I was praying at the Adoration Chapel two weeks ago and then thought I'd ask God something while I was there. Of course I got surprised when I suddenly got an answer. Well I'm sure (1) it wasn't from me, I had absolutely no idea that's why I asked, (2) nor from the devil because I was in front of the Holy Eucharist, Jesus Himself!
Fair warning, if you're a hardcore traditionalist, you might not like what you'll read here. This is basing on how someone like that reacted on a simple comment on his post. Story shared below. Read at your own risk. 😉
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The Question
So because I'm becoming a devout Catholic I've been encountering more and more stuff and apparently some of them leads to being a traditional one. That's how I found out about a group of priests that prefers to do Latin mass instead of the usual masses we know today.
Seems like they have "left" the Catholic Church and put up another one that disregards the Second Vatican Council (Vatican II). At least that's what I gathered based on their disapproval of the changes. It's like they're in what I'll call a "semi-schism". (Some admit they are but there are others who don't.)
Anyway, all Latin mass ceased in 1969 and thus Novus Ordo came about. It's the vernacular or national language mass celebration we're all familiar now. Of course I had no idea about such things as a lax Catholic. Like what did I care what's going on with Catholicism as long as I'm alive and kicking? 😂 Well hey, aren't we all mostly like that? (Lukewarm Christian alert! 😆)
So because I'm learning more and more about Catholicism, I'm finally getting into the nitty gritty of things. For example, taking communion by tongue and from the priest alone is what a traditional Catholic would prefer. Another is the wearing of veils during mass, for women.
With all that at the back of my mind of course I have a few questions. And one came up while I was deep in prayer to Jesus. So I asked Him about it. Don't know the exact questions anymore but it's something along the lines of should I go and look for a Traditional Latin Mass (TLM)? Is it much better or what's the deal with it?
Prior to that day, I've never been able to think of any plausible answer. It's been bugging me for quite some time but I never looked for answers online. I've thought and thought of various answers before but nothing ever comes up.
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The Answer
As I was thinking of moving on to other topics, suddenly I got a reply in my head! A solid thought just popped up out of nowhere and answered my question. 😱
I assume it's God's answer because I didn't ask anyone else. So He told me, basically, it doesn't matter which mass you go to if it doesn't change you for the better. Like even if you go to a TLM but you don't do anything else to be holier, it won't matter.
I dunno if I'm explaining it correctly here. 😅 But that's the gist of what I got. And of course, yeah that's a great answer. It makes sense indeed. I've never thought of it before and had never even considered it. Haha.
Adoration Chapel at the Parish of the Lord of Divine Mercy in Sikatuna Village, Quezon City
Let's Expound on That
Okay so I'll try and expand that answer. As a "renewed Catholic" I'm finding it quite hard to change my remaining bad habits. (I mean this in the sense that I've turned away from my lukewarm cradle Catholic ways by doing frequent confessions, etc.) It's not easy working on decades of incorrect behavior. Perhaps self-discipline is not easy for me at all.
And so looking at Catholicism with a set of invigorated eyes, I'm seeing so many things. Am learning a lot, step by step, thanks to Mama Mary's guidance too. Somehow because of this I noticed I'm kinda leaning towards traditionalist thinking. Not a shock since to be a devout Catholic is to do whatever Jesus taught plus what we can learn from the writings of saints. It all seems kinda strict if you look at it with lukewarm Christian eyes.
The thing is, because we're so used to the world's sinful ways, we see real Catholicism as harsh and depriving. Even if it's good for us we'd rather not follow everything. As mentioned in another post, we lack self-discipline.
Unlike other religions (e.g. Islam), we don't have strict adherence to any required religious daily practices. Having free will have made us all so spoiled actually. People just skip going to mass, confession or communion not knowing the overall consequence at all! That's the life of a tepid Catholic right there.
Anyway going back to the topic, since I'm becoming a practicing Catholic, I started to look into traditionalists. What's the deal? And when I got the answer above I finally saw that indeed, going to a TLM is no different to going to the current mass we have.
A perfect example is someone who prefers going to that traditionalist "Catholic church", simply because they celebrate TLM only. Of course we should all know that not following the official decrees of the Holy Father or Vatican is going against God Himself. So meaning it is a religious disobedience and we know God is not pleased with such action. Based on the answer given to me, I was able to come to a logical conclusion.
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What's the Difference Between a Christian Who Goes to TLM and a Catholic who goes to the usual Novus Ordo only?
I've never been to any TLM, ever, so I wouldn't really know if there's anything different. Maybe you know someone or have noticed any difference? Are those going to TLM every Sunday holier than the usual Catholics? Have they become more Christ-like or better than devout Catholics?
Last week I got the answer to that question. I discovered someone with more than 10k followers on social media. I started following him last year. Sometimes he has the occasional Catholic posts but there were unfamiliar caption words. Of course I still have much to learn of this wonderful religion so I don't know many things.
Eventually on that day he posted a video of a TLM mass from a certain church. Also saw he used a specific tag which made me sure of it. Of all the comments I made on several posts of his, he chose to reply negatively to what triggered him. I asked if he belonged to that "TLM only Catholic group" and guess what? He got defensive and responded rabidly when I simply asked a question. Whoa.
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I wasn't even trying to insult or whatever but he got offended by the simple inquiry. After I replied, he didn't even let me respond again after his sudden rude name-calling comment. I was shocked at his uncalled for attitude. The guy immediately blocked me after his questionable reply and hid the entire convo. It's like he was taking out his anger on me for whatever reason. Wow huh.
Okay, lately he's been getting lots of bashers because of something else he was doing. So sure, somehow I can understand why he's become "sensitive" like that. Yeah yeah, see am even justifying his wrong actions. Still he's a confirmed traditionalist (even got married via ceremony in the church by that group) despite denying it first then backpedaling and admitting it.
The man even used another account to stalk my blocked account to see if I wrote anything bad (like bashing him) on my profile. Like, come on man.😂 He just added insult to injury. Of course I then deleted my shared post which he suddenly liked via his alternate account. (I shared his post weeks ago to help him out when he and his wife asked and needed it the most.)
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So you see, there's nothing different at all. Whether (1) you prefer and keep insisting on going only to a TLM or if you're a priest who only celebrate such or (2) if we follow the Vatican II changes and celebrate Novus Ordo there's no difference at all! We're still human and no closer to sanctification.
Do you strive towards holiness everyday because of TLM or you just go there because "it makes you feel ecstatic/good/happy, etc.," at that moment? Does it make anyone holier if you go to a TLM mass or Novus Ordo? If we don't bother changing ourselves to be Christ-like EVERYDAY, it won't matter which mass we go to! Even if you supposedly feel more of God's presence in TLM, it's not going to help towards sanctification on it's own.
On top of that, such groups are being insubordinate to the Vatican II and the Pope's decree. Remember, disobedience is the number one influence of the devil! Just ask Catholic exorcist priests.
Thus I see how going to TLM and insisting on it is simply vanity. Or add spiritual pride in there. Not sure if preferring TLM is counted as scrupulousness but what truly matters to God is how loving we all are. God is love and mercy after all. He asks us to love God and each other, in action. That means we must show mercy to each other too. Now both of that is hard to do but as long as we constantly strive towards it the better we will be at it.
As I shared in an older post:
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In short, it's still best to use whichever the Pope (God's representative) or Vatican has officially decreed/declared on our road to sanctification. And with that I hope everything has been cleared up for you too. ♥️🙏
XOXO,
