Dear TIA,

"It clearly tends to close the distance as much as possible between those who go to a Tridentine Mass approved by the Bishop and those who go to a New Mass said in Latin."

The above quote made its point with me. I took it from Atila Guimarães' Bird's Eye View on the Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum caritatis that the Pope issued.

I personally for some time went to the Novus Ordo Mass in Latin when I was in transition from the fully crazy English Novus Ordo Masses in the Diocese of Orange and elsewhere. I was so tired of the nonsense.

It took time for my mind and heart to come to the conclusion that something was wrong there as well in the conservative, monastic style Latin Novus Ordo Mass.

Now, there is no way I will go to a Novus Ordo Mass as a substitute for the real and authentic Holy Mass of the ages... And as a choir member at a Tridentine Mass I would not want to perform "in a Novus Ordo parish to embellish its liturgy or teach its choir Gregorian chant." I can have no more concessions. I have already experienced the 'generally conservative tone' of the Novus Ordo Mass in Latin.

What is lacking is much. Many parts of the Holy Mass are missing and things added that should not be there...So, no matter how reverently or conservative a Mass is offered in Novus Ordo Latin, it's not good enough.

Our Lady stated that we may be left with only her Holy Rosary as a means of prayer... not the Holy Mass... because things will get worse...

Therefore, we must pray that Her Reign and the great chastisement will come and restore the Holy Church, and we must be ever vigilant that these bad things we are witnessing will not happen again once the restoration is in place.

     In Our Mother Mary,

     P.J.

P.S.- What I am saying is, the distance will never be closed but is wider than ever. Who's trying to fool whom?

How can we teach our children about penance, fasting and to be modest when they see their Novus Ordo peers not being modest for example, and it is not even a topic in their Novus Ordo church? The breach is indeed very wide and only a miracle can bring restoration.

Dear TIA,

Mr. Atila Guimaraes' comments on this latest Vatican document Sacramentum caritatis on the Mass were very fitting. I would like to add a comment on the following section, quoted by him

"Paragraph 63 then establishes the criteria for these groups and persons to keep their 'catechetical value:' In this regard, the Synod set forth some necessary criteria: small groups must serve to unify the community, not to fragment it; the beneficial results ought to be clearly evident; these groups should encourage the fruitful participation of the entire assembly, and preserve as much as possible the unity of the liturgical life of individual families."

One wonders if (and doubts that) this challenge to small groups will apply to the Neo-Catechetical Way, or Opus Dei, or the Legionaries/Regnum Christi groups, all of which have track records of fragmenting people and parishes. I won't hold my breath for a local Bishop to step in regard to these "movements of the Spirit."

And the disingenuousness of this passage above is obvious when the last 40 years of the Church are considered. If this statement were applied to the entire Vatican II reform, that reform would have to be tossed out the window. The whole Church is fragmented, the benefits of the Council are virtually all imaginary, and most Catholics have no knowledge of what they are supposed to be participating in.

Mr. Atila is correct, but we can only hope that the prognosis is not as negative as he thinks.

Still, with this document, Rome and local Bishops are armed for whatever steps they wish to take,

     P.O.

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