Introibo ad altere Dei...

...ad Deum qui laetificat juventutem meam...
(I will go to the altar of the Lord...to God, the Joy of my youth)

That begins the now defunct Tridentine  Mass of the Vatican I era. As a kid raised in the ways of Vatican II, I find Pope Benedict XVI's Summorum Pontificum practically allowing the re-celebration of the Latin Mass upon the request of the faithful a welcome yet utterly scary move.

Perhaps us Vatican II people know the Tridentine rite through stories. Stories of old people saying that the rite was so solemn, so holy that you would be moved to recognize your sinfulness, and so boring because it was said in Latin. All of these registered as 'horror' stories to me because I've been so comfortable with the modern mass, the way we do things now and maybe forever.

But lately, I've been seeing a good number of parishes celebrate the Tridentine rite on special occassions. Last Christmas Eve, there was this certain Church down south that celebrated it live on television. It really caught my interest because I have never seen the Latin Mass said on TV, and I would like to know how 'bad' these stories of solemnity and bore are. Perhaps I'm being harsh to the old system; but actually, who would really take solace in a mass said in a foreign language - one that you were not taught to take primarily?

Maybe there were Latin-English mass texts at that time so that the public can follow the priest's lead. I forgot to mention that the priest who celebrated the televised Latin Mass was not a Filipino - some old guy reminiscent of Dan Brown's Bishop Aringarosa... only older.

But really, the seeming disdain I have for the Latin Mass doesn't stem from my hostility to the rite, it's just that hearing everything in Latin (and saying everything back in Latin) scares the hell out of me. How in Dante's Inferno can you explain to a child that the Gospel is being read already when he/she doesn't know what 'Verbum Domini' is? Although you can explain all you want to the young kid, it somehow gets exhausting over time. And how will you teach proper Catholicism to a kid if he can't understand what the priest is doing in there?

That's my contention against the Latin Mass. I have no qualms regarding hearing it; it's just that there are so many risks, explaining, and following to do in order to keep up with the entire ceremony. That's why the world must have rejoiced when Vatican II ordered that the mass be celebrated in the vernacular (English included).

Traditionalists are making a comeback now; but even though their efforts are taking root, it will take time for them to go mainstream again. A mass said in Latin may draw initial interest, the challenge then is keeping that interest alive.

Maybe that was the reason why they called it 'the holy sacrifice of the Mass'.

P.S. It must be cool to study Latin. But I guess speaking Latin during a date isn't sexy either.