Homilette for Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Tuesday, Memorial of Saint Maximilian Mary Kolbe, priest and martyr

(Matthew 18)

Pope Benedict has recently opened the possibilities of using the Tridentine Mass form. Many Catholics today still remember it as the way they attended Mass in their youth. Of course, the language of the Tridentine Mass is Latin, and the priest has its back to the congregation most of the time. In the old days, the people never responded to the calls of the priest for prayer. Rather, they just followed the action with a missal or said private prayers while the sacramental action was taking place at the altar beyond the rail.

Some of us may ask why the pope would facilitate the use of this old form. One reason may be found in the gospel today. Just as Jesus exhorts his disciples to seek out the one in a hundred sheep who goes astray, so the pope is asking priests to accommodate the few Catholics who may prefer the old rite to the new. He wants to keep the Church together in all the ways that are legitimately open to him.

Perhaps some observations are in order. First, there will not be a rush to use the old form. Most Masses will still be celebrated in the now familiar way. People should not fear that the Tridentine rite is being imposed upon them. Second, some pastors, already overburdened with work, might find that adding a Tridentine mass quite burdensome. Those who want the Tridentine rite should, therefore, be patient while the pastor searches for resources to introduce it. Finally, all Catholics might experiment with the old form again. Perhaps now that they are familiar with all the Mass parts, they might appreciate the phonetic beauty of Latin and the aesthetics of all facing in the direction of the rising sun while praying to God.