Concerning the Mass
Well, I'm just transferring this mini-debate over to my journal since Miriam seems to freak out every time I mention this subject in her journal...
Let's see here:
I said:
They can't understand the importance of the Mass if it looks like a Protestant worship service... Change the Mass back to the Catholic Mass and people will go.
God Bless!
Miriam responded:
*shakes head* David.......*mumbles* whatever.
I responded:
Ah, well, you can't say anything to the contrary since history is against you... How else can you explain such a massive mass attendance reduction?
God Bless!
heyyoimjohnny replied:
It's the failure of priests and failure on the part of the people to understand the Mass, not the Mass itself.
You can if you'd like, but it seems quite a simple matter. I experience it firsthand and see it all over my state. Unorthodox priests who don't sucessfully teach the teachings of the Church drive people away and just... cause them not to care. People don't understand, and I really don't think changing the Mass would make them understand better.
Ok, so now I'll respond to these final claims...
Well, of course any idiot can see that priests and the people don't understand the Mass. If priests don't understand the Mass, they of course would not teach the people the proper Catholic doctrine. However, these are effects of a cause; and what is this cause? 50 years ago priests and laymen alike understood the Mass and Mass attendance was incredibly high. What has caused this to change?
It is grossly false to state that the Mass is something easily misunderstood; the Catholic Mass is not so, because it expresses its truths (i.e. of the sacrifice of the Mass, of the Real Presence, etc.) in a very clear and tangible manner. This is how the Tridentine Mass is; every gesture of the priest expresses what the Mass is unmistakably. Thus, even the illiterate, non-intellectual peasants of the 17th century could understand what the Mass was. However, now the Novus Ordo Mass lacks this clarity; it contains no longer the gestures or prayers that would indicate to the faithful what the Mass is, thus since they pray as Protestants, they begin to believe as Protestants, and if the Mass isn't anything special anymore (since it's just a Protestant service now), then the faithful have no reason to go.
God Bless!
Let's see here:
I said:
They can't understand the importance of the Mass if it looks like a Protestant worship service... Change the Mass back to the Catholic Mass and people will go.
God Bless!
Miriam responded:
*shakes head* David.......*mumbles* whatever.
I responded:
Ah, well, you can't say anything to the contrary since history is against you... How else can you explain such a massive mass attendance reduction?
God Bless!
heyyoimjohnny replied:
It's the failure of priests and failure on the part of the people to understand the Mass, not the Mass itself.
You can if you'd like, but it seems quite a simple matter. I experience it firsthand and see it all over my state. Unorthodox priests who don't sucessfully teach the teachings of the Church drive people away and just... cause them not to care. People don't understand, and I really don't think changing the Mass would make them understand better.
Ok, so now I'll respond to these final claims...
Well, of course any idiot can see that priests and the people don't understand the Mass. If priests don't understand the Mass, they of course would not teach the people the proper Catholic doctrine. However, these are effects of a cause; and what is this cause? 50 years ago priests and laymen alike understood the Mass and Mass attendance was incredibly high. What has caused this to change?
It is grossly false to state that the Mass is something easily misunderstood; the Catholic Mass is not so, because it expresses its truths (i.e. of the sacrifice of the Mass, of the Real Presence, etc.) in a very clear and tangible manner. This is how the Tridentine Mass is; every gesture of the priest expresses what the Mass is unmistakably. Thus, even the illiterate, non-intellectual peasants of the 17th century could understand what the Mass was. However, now the Novus Ordo Mass lacks this clarity; it contains no longer the gestures or prayers that would indicate to the faithful what the Mass is, thus since they pray as Protestants, they begin to believe as Protestants, and if the Mass isn't anything special anymore (since it's just a Protestant service now), then the faithful have no reason to go.
God Bless!