- Feb 5, 2002
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I only ski every three years, and this week was one of those years. I did two days in a row up in Summit Co., CO. My brother in law’s parents were kind enough to let me use their home. The above is a picture of my travel Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) kit set up in their home. I was alone in that home most of the time there. (One buddy who joined me one day for skiing attended one Mass in there, and did well in attending it even though he goes normally to both Masses.)
I mention he “did well” because that is not something that just goes without saying. Many times people ask me to come offer Mass for their movie set or family reunion or in their home. They often invite relatively-pious non-traditionalists who make the mistake of believing that because they go to Mass every Sunday, they are truly ready to attend the TLM. I suppose these conservative non-traditionalists erroneously believe they are approaching a reverent Novus Ordo Mass (NOM)—but just in the Latin language.
They could not be farther from the truth. The reason I call this blog post “The TLM Is Not the Place to Teach the TLM” is because I keep hurting the feelings of non-trads who try to attend my low Mass. They are somehow unaware that I’m not going to get into canonical debates on supplied jurisdiction just before Mass starts, or explain to them that shorts and yoga-leggings are not okay at Mass, or tell them I’m not going to correct on phones going off during Mass, or that they can’t be chewing gum right before Mass, or even that they must sit/stand/kneel at very different times in the TLM than even the reverent NOM.
Not only do I believe the NOM is valid, but I readily admit that there are thousands of people across the globe attending the NOM who are much holier than me. But the catechesis needed for even them to move from the NOM to the TLM takes a lot longer than 15 minutes before Mass starts. And it’s hurting way too many egos of non-traditional conservatives approaching my low Mass for me to explain this is not the English Mass in Latin or the Spanish Mass in Latin. It’s an entirely different ballgame, and it takes an entirely different understanding of the Faith Jesus Christ established to attend the old Mass. (If you think this sounds like the heresy of Donatism, please read the first sentence of this paragraph again.)
Continued below.
www.padreperegrino.org
I mention he “did well” because that is not something that just goes without saying. Many times people ask me to come offer Mass for their movie set or family reunion or in their home. They often invite relatively-pious non-traditionalists who make the mistake of believing that because they go to Mass every Sunday, they are truly ready to attend the TLM. I suppose these conservative non-traditionalists erroneously believe they are approaching a reverent Novus Ordo Mass (NOM)—but just in the Latin language.
They could not be farther from the truth. The reason I call this blog post “The TLM Is Not the Place to Teach the TLM” is because I keep hurting the feelings of non-trads who try to attend my low Mass. They are somehow unaware that I’m not going to get into canonical debates on supplied jurisdiction just before Mass starts, or explain to them that shorts and yoga-leggings are not okay at Mass, or tell them I’m not going to correct on phones going off during Mass, or that they can’t be chewing gum right before Mass, or even that they must sit/stand/kneel at very different times in the TLM than even the reverent NOM.
Not only do I believe the NOM is valid, but I readily admit that there are thousands of people across the globe attending the NOM who are much holier than me. But the catechesis needed for even them to move from the NOM to the TLM takes a lot longer than 15 minutes before Mass starts. And it’s hurting way too many egos of non-traditional conservatives approaching my low Mass for me to explain this is not the English Mass in Latin or the Spanish Mass in Latin. It’s an entirely different ballgame, and it takes an entirely different understanding of the Faith Jesus Christ established to attend the old Mass. (If you think this sounds like the heresy of Donatism, please read the first sentence of this paragraph again.)
Continued below.
The TLM Is Not the Place to Teach the TLM
I only ski every three years, and this week was one of those years. I did two days in a row up in Summit Co., CO. My brother in law's parents were kind enough to let me use their home. The above is a picture of my travel Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) kit set up
www.padreperegrino.org
