A desire for the Sacred

One of the weakest arguments that I have heard from the anti-extraordinary form Mass camp is: that the Extraordinary Form of the Mass, aka the Tridentine Mass, isn't the most ancient or even that "good" of a Mass and therefore folks that support it or desire it... are simply jumping on a bandwagon. They accuse devotees of the Extraordinary Form of being "Rad Trads" or Radical Traditionalists, meaning that they believe folks who desire this form of the Mass are simply being Catholic Elitists.

This is an unfair, uncharitable, and incorrect assumption on the behalf of these accusers. In fact, most folks that desire the Mass in the Usus Antiquior do so because they feel disconnected from the Sacred, while celebrating the Mass at their parish. Many who attend the EF Mass don't do so out of pride, an eclectic affinity for latin, a particular fondness for the theological meaning of the rubrics of that Mass, or anything complicated like that. Instead, many folks are simply desiring the Sacred.

Although the Mass isn't about us, our attendance and worship at Mass is our chance to encounter the Sacred. It is the source and summit of our Christian life, and is a small slice of "Heaven on Earth."  Therefore, many people simply want the experience to be as close to the Sacred as possible. In the modern American Catholic Church, one can find themselves in a church built less than a decade ago, lacking stained glass, statues, icons, tile, confessionals, pillars, incense, traditional music, or any other traditional features that once created the "setting" of the Mass. I would argue that Catholicism is the SINGLE christian "denomination" that can appeal to all of the human senses, and yet rarely do we find a Mass that partakes in the traditions that appeal to all the senses... except in the Usus Antiquior.

When the Motu Proprio in 2007 was published, many Bishops explained that it was not in fact a set of doors thrown open, signaling a resurgence in the celebration of the Extraordinary Form. Instead, they spoke of how "complicated" the rubrics were and how many parishes were not designed for "this type of Mass." They spoke in terms of complexity and a fear that many would seek to justify the means with an end. Ironically, this is in fact how many see the Ordinary Form nowadays in their parish. With liturgical abuse run rampant, theologically incorrect homilies, and protestant music run amok, it is no wonder that folks desire a form of the Mass that strives for the Sacred.

There is something to be said to the fact that whenever a parish offers the EF, families flock to it in droves. They flock to a Mass that isn't in our native language, that doesn't offer a "role" for throngs of the faithful, where the priest "doesn't face the people", and various other attacks that are often placed upon the EF. Its popularity comes from a desire for the Sacred. Bishops and priests would do well to learn from this, rather than fight against it. A perfect opportunity exists with the new missal translation. Things will change with its implementation. Bishops should seize that opportunity and reclaim the Sacred. Not for the people, not for popularity's sake, but for the fact that God is deserved of our attempt at creating the Sacred in our churches and he is deserved of sacred worship.