Category: Catholic (Page 2 of 3)

In my Traditional Latin Mass series, I shared something that happens after Latin Mass. As a new attendee (December 2020) in my late-40’s and having attended the Novus Ordo since birth, what happens after Latin Mass was confusing for me. So confusing, I almost made a fool of myself and now, I treasure these moments.

What could possibly happen after Latin Mass that is so interesting someone would blog about it? Well, since I haven’t seen this happen in a Novus Ordo Mass (at any of the dozens of churches I have attended), it warrants a post. I have attended Novus Ordo in many states and have never seen such a sight. So let me share it with you.

When we attended the Latin Mass for the first time on the first day of Advent 2020, we went with friends who helped us throughout the Mass. I recommend that if you go, you either watch videos and go with friends who attend (or even a mentor), or watch the videos ALL THE WAY through. Many have their Masses online now, thanks to COVID so you have an opportunity to watch every aspect, with the exception of the communion rail (although some do show this).

I watched some videos on the Latin Mass, to include how to receive on the tongue, prior to attending. I noticed immediately that Mass was similar to what I had been participating in my whole life. Kneeling, standing, sitting, etc. I was concerned about receiving on the tongue, NOT because of disease transmission, and believe me, as a germaphobe, I am always concerned about germs. I was mostly concerned that I would look stupid, the Eucharist would drop, I would not stick my tongue out enough, etc.

I needed to feel confident that I would be able to receive on the tongue so this was very important to me. It was not at all a concern of my husband or children. I guess I was overthinking it. The good thing is, the parish newsletter actually published information on how to receive the Eucharist on the tongue not long after we began attending.

Back to my story.

As I stated in my one of my TLM posts, I felt alone and isolated during the Mass but I had no idea the changes that were occurring in my family. It would be weeks before I would feel “at home.” I was okay with that because I wanted to see and believe that the Latin Mass was for my family.

So I sat through Mass, grasping at all the pieces I recognized and found comfort in them. I tried to ignore the areas that felt out of place or I didn’t understand. The communion rail was so much easier than I had anticipated and it moved along so quickly. It was perfect order and I loved that only the priest offered me the Eucharist.

At my Novus Ordo parish, people would flock to the priest or deacon and that line was always much longer. I wonder why so many want to receive from the priest? Is it just merely the location in the pews or do they have an underlying desire (from the Holy Spirit) to receive from the priest?

It was clear when the Mass ended. We all kneeled and performed the Sign of the Cross. Then the priest went to the Gospel side of the Altar and it looked like he just stood there for a while and then everyone kneeled briefly as the priest kneeled. The music began and the priest and altar boys began to recess out of the church. That’s when it happened.

Not a single person moved. No one rushed out of the pew. It was the strangest thing. Everyone was singing or just listening. When I attend Novus Ordo with my parents, as soon as the priest passes them, they bolt out of the pew. I used to do so with them, but then I started staying until the song was over (usually one verse).

It annoyed my parents but they didn’t say anything to me about it (except to mock me occasionally by calling me “holy”). They would meet us at IHOP anyway so they left as usual and my family stayed. Sometimes my sister would stay too and I loved that.

So why were the people staying in the pews at the Latin Mass? Did they not have a breakfast/brunch to go to? Did they not have a football game, kids soccer or something else to attend to? I thought to myself, “How respectful to the choir and organist. I guess we need to wait until after the verse to head out.” Four verses later and everyone was still in the pew.

Hmmmmm…

Once all the verses had been sung, I was shocked at what I observed. Instead of people bolting out of the pews, everyone kneeled. I was surrounded! There was no way I could get out of the pew! It was almost like I was a hostage…except not really since we had the aisle and could scoot out at anytime but then we would be noticed.

So we kneeled. I wondered what everyone was doing. Now I know but at the time, I was confused. I want more people to experience what I have but so many have their eyes and ears shut. They don’t want to see anything beyond what they know. I didn’t either until it was placed on my heart. I pray the Lord places it on your heart, before this is gone. Before all the bishops follow the demands of the pope.

I ask you…why take this away? What benefit is it?

There would be few people at my Novus Ordo church that kneeled after Mass. If they did, they couldn’t concentrate because those that did stay, would begin talking in the pews with each other, sharing about the football game or whatever they felt like talking about and laughing loudly.

