Daily Mass
When I was working, before I developed some health issues, I got to the office between 6:30AM and 7AM and often worked until 6PM. I wasn’t able to get to daily Mass, but my habit of prayer, rising around 4AM was centered upon the Mass, my daily Lectio taken from the readings of the day.
I grew accustomed to attending Mass at the church of St. Agnes in St. Paul because the Mass was always well celebrated, and I liked it that the priest faced the altar, communion was received kneeling, etc. By preference, I avoided Mass at more liberal parishes where they used altar girls, distributed communion standing and in the hand, etc. You get the picture.
Lately, I started going to daily Mass at my local parish in Minneapolis. There is a new pastor there since I last attended - he’s a good Catholic priest, and a former military chaplain. It’s a typical “Novus Ordo” parish - they pray the Our Father holding hands, greet each other at the sign of peace, but everything done is permitted and Mass is celebrated with the priest vested and conducted with dignity.
I realized how much I had been denying myself by not attending daily Mass in my own neighborhood, because I preferred a more traditional liturgy.
I sit off to the side, towards the back of the church, hence I see the faithful people who lived through a very liberal, somewhat tyrannical pastor, who broke all of the rules. (That’s when I stopped going there.) These people didn’t stop going to daily Mass. I marveled at their perseverance, their daily fidelity. Many look much older after 6 years, of course, they were pretty old when I knew them before. They are delighted with their new pastor.
I realized that the Mass is the Mass - Tridentine rite or Novus Ordo, to stop daily Mass because you are not happy with the way the rite is conducted, is an error I believe. It’s not a sin to miss daily Mass, yet one is depriving oneself of communicating intimately, “bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh” with Christ. Jesus says in the Gospel, “whoever feeds on me will have life because of me!” “Feeds” - these folks daily feed upon the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus…they came to him daily, despite any liturgical abuses, despite not liking the pastor, and maybe despite the fact they may have preferred the traditional Mass of their youth.
They recognized the gift of God. I’m so grateful to be able to attend daily Mass once again. I’m so grateful for the gift of the priesthood, making it possible for me to receive the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus. I am so going to try and keep my eyes fixed upon Jesus, not so much on how Mass is celebrated, or the lifestyle, behavior, or theology of the priest, but upon Jesus, who inspires and perfects our faith.
I know some trads who will no longer attend the Novus Ordo Mass, and insist upon only attending the indult Mass, even if it is just on Sunday. A few will not even stop to visit the Blessed Sacrament in a NO church, because they have a doubt as to whether or not the Eucharist was truly confect-ed at a NO Mass. That is just sad. I know of at least one person like this who has completely lost the faith, I believe in part, because of her prejudice.
Keep the faith, try to attend daily Mass, or at least visit the Blessed Sacrament when you can. The Devil is very seductive and will use any argument to dissuade people from attending Holy Mass.
“I am the living bread come down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread I will give is my Flesh for the life of the world.” - John 6
April 27th, 2007 at 11:35 am
The Evil One will do anything to keep souls from the Bread of Life. Daily Mass sustains us in this valley of tears. The Post–Synodal Ap. Ex. stresses how important it is for priests to offer the Holy Sacrifice daily. Maybe I will write something about that. You always inspire me, dear Terry.
April 27th, 2007 at 11:52 am
Thank you for the reminder, we all need to hear this from time to time. God Bless..
April 27th, 2007 at 1:52 pm
A-MEN!
There are people in my parish who’ve been there for 50 years of more. They stayed thru the wreckovation of the parish and a former pastor who was not orthodox. Things are much better now. But, I’m in awe, just awed, by their resilience, endurance and patience.
It shames me because I’m not sure I would have that kind of Faith, Hope or Love.
April 27th, 2007 at 1:58 pm
peace be with you!
April 27th, 2007 at 4:50 pm
May I reprint 75 or 100 million of these and get them to all American Catholics. We can talk about foreign reprint rights later.
That is so great, Terry.
Speaking only for myself, I have created the “Ray from MN” rite and if Mass doesn’t meet that standard, I don’t go; or I might go and scowl all the way through it.
And I don’t go to my closest church that I could walk to, and I sure could use the exercise, because it doesn’t meet my standards.
Talk about Arrogance! Talk about Pride!
And you raise the issue of the humility and the steadfastness of those who attend Mass daily, no matter how it is celebrated. They do that because they know Jesus is there.
I made one of my occasional visits to a dissident parish last weekend (a different one from the one you are thinking of) and I was horrified by what I saw.
And I saw lots of elderly people there who were seeing Jesus, I would bet. I didn’t see Him.
April 28th, 2007 at 12:05 am
GREAT post!
In my town we have no choice but to attend the NO Mass in a “round” church with no kneelers, etc. But…it’s still Jesus I am receiving in Communion and it’s still Jesus who forgives my sins in Confession.
April 28th, 2007 at 8:06 am
The liturgy at my parish isn’t perfect, but at least my priest is an orthodox fellow and celebrates reverently.
From talking with Father, who is an emphatically stick-to-the-book kind of priest, I have the impression that previous leadership may have gone off on some unapproved tangents, because Father appears to have the unenviable task of having to reconfigure the liturgy back in line with the GIRM. So if he’s getting enough heat from some who don’t like his changes, I really don’t want to add to his headaches by complaining from the other side of the spectrum. In any case, the archdiocese as a whole is in the middle of a two-year process of liturgical renewal; we’ll have to see what happens.
April 28th, 2007 at 9:51 am
I agree. I know of too many traditionalists who stopped going to Mass because they could not stand the abuses. One must stay close to the Eucharist, no matter what.
April 30th, 2007 at 6:50 am
“I know of at least one person like this who has completely lost the faith, I believe in part, because of her prejudice.”
If you’re referring to me, dear TN, you’re wrong. Had nothing to do with my being traditional and everything to do with what the Church actually teaches in it’s doctrines. I’ve told you this before, most Catholics do not really want to deal with what the Church really teaches (traditional Catholicism) so they accept the prettied up new stuff. Trust me, now, I much prefer people like you over say..others I once walked with. Still, they are more Catholic than most Catholics..heck most clergy.