Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Fr. James Schall, S.J. On The Latin Mass


Fr. Z does an excellent job in providing a magnification and illumination of Fr. James Schall's awsome article regarding his life long experience with the Latin Mass. Read it in total (here)


On September 14, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Benedict’s
Motu Proprio takes effect. Any priest can then, if he wishes or is requested,
celebrate Mass in Latin according to the latest Tridentine Latin form. This
permission is not to be seen as somehow taking away something from those who
still prefer the vernacular, as no doubt many will prefer. While there are not a
few who look upon this decree as "conservative," or "back-going," I fail to see
why giving me the permission to say Mass in another language is somehow a
"narrowing" of my freedom. If I say you can say Mass in any language but French,
that does not expand but it narrows my liberty. The pope is not saying that
anyone "must" say or attend a Tridentine Mass, bur rather that if someone wants
to say or attend Mass in that form, well and good. If I can go to Mass any
Sunday in Spanish, as I can, why cannot I go in Latin, which is the remote
source of Spanish? [Bingo.]

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