The same thing would happen as you entered the church. If you wanted to kneel and pray before Mass began, there wasn’t silence. There certainly wasn’t any priest telling the parishioners not to talk when they enter. There was no bulletin to remind people of the proper reverence due to God by being silent in the pews while people prayed. There was no instruction at all.

So I found it just as shocking that the more we attended the Latin Mass, we heard the rosary being recited as we entered the church. People were kneeling and praying the rosary together. So we began to come earlier so we could pray with them at the start instead of joining in the middle.

Unfortunately, we have had to stop this practice because there is not enough time to pray the full rosary prior to the Mass. Why? Because we have FIVE Sunday Masses with a half hour in-between! There isn’t enough time to pray the rosary AND prepare yourself for Mass. The priests didn’t want to stop the rosary but the rosary was going right up to the processional. That can’t happen either.

We have FIVE Sunday Masses that are nearly packed. It’s not a tiny church but it’s not as big as our Novus Ordo parish. I’m not sure many of you can imagine sitting through every Mass when it feels like Christmas and Easter at those Masses. Packed in the pews like sardines. If only you can imagine.

So what do we do when we kneel after Mass? We pray. We thank God for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. We don’t ask God for things like health, a better job, etc. We THANK Him. And now, I beg the Lord that this isn’t taken us, because that’s what the pope wants. Pray for us. If you don’t agree with the Latin Mass, pray that it’s not suppressed. It will not affect you. No one is pushing this on you.

I’ll end with this…please try it. What do you have to lose? It might just bring you closer to God in ways you could never comprehend. Maybe that scares you? Maybe it scares you that you will learn to be more accountable to God and then desire it?

Recommendations for when you attend Latin Mass for the first time:
Watch the Mass online before you go
Watch videos on how to receive the Eucharist on the tongue
Read about what happens at a Latin Mass
Use the Missal or handbook that all churches have to help you through it
Don’t worry you don’t know Latin, it’s all in the Missal and you will recognize many parts depending on the liturgical season outside of just the Kyrie, Alleluia, Gospel, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei.

I pray you try it out. Give it five Sundays or two months? Make this your Lenten journey! You can sit with us!

Continuing with my blogs on the journey to the Latin Mass, I was texting with a friend last night and came to a conclusion. Veiling, is the gateway “drug” to the Latin Mass. I say this jokingly; however, it was certainly true for several of us who were in the same parish and were one of the few that started “veiling” around 2016.

By 2020, we were all at the Latin Mass. I took the longest to make the journey to TLM.

2016 was also the first planning year for the Catholic Women’s Conference of Denver. Our Inaugural conference was Lent 2017. It was beautiful. It was at our parish as well and there were quite a few women wearing a veil at the Mass.

I saw a friend wear a veil several times but not consistently at Sunday Mass and I began to pray about wearing a veil. I found the scripture for head coverings and did some research online about it. Then, for Christmas, my husband bought me two veils. An ivory one, and a blue one with black lace trim. It’s the one you see in the picture above (which is also in our old parish).

I didn’t immediately begin wearing the veils when my husband bought them. It took me a few weeks to finally gain the courage to wear it. I didn’t want to stand out or be gawked at, plus, I was afraid someone would ask me about why I was wearing a veil all of a sudden and I wasn’t confident I could defend my position.

However, one Sunday, I placed the veil on my head as I entered the church and never looked back. It was not awkward at all despite the fact that there were maybe one or two women wearing a veil at my parish at that time. I have always enjoyed tradition and learned that this was something my mother did as a child. It brought comfort knowing that it was something all women used to do, even if they felt it wasn’t a choice at the time.

If anyone asked, I began to defend my position simply by saying it’s a sign of humility, though I don’t remember anyone specifically asking. I believe I drafted that response so I would have something to say IF I was asked. As shared above, once I began wearing a veil, I never attended Mass without it on my head. The changes began almost immediately.

I was more focused, as I shared in my previous post. I felt more obedient to God and even though I sometimes felt children staring, mostly the little girls behind me who were curious, my heart swelled with love and not anxiety for standing out. I wanted more to see my example and cover their heads. It took time for other people to start but by the time I left the church (with the exception of COVID shutting everything down and no one attending), there were several more women veiling. Not much, but it was progress.

