Mass Explained” which is packed full of tiny details in addition to giving key phrases in Latin and their time (and English equiv).  Maria Montessori (early childhood educator) published a book long ago geared towards children ‘ The Mass Explained to Children’ with simple line drawings and simple explanations. This is not a picture book and should be used with parental guidance to answer questions as they arise or if you are an adult and just want a quick course, this will be perfect. A few more links:

https://sanctamissa.org/en/faq/newcomers-to-the-traditional-latin-mass.html

https://www.learnreligions.com/what-to-know-about-traditional-latin-mass-4068352

https://fssp.com/why-the-extraordinary-form/

http://www.latinliturgy.com/lmtexts.html

You can seach youtube of course or go to http://livemass.net/ for Mass of the Day and Sunday Mass. You even have the choice of live stream. Repeat and stay with it would be my suggested course of action.