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3 Ways to Mess up with the (Latin) Mass

In my experience of the Mass of St. Gregory (from henceforth to incorrectly be referred to as the "Latin Mass") there is a heavenly host of graces which abundantly bless the souls of the faithful. The beauty, depth, and direction of the Mass are of inestimable value. But, BUT, like any endeavour which involves fallen humanity, the Latin Mass, or any Mass/Divine Liturgy, can be soured if one does not check oneself. Based on my experience, here are three ways to mess up the Mass:

1) Be a Know-it-All

I have many wonderful, devoted, and insightful friends involved with the Latin Mass. I recently tried reaching out and talking to a couple of other people who attend the same Mass, yet whom I would've never seen myself talking to before. I raised the topic with them of a recent video I saw explaining some of the issues in the Church today (FYI: A Taylor Marshall video). Immediately I was met with: "Yeah, I couldn't even watch 30 minutes of him... he doesn't know anything about imperialism. Ridiculous! Imperialism is blah blah blah..." And thus I lost any desire to talk to these people ever again. It took less than 30 seconds of conversation. Why? They were being know-it-alls. I am willing to admit there are many things I need to learn about. For instance, this "imperialism" topic. I am not well-read on the modern debate surrounding it (nor, to be frank, do I really care). And yes, I've studied political philosophy in great depth (including Aquinas). It doesn't matter. Being a know-it-all is a tremendous turn off. 

2) Be Unbalanced

"Lord, may I have balance and measure in everything... except love." Thus writes St. Jose Maria Escriva. Look, we must put our all into the Mass. This includes serving, singing, decorating, spiritually preparing, and even dressing ourselves, to the best of our abilities. Further, these small "talents" of ours must be done in accord with the deep theological traditions of the Church. Otherwise we lose efficacy and, essentially, wander around cluelessly like the Israelites in the desert. Yet love for the Mass must not get in the way of common sense with living. "Ite Missa Est" means we are commissioned (not simply "dismissed"). Thus the Mass must act, and balance, our entire lives. And let me repeat, our lives must be balanced with common sense. 

I'll give you an example. I heard that some people do not necessarily feed their children before a 9am Mass. Say what? I understand the importance of the Mass. It is the "source and summit" of our day, week, and entire lives (Lumen Gentium 11). But come on! Children NEED to eat when they wake up. Otherwise, you are inflicting their hungry wrath on every last person at Mass. And it's not the child's fault. Feed your child! This is an example of being unbalanced. The Mass is most important. And there should be sacrifice involved in attending Mass. It's not easy, for instance, to attend a two hour Corpus Christi Mass at 5:15pm on a beautiful Thursday in June with fidgety children. Such a sacrifice would be abundantly bless by Our Lord. But to forgo a simple balance in life such as feeding your children, one that can be easily attained, is a means to souring the graces of the Mass. 

3) Be Grumpy Cat

Our own family has experienced something that we never would have thought much about before. That is, years ago we attended a Latin Mass. We found out that after Mass each Sunday the parishioners go downstairs for a quick coffee/snack and socializing. So we went down. Immediately we were sought out by a married couple. They introduced themselves, asked questions about ourselves (little did they know that I used to go to this parish in my university days... long before they were even Catholic), and authentically expressed a joy that we were here, with the hope of seeing us back soon. It made all the difference in the world that these people had reached out to us.

Last week, while we were attending the Latin Mass at this same church, I did something I never ever would have done before. I saw a couple at Mass whom I had never seen before. It turns out they weren't even Catholic. After Mass they went down to the basement for a cup of coffee. I turned to my wife and said, "Wife," says I, "we should go introduce ourselves to that couple over there." Wife readily agreed. And so we did. I thank the people who did the same to us years earlier. Sometimes in life it's the little things.

No one wants to hang out with grumpy cat. Be joyful. I think of the one man I know who, just days after finally acquiring a small herd of buffalo, had the herd drown in a swamp. The next morning at coffee time post-Mass, though he clearly was devastated, it seemed he was the one who was trying to console others over the tragedy of the dead buffalo. What a lesson in joy. We all have terrible days. Or weeks. Heck, even years. But sanctifying others should not be by being a thorn in their side. Be joyful. Or at least don't be grumpy.

And so...

These three mini-rants all come from my experience of attending the Latin Mass. They might sound harsh, whereas really they are not intended to be. I would just like to leave off with one other thing I noticed last week while attending the Latin Mass. I took our little two year old to the back of the church because she was being fussy. I looked up to pray and what I saw was unmistakable. I saw men everywhere. MEN. Yes there were children, mothers and grandmothers there. But really what stood out was just how many men there were. Many had a baby in one hand, and a Missal in the other. They were praying and rearing. All in the same breath. There is something truly special and life-giving about this Latin Mass.

Hence, I say: let's be careful to not mess it up.