thoughts on the latin mass and female priesthood - by fr. greg

"In the first place it is not just a truism to observe that Jesus spoke in Aramaic and that Paul and the later evangelists spoke and wrote in the Greek koine of the Roman world. The founders of Christianity used the languages and idioms of the people: not a sacred or holy language, nor a learned language, nor did they encourage an ecstatic language. Similarly with respect to styles and forms: these were not esoteric, either in the sense of Jewish or HEllenistic arcana, or holy formulas . . . The languages and idioms used by the [early] Christians were those of the wide publics of their time and place. The Christians renewed these in various ways and modified their vocabularies, but there was no flight from the vernacular . . . The common language of men was itself the medium of revelation.

We note that Jesus himself shows no inclination in this direction, despite the radicalness of his eschatology. Many of his sayings reflect the charismatic mood and even visionary experience. But passion in him used the common speech and did not dissolve it. His human self-identification with his fellows evidences itself here, too, in the matter of speech . . . Jesus taught in the living dialect of his time, Aramaic, not the language of the Scripture, Hebrew." - Amos N. Wilder, Early Christian Rhetoric: The Language of the Gospel, 1964

While the Tridentine/Latin mass is indeed beautiful, and it is both a historical and cultural treasure which should be preserved, it is important to recognize a few things. First: I acknowledge that the Novus Ordo has led to a great many liturgical abuses and ultimately a decline in overall reverence for the Eucharist as the role of the laity increases and the roles of the clergy (specifically the presbyterate) decline. However, Mass is not a place to go to feed the personal ego nor is it a place to indulge in a fantasy of what the Roman Catholic Church "should" be.

If you feel strongly about the Latin Mass, I urge you to ask yourself why. Is it because you like the way it sounds and looks? Particularly if you are an adult convert, do you prefer it because it feels more legitimate, and less 'protestant' to you? Is it because it hearkens to a more traditional time, when women veiled their hair and girls were not allowed to serve at the altar? Is it because you romanticize the Christian crusades and monarchy? Remember that the Vulgate Bible was called so because it was translated in the language of the people: the vulgar tongue. And for centuries, Latin was the lingua franca of the west, similar to the English of modern times - a tongue that every educated and literate person likely knew.

Incidentally, I do actually agree with some traditionalist talking points. I agree that there is a crisis of reverence and belief in the Real Presence within the Roman Catholic Church. Something like 60% of Catholics in North America do not believe in the Real Presence of Christ within the Eucharist. Homilies are often filled with personal anecdotes and jokes, with very little spiritual direction or interpretation of the gospels. Liturgies are constructed to get the faithful in and out as quickly as possible, with very little time for contemplation or silent prayer and adoration within the Mass. There is a crisis of fatherhood in the priesthood as well, risen in parallel with the crisis of fatherhood in the West. Why?

Since Vatican II, the role of priests has gradually ceded to the laity, allowing the average priest to retire to the role of a mere 'consecrator of host' while the lay parish staff handle many of the other tasks. The priest is then free to pursue his careerist goals and feed his ambition rooted in pride. These activities, though always to the detriment of spiritual vitality, are accepted and even encouraged as an "acceptable" substitution for sex for those called to celibacy and vows of chastity. The desire for power and status in the form of careerism may easily eclipse the intensity of male concupiscence, especially in those priests who have never identified with the office of spiritual fatherhood and have no real disposition for it. Who, then, is nurturing his flock? Very often, that person will be the spiritual director - and very often, that person will be a woman.

The answer to the intertwined crises of belief, tradition, reverence and consecrated sacerdotal leadership is not a return to the trappings of the past, it is not a return to Latin and the extraordinary form. It does not require endless synods or Eucharistic revivals to uncover. The answer is simple: consecrate women. Close the doors of the sanctuary to the laity, that the sacerdotes may assume their role again as spiritual leaders, and have a more truly intimate relationship with their parishes. Consecrate women and allow them to fill the ranks of the flagging priesthood, allow them to claim the heritage Christ left for them in the form of his beloved apostle and evangelist Mary Magdalene.

Mary 9:8: But if the Savior made her worthy, who are you indeed to reject her? Surely the Savior knows her very well.