Why is the Traditional Latin Mass Important?
Twelve Points in honor of the Twelve Stars of Mary (cf. Apoc 12:1)
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(1) The venerable and immemorial Roman Mass, including in its exquisite detail, is theocentric - centered on and directed to Almighty God. It gives constant glory to the Triune God: a sacrifice of adoration, thanksgiving, propitiation, and impetration, directed to God, both theologically and ritually.
(2) The venerable Roman Mass (Traditional Latin Mass) is the “Mass of the Ages.” It is the Mass which has always been offered by the one, holy, Catholic Church. Thus, it is the true and proper Catholic Mass. This is the Mass which has been handed down by the tradition of Rome, the city consecrated by the blood of two princes, the holy apostles, St. Peter and St. Paul. It is the masterpiece of two thousand years of Catholic Tradition, life and worship.
(3) By means of the Traditional Latin Mass we are able to be supremely faithful to our Catholic religion, i.e. faithful to the (exact same) law of belief (lex credendi) and the (exact same) law of prayer (lex orandi) which have been professed by all our ancestors in the Faith, stretching back to the Apostles themselves.
(4) The venerable Roman Mass, including in its exquisite ritual detail, professes, manifests and honors the ineffable Mystery which takes place: Jesus Christ, the one High Priest, offers the sacrifice of His life, through the ministry of His priests, in an unbloody manner. Our Redeemer returns mystically to die for us.
(5) The venerable Roman Mass, including in its exquisite ritual detail, professes, manifests, reverences, and adores the ineffable Mystery which takes place: the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, together with His Soul and His Divinity, are made present and real through the Miracle of Transubstantiation at the time of the Consecration.
(6) It is a Dogma of the Catholic Faith that the worship of Adoration (latria) must be given to Christ present in the Holy Eucharist. The venerable Roman Mass, including in its exquisite ritual detail, carries this out to perfection.
(7) The venerable Roman Mass highlights the fact that Holy Mass is Christ’s own Sacrifice, holy, perfect, and in every point complete, through and with which each one of the faithful nobly honors God, confessing at one and the same time one's own nothingness and the supreme dominion which God has over one.
(8) The classical Roman Mass is unchanging. It is characterized by a holy permanence and stability. This is extremely important because it is a reflection of the lex credendi (the immaculate Faith) which does not change. God is immutable, the holy truths of the Catholic Faith are immutable, Holy Scripture is immutable ... Holy Mass is immutable.
(9) The classical Roman Mass is universal. It unites us not only with all the Catholics of the world (across all space) but also with all our Catholic ancestors across the centuries (across all time), especially the throngs of saints whose souls were nourished and strengthened by this very same heavenly Liturgy.
(10) Our Ancient Rite expresses the Roman Catholic Faith clearly, fully, and with sublime beauty and noble precision, e.g. the mysteries of the Blessed Trinity and the Incarnation, the holiness and grandeur of Almighty God, the mystery of grace and reality of sin, the veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the angels and the saints, the Mass as the Sacrifice of Christ offered to the Eternal Father for our salvation, the priesthood as a perpetuation of Christ’s own Priesthood, the hierarchical nature of the Church, death, judgment, heaven, and hell.
(11) The venerable Roman Mass clearly and unambiguously professes, manifests, and extols the following supernatural effects of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass: (1) the most Blessed Trinity is adored, honored, and glorified, (2) Jesus Christ renews His Death on the Cross, (3) Jesus Christ intercedes for the Church, (4) the Virgin Mary and the saints are honored, (5) the Church is aided in her battle against the world, the flesh and the devil, (6) the soul is aided and fortified in its effort to reach Heaven, and (7) the holy souls in Purgatory are freed. [There are surely many more effects too innumerable to list for the Holy Sacrifice touches upon the infinite and ineffable mystery of God.]
(12) The orations (prayers) of the Traditional Latin Mass clearly and unambiguously express, transmit, and extol Catholic doctrine, e.g. Catholic teaching on hell, divine judgment, God’s wrath, punishment for sin, the wickedness of sin as the greatest evil, detachment from the world, purgatory, the souls of the departed, Christ’s kingship on earth, the Church Militant, the triumph of the Catholic Faith, the evils of heresy, schism and error, the conversion of non-Catholics, the merits of the saints and miracles. [There are surely many more teachings too innumerable to list for the Holy Sacrifice touches upon the infinite and ineffable mystery of God.]
Recommended Audio Resources
The Traditional Latin Mass - 2007 Parish Summer Mission by Fr. Michael Rodríguez
Thirty Principles Governing the Divine Liturgy - 4 CD Set
The Most Obvious Differences and Advantages of the Traditional Latin Mass - 15 CD Set
The Holy Mass IS a Sacrifice - 8 CD Set
Our Right to the Traditional Latin Mass - 4 CD Set
The Introductory Rites of the Traditional Latin Mass - release date not yet determined
Recommended Books
Know Your Mass by Fr. Demetrius Manousos (comic book, but even adults can learn much from it)
The Latin Mass Explained by Msgr. George Moorman (good introduction book for newcomers)
The Hidden Treasure Holy Mass by St. Leonard of Port Maurice (excellent for mental prayer)
The Heart of the Mass published by Sarto House (excellent book with a theological and spiritual emphasis)
The Mass by Fr. Joseph Dunney (very readable with many interesting details, it was originally written for high school students in the 40s)
The Holy Mass by Dom Prosper Gueranger (Benedictine abbot of Solesmes Abbey, generally recognized as the leading liturgist of the 19th century)
How to Understand the Mass by Dom Gaspar Lefebvre, OSB (French Benedictine who worked on the St. Andrew Daily Missal)
The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass; Dogmatically, Liturgically and Ascetically Explained by Fr. Nicholas Gihr (a magnum opus; this is a great treasure for the earnest student. It makes an excellent gift for a seminarian too!)
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