I recently read Sacred Reading - The Ancient Art of Lectio Divina by Michael Casey.
Included within the preface the following caught my eye.
"Tradition is meant to be a servant of the present and the future, not a tyrant imposing its own preferences on a very different world."
When considering Traditionis Custodes in which Pope Francis has restricted the celebration of the Tridentine (Latin) Mass, a question comes to mind. Is oppose to these restrictions, making "tradition a tyrant"?
To further quote Michael Casey:
"God's word is addressed to us for our salvation. What we sometimes forget is that this gift of salvation often runs counter to our own perceptions and expectations. The disposition that makes us capable of receiving salvation includes a willingness to be guided and to be changed."
"We are called to transcend our own limited vision of the good life and accept something of the all-inclusiveness of God's plan for human fulfillment. The greatest enemy to this is our own willful refusal to budge beyond the closed circuit of our settled prejudices and pious routines."
If one refers to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC: 1201) we find the following:
1201 The mystery of Christ is so unfathomably rich that it cannot be exhausted by its expression in any single liturgical tradition. The history of the blossoming and development of these rites witnesses to a remarkable complementarity. When the Churches lived their respective liturgical traditions in the communion of the faith and the sacraments of the faith, they enriched one another and grew in fidelity to Tradition and to the common mission of the whole Church.
Additionally, as seen in (CCC: 2663)
2663 In the living tradition of prayer, each Church proposes to its faithful, according to its historic, social, and cultural context, a language for prayer: words, melodies, gestures, iconography. The Magisterium of the Church has the task of discerning the fidelity of these ways of praying to the tradition of apostolic faith; it is for pastors and catechists to explain their meaning, always in relation to Jesus Christ.
From this, I understand that the Church does recognize the existence of many traditions by which liturgy can be celebrated. As I read, it is the obligation of the Magisterium to determine the fidelity of these traditions and liturgical expressions to the teaching and traditions of the One True and Apostolic Faith.
I pose the following questions of myself. Is it my reluctance to see past my own limited vision, my routines, my very human longing for stability and reluctance to change, that is the fertile ground in which opposition to Traditionis Custodes grows? Do I so rigidly define my life and what I perceive as Holy that I cease to be open to new perspective? Is it human nature, the desire to be heard, my ego, which may be clouding my perspective on matters that are not of this world but of the mystical, spiritual realm?
Through our insistence on and clinging to one celebratory tradition of Holy Mass are we as Christians imposing our will, our personal preferences, and our ethics over that of God and thus limiting the Spirit of Christ to act upon us?
As Catholics are we not bound to submit to the Pope and the Magisterium on matters of faith, morality, and doctrine? By failing to adhere to or accept Traditionis Custodes are we not failing to recognize the charism of infallibility bestowed upon The Church and Her Magisterium?
My exposure to the varied liturgical traditions in terms of the celebration of Mass has been limited to primarily Novus Ordo. For the past year or so I have attended Mass within the Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter where Divine Worship - The Missal is used, sometimes referred to as The Ordinariate Form. My exposure to the Traditional Latin Mass is limited. I could easily say that I can count the number of TLM celebrations I have attended on one hand. Based upon my experience, I see benefit to all three expressions. I understand that tradition holds value. It is my belief that as long as the tradition and the celebration conform to the Catholic faith in both principle and practice it should be welcomed with joy. We as the lay of The Church are not infallible and sometimes, we error in our interpretations. I would like to think that if we approach the liturgy with an ordinary level of prudence, humility, and reverence, regardless of the tradition followed, no real harm can come. Conversely, if we are too fixed on our own perceptions, expectations, and the tradition in which the liturgy is celebrated, we may inadvertently limit some of the potential fruits gained from Holy Mass.
I also believe that as Catholics we are bound to submit to the Pope and the Magisterium in matters of faith, morality, and doctrine.
To once again quote from: Sacred Reading - The Ancient Art of Lectio Divina by Michael Casey:
“There are those who seek from the Church a perfection that they would never demand of individuals.”
“Patience and tolerance are needed if we are to survive within the Church. When these are lacking the great benefits of word, sacrament, and communion that are the essential dynamism of the ecclesial life are forgotten. Politics and personal pique rule instead.”
May God heal the Church of division, guard her in love, and bring us together to everlasting life in Jesus.
Amen.
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