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Liturgy

Photo by M. K. Spencer.
Here are the links to my writings on liturgy:

Popularity of the Latin Liturgy is Not "Unfortunate"

  "How I came to love the traditional liturgy is similar to the experience of other TLM Millennials. It mirrored the experience of the Israelites in the book of Nehemiah: Upon their return from exile they wept after having read the law for the first time.
Like the Israelites, I mourned. I mourned for the loss of the traditional liturgy. But rejoiced having entered into a deeper, richer, even more personal relationship through the structure of the old liturgy. I remember liturgies where I had the care of a young infant and all I could do was sit and watch and listen. Liturgical innovators of the recent past may object to my lack of “participation.” Yet such protests would fail to appreciate how beautiful sacred music, composed in the Church’s ancient past, can lift us up in prayer. I went from pacing with a child in the very back to kneeling at the sanctuary and receiving the Eucharist on my tongue. The tradition drew me to itself. It was not about me at all; it was about it. Further, that is what liturgy is about. It is not about whether it is “accessible to man.” It is about man worshiping God."

Six Reasons to take your Family to Daily Mass as Often as Possible

 "My husband and I have been going to daily Mass together since we were dating, and while having children makes it more difficult, but it is totally worth it. We don’t make it everyday (and usually attempt to sleep in on Saturdays), but even two or three times a week makes a huge difference for us. In our years of going to daily Mass I have seen a number of moms and their kids at daily Mass, but rarely do I see the whole family there..." 

The Beautiful Liturgy of Baseball

 "It is October in Minnesota, and I can’t help but notice and admire beautiful things. I love the bright flame colored trees, the decorative gourds, the last harvest of tomatoes, the taste of chocolate chip pumpkin bread, a hot cup of tea, and baseball. Yes, baseball is a beautiful thing. It also helps to be a St. Louis native and Cardinal fan this October. I have loved baseball as long as I have been conscious of it. It was a love passed down to me from my family in St. Louis..."

How to Actively Participate at Any Mass

"When the Second Vatican Council discussed the liturgy and produced the document Sacrosanctum Concilium, the active participation of the faithful was something they were strongly considering. It has always been a concern with the Church. Even after the Council of Trent when Catholicism was such a part of everyday life, lay catechization on the liturgy was considered to be important. By the early 19th century, secularism had spread across Europe, and the liturgical movement began. It was from the fruits of that movement that the council fathers sought to help the laity understand the liturgy..."

 

The Holy Quiet of the Low Mass

"It is 7:30 AM on a cool Autumn Sunday. A small group has gathered for morning Mass. The church is quiet and still. The bell rings and the people stand as Father and the two small altar boys enter the sanctuary. They kneel at the foot of the altar and the low Mass begins. The church is still quiet and still. Kyrie Eleison. From time to time (at the place the rubrics indicate), the priest speaks in a louder, clear voice, but always returns to the still small voice of the Extraordinary Form low Mass..."

 Devotion to the Latin Mass Isn't Fad or "Fashion"

"It seems that younger Catholics devotion to the EF is a trend, but many devotions start as “trends.” Someone starts doing something, and they share it with a friend, and then all of a sudden many people are praying a certain prayer. That is the way tradition works in the Church. Something becomes popularized and then sometimes it becomes universal.However, I would not describe my own love of and devotion to the EF as a whim of my youth or an “addiction.” I would describe what happened in me as more of a revelation..."

Both Masses of the Roman Rite are Tradition

"As is usual in articles about the liturgy, there was division in the comments on my articles about devotion to the old Mass and about participation in the Mass from people who prefer the Extraordinary Form and from those who prefer the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite. This is my attempt to find a balance between the two sides, and be open to the whole of the Church’s traditions..."