This is also one reason I took so long to leave our parish. We had been there for 15 years and loved it. We were heavily involved in it, our son attended school there, and it was truly our home but I wanted people to continue to see an example of reverence for the Lord. I knew women wanted to wear veils because at conferences, they would share they wanted to wear one but they were scared because so many women didn’t veil.

I was saddened to hear that peer pressure was literally stopping women from showing the due reverence to God. I offered for them to sit near me so they felt more comfortable. Occasionally, I would see someone near me with a veil on.

As the year progressed, I joined some online Facebook groups for women who wore veils. It was interesting to see how many women in the group were scared to wear their veil. Again, sadness over this fact overcame me. There was much encouragement in this particular group and more women became confident enough to do it.

Then the questions of “what do I wear when veiling” came up. Many women wanted to wear a veil but didn’t feel it was appropriate in jeans. I hadn’t really thought about that. I just wore my veil in whatever clothing I was wearing and I was NOT a dress/skirt wearer.

Within a year, I had a set of skirts for Mass. But something happened before that. Something huge! Something I was never taught and had rarely observed as a cradle Catholic.

I began kneeling to receive the Eucharist.

Soon after I began to kneel to receive my Lord and My God. The Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ, I began to do something even more shocking.

I received the Eucharist on my tongue.

Oh the shock!

Why on earth would I do that? What would possess me to receive Jesus directly on my tongue? Why would I kneel and receive?

What did the women in the Bible do when they saw Jesus? What did they do when they were in his presence? Especially the sinful women?

I think of the woman who washes Jesus’ feet with her tears and the anointing of His feet with expensive oil. He didn’t lean back and lift his feet to her. She dropped to her knees in His Presence.

In fact, when anyone faces God in the Bible, they drop to their face, which would mean, they are on their knees. Why on earth have I been presenting myself to our Lord on my feet? It was easy to kneel to receive Christ. It was harder to open my mouth to receive but I did it. It was a natural progression.

It was banned in 2020.

In fact, young children at my parish school who kneeled and opened their mouth to receive Christ instead of in their unconsecrated hands, were refused Christ. At first, told to receive on their hands and then bypassed altogether. Sacrilege!!

How could merely putting on a veil lead me to worship God in the way He has said to be worshipped? I provided the biblical basis above. Head coverings are in the Bible and it’s very easy to see that anyone in God’s presence falls to their knees. Does He need to spell it out for you?

It took about three years for this transformation to occur and then, no longer accepted in my parish because of the reverence and worship God wanted, I moved to the Latin Mass. I was accepted there in the ways I was already worshipping and I am still on a learning curve, especially when it comes to marriage and obedience within my home. This is another blog altogether.

My call to you is to try it. Go to Mass for two months wearing a veil consistently, every Sunday without removing it. Then come back and share your experiences.

So I will end with what we published in our 3rd Annual Catholic Women’s Conference of Denver Program.

Thinking about veiling at Mass? You are not alone!

Women are rediscovering this beautiful and sacred practice. The veil is an external sign of humility before God who is present in the Blessed Sacrament. For over 2000 years, Catholic women have worn some form of head coving in the Church for many reasons but the practice has always focused on our submission to Christ and his holiness.

“The veil is a visual sermon…a public proclamation before the Lord that He is the Lord and that we love him and that we are ready to obey him. It’s a totally counter-cultural statement proclaiming obedience in the midst of a culture that is totally permeated with the attitude of ‘I will not serve.'”

The veil is a sign of the great dignity inherent to a woman, who has the potential to receive life within herself…both human life and the supernatural life of God. This is an important message the world needs to hear, now more than ever!

This is the way.

My Latin Mass series isn’t technically over but I certainly haven’t blogged about it this year. I am actually quite surprised that this is my first blog of the year, but it is fitting. The Traditional Latin Mass is under attack, from within it’s own Church and the underlying complaint from “Catholics” is that the Mass needs to be in the vernacular and more modern. They want us to give up our “old, dead language” so everyone can understand and participate in the Mass. Guess what, if you go to another country, Mass is in the vernacular and you won’t understand it. The most offensive statement is that the Latin Mass is what we “prefer.”

Look, it’s not JUST about the Latin.

