4 Months Plus

It's been a little more than 4 months since I started going to the traditional Latin Mass. I have to be honest. I thought perhaps after a few weeks, the novelty would wear off and I would go back to the Novus Ordo. After so many years of hearing the Mass in English, would I tire of listening to Latin?

The answer is a resounding "no!". Au contraire, I find myself being more and more drawn into the Mass. When I wear my veil, my peripheral vision is blocked which makes me focus more intensely on the actions on the altar. All my senses are engaged in the unbloody sacrifice taking place. I feel the angels coming down to surround our Lord as the priest changes the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ.

I have often heard that the Latin Mass does not allow for active participation. Phooey! I have to concentrate even harder to pray the Mass along with the priest. So what if I am not saying most of the prayers out loud? How often in the Novus Ordo do we recite the prayers like a bunch of robots on automatic pilot, never stopping to think about the words? I feel more engaged than I ever did at the NO because it is not so easy to just slide by.

I also find it interesting that the Novus Ordo is called the Ordinary Form and the Tridentine Mass is called the Extraordinary Form. I know what the intention is of those names. But as we know those words in English have different connotations. Ordinary can mean the usual but it can also mean the humdrum. Extraordinary can just denote an addition to the ordinary or something that is different and special.

For me, I'll take the extraordinary over the ordinary any day of the week.