touching base

I haven't posted since September. But that doesn't mean I haven't been practicing my recovered Catholic faith!

Because of my scholarly background, I've always been drawn to Latin and Greek. So, I was delighted when Pope Benedict XVI liberated the Traditional Latin Mass. I'm not what you would call a Latin-only person, or even a traditionalist really. But I have attended the Extraordinary Form Mass on weekends non-stop since I first visited it on Thanksgiving weekend. I also picked up a 1962 Roman Missal.

The outstanding Summorum Pontificum edition of the 1962 Roman Missal (1962), published by Baronius Press, not only has the Mass in Latin (with English on opposite pages), but it also has a treasury of wonderful daily prayers, Sunday Vespers, Compline and a lot of other great stuff. And it's in a handy size.

I'm sounding like an advertisement. But this is really a wonderful Missal. I recommend it highly for anybody who wants to explore Catholic faith and spirituality.

The traditionalists complain a lot about the various prayers that were omitted from the Novus Ordo Mass, and actually they have a point. I was Eastern Orthodox once upon a time, and one of my favorite prayers was a personal preparation-for-communion prayer that spoke of my unworthiness to have the Lord enter under the roof of the house of my soul. It really emphasized for me the enormity of what is taking place during communion - i.e. that the Eucharist is the self-giving of the God of all creation, communing with me. I always thought: "Wow, the Orthodox have all the cool prayers. I never learned anything like this when I was Catholic"

But guess what? A variation of the same prayer has been part of Catholic prayer since undoubtedly before the East-West split.

Here it is in the Traditional Latin Mass:

Lord, I am not worthy that Thou shouldst enter under my roof; say but the word, and my soul shall be healed.

That's said once before the priest's communion, and three times before the people's communion.

Here it is in the "Devotions for Communion" prayers from the 1962 Missal (mentioned above):

Come then, O Jesus, take possession of a heart that wishes to belong to Thee. "Behold, God, this house of my heart is too narrow for Thee: do Thou enlarge it; it is falling to ruin; do Thou repair it; it has been defiled by sin: do Thou cleanse and purify it. "Look Thou upon me, and have mercy on me. Oh, heal my soul for I have sinned against Thee! Let Thy tender mercies come unto me, and I shall live! Lord, I am not worthy that Thou shouldst enter under my roof; say but the word, and my soul shall be healed."

The Orthodox don't have all the cool prayers. We have them too. But we've streamlined the Mass. In the new Mass, we simply say: "Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed." - nothing about coming under my roof or even about my soul.

I think we really have lost something with the streamlining of the prayers at Mass. This doesn't mean that I think the new Mass is invalid. It just means that I think the Extraordinary Form is much more extraordinary than the Ordinary Form is. I'm glad to have it back.