My family has been attending the Latin Mass for 14 months now. The changes that have occurred within our family are indescribable but I will do my best to share with all of you some of what I find most important about the Latin Mass. In order to do that, I ask that you open your mind to what you are about to read. I ask that you do not compare to what you have at your Mass or church because that’s your story, not mine and I want you to hear mine.

As I stated in my Latin Mass series, I succumbed to the TLM. I didn’t have an “ah-ha” moment where I just felt like this was the place to be from the moment I sat down. I had never felt more alone at the Latin Mass. It was odd but I followed my friend’s (priest) advice and went every Sunday for the next two months. I was hoping for something specific that would solidify this was the right place for me and what I came to find out was, it wasn’t about me at all.

I had come to the Latin Mass for an experience, one that would lead me closer to God, and one that I would “feel good” about. What I received was a wake up call. What I received was a more devout life and family. I began doing things I never thought I would do.

I truly believe though, that God placed me on this path and I became open to His Will and I firmly believe with everything I am made of, that this is God’s Will, even though it looks like the Latin Mass is about to be suppressed and anyone attending Latin Mass will be in schism. I never thought I would be facing schism. Why is this happening?

I was a Novus Ordo Catholic for 40+ years. I grew up in the Novus Ordo and never questioned anything there until I began attending Catholic Biblical School (I’m in my 4th year) and learned deeply about where the Catholic Faith came from and what God has revealed to us in Scripture about the Mass.

So it shouldn’t come as a surprise when I began to question what was being said during the liturgy (Mass) when things began to differ from all I had known for decades. I accepted the change of “Lord I am not worthy…,” merely because I asked my parents about this and they said, “those were the words we used to say.” So we were returning to the original translation or rather “tradition.”

But I was longing for the little bits of Latin that used to come every Advent and Lenten Seasons. Somehow, our pastor had removed the Latin and Greek (no more Kyrie or Sanctus). Why? Latin wasn’t used at every Mass but certainly was during Advent and Lent. The seasons came and went and every time I thought…”well, maybe next time?” But that next time never came and gradually, the organ was used less and less and was replaced with piano, guitars and multiple singers who were singing more secular-type songs than the ones I grew up with; which by the way, are considered non-sacred but I loved them. (On Eagles Wing’s, Be Not Afraid)

I had began veiling several years ago, despite only one or two veiling at the Mass; which led me to wearing more feminine clothing like skirts and dresses to Mass. Check out my post on veiling! This was when I started to see a transformation in me. The veil helped me to stay focused on what was happening at the altar. The veil was like blinders; which prevented me from the distractions around me, like hand-holding parishioners, the orans posture by parishioners, and children eating in the pews. These were all things I had seen over the years added by someone at some point with no push back.

Despite already veiling and dressing more appropriately for Mass, switching to the Latin Mass wasn’t that easy. I didn’t understand all aspects of the Mass so there was a learning curve, plus, I had never kneeled at a Communion Rail. Bringing a Latin Mass Missal really helped. I found that single best thing to understanding and learning the Latin Mass. But again, it’s not JUST the Latin.

I didn’t need to read or understand the Latin to feel like I participated in Mass, it was much deeper. I had to follow along very closely and learn all the chanting. I had to read each page of the Missal intently and that’s when I discovered so much more was happening during the Mass than I ever knew.

I also had to learn submission. The Bible is very clear on submission. I had to allow the priest to make the Sacrifice on MY behalf. It wasn’t my Sacrifice to begin with really, it was offered for us. The priest has a very specific role, just like they did in the Bible while they were in the Holy of Holies. Where is that, by the way, in the Novus Ordo Mass? Lay people walk all over the Sanctuary during the Mass and are allowed in all the same places as the priest. I don’t understand this. It would help you to understand Exodus. Re-read it, especially Exodus 25 and on.

I had to learn my place was in the pew, not up near the altar or tabernacle, not reading the readings or bringing up gifts. My place was to offer my own sacrifices as I am a priest, prophet and king but not in the same way the ministerial priest is. Learning submission and allowing the priest to do what they were commanded by God to do was humbling and I began to find much peace and contentment during the Mass then ever before.

I was wearing a veil, still “blinded” to what was going on around me but I didn’t have any worry about someone wanting to grab my hand to pray the Our Father. We were all focused on the same thing; the Sacrifice. I could adore the crucifix. I could offer more to God during the Mass than ever before! I found myself begging God to teach me how to love Him. I asked for forgiveness more. I asked for him to bring me closer to him and follow in His ways.

After receiving the Eucharist, I prayed the Acts of Confidence, Love, and Petitions. Prayers I had never seen before. Instead of asking God for all kinds of “things” after receiving, I had a better understanding of what I needed to do. God knows my needs and my wants, He will grant them as He sees fit.

Confession was even different. Questions were asked in the confessional and advice was given. I have had priests ask me questions before and provide advice so this was not new to me, but it was to my husband and adult son. The advice given was how to live more ordered toward God and how to do better in my vocations (wife and mother). Penances were more specific and more difficult. Instead of 3 Hail Mary’s, I was praying decades or full rosaries.

The sermons were quite different. They really made you think about what kind of person you want to be in God’s eyes. They were focused on eternity and how to live in the secular world when we have been set apart and shouldn’t live for this world. At the Novus Ordo, it was rare that any homily made you question your actions or thoughts so as not to offend you. It seemed God was so merciful, everyone would go to heaven. The Fear of the Lord didn’t seem apparent there but it was at the forefront of every Latin Mass.

There were other things that began to happen. I committed to praying the rosary every day. For the first time, I fasted seriously during Lent, having one meal a day for 40 days, no meat (not just on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday but every day), and more penances throughout lent. Our family began praying the Angelus. I recently started praying the morning prayers and am looking forward to adding evening prayers with a daily examination of conscience.

I created a home altar, added more crucifixes in my home and would like to have a crucifix on every wall at some point so no matter where I look, I will see Jesus. I have bought so many more rosaries and while I have about ten, it’s still not enough. I want to have one in every room, every bag, and every car so that I can pick up the rosary and pray at any time. I also have a ton more books and yes, I have Vatican II AND Vatican I documents, which I am reading.

I found myself defending my faith more and had the ability to, especially at work. I would not be bullied into anything that wasn’t Christ-centered. Modernism is an evil and I am fine being fired for standing up for my religious beliefs. Life is going to get hard as I will likely have to comply or quit. Oh well, we’re not made for this world. I’ll find something else. God will lead me.

I know it’s hard for some people to believe “oh well, God will lead me,” but I assure you, He will. I have this confidence because I have good and holy priests who will lead me into the fiery furnace and I would follow them, because they would die for the faith. God has also provided for us when we stand up for His truth, like when we pulled our son from his “Catholic” school 5 months before he was set to graduate and we were rewarded exponentially. When you put your faith and trust in God, He will provide for you.

There are things I miss about the Novus Ordo Mass but I could never go back. What I miss is just what I grew up with and that doesn’t exist where we were going to church for 15+ years. There might be other Novus Ordo Masses which have those things (some do) but it’s a new church and a new community and still doesn’t provide what the Latin Mass has provided for our family.

Some of you might be thinking, “I do all those things and more.” Maybe you are thinking, “our Novus Ordo is reverent and holy.” And yours might be, but out here, I haven’t found one that provides all these things. I haven’t found a Novus Ordo that uses only the organ, has only altar boys, has so few lay people involved, says the same prayers for the consecration, doesn’t deviate from the missal because the priest is tired or his back hurts, allows the congregation to receive the Eucharist on the tongue and actually knows how to distribute it this way, and will tell you that you need to do better because hell is real and people go there! There is so much more.

My faith has never grown this way. There was never an environment for it to grow this way. There weren’t priests who were leading me to heaven. Actually, one did but he left and got his own parish which now offers the Latin Mass. The priests at the Novus Ordo seemed to be putting on a show and just going through the motions or rather, the obligation. Their advice was mediocre and inconsistent so I was confused and when the Mass was stopped because of an illness, all I had ever known and was told didn’t make sense.

The author of confusion is the Devil. God is unchanging.

No one has the authority to stop Mass, nor stop Tradition. For the Catholics who think the church needs to get with the times, you are misled and are misleading others. We are set apart. We are not of this world. We should not change to be of this world and that includes the liturgy. Tradition is important. To reject Tradition, is to reject Christ.

It’s not JUST about the Latin. It’s all these things. God wants us to worship Him. He tells us exactly how He wants to be worshipped. It’s not a secret.

I worship God His Way. Do you want to worship God His Way? This is the Way.