is a Latin mass voodoo religion ?

[steeljack]

ok , before I begin, I know disscussing religion and politics used to be barred from most pubic forums , but it seems since the introduction of the internet, politics are fair bait , and open to all ........now then , can we have a honest disscusion about religion (without any intolerance) about how Accy web users feel about the Catholic Church , and the use of celebrating Mass in Latin .
It seems more and more Catholic Churchs are getting bigger attendances when using the 'traditional' Latin Mass than the more 'modern' system of using English/Guitars/Happy slapping etc.

anyone care to comment ? which do you prefer ? and why ...

my thoughts ... it worked for nearly 2000 years with no problems and shouldn't have been changed , the theatrics and mysticism is what religion is all about ( no cynisim intended).

Latin Mass is under fire in Oakland

[Gayle]

Interesting question! As a 'random' Catholic I often feel uneasy in the actual mass itself. I watch people chanting and repeating the words without really giving much thought to them and wonder if the only way it gets away with it is because it's 2,000 years old. If someone (as often happens with cults) sets up a similar process/service/structure they are vilified and the authorities try to shut them down.

A few months ago I went to a 'happy clappy' service at a non-denominational Christian church and absolutely hated it. It's was too over the top with the amount of singing rock songs, blind repetition and chanting but in fact, everyone else looked incredibly happy. A week or so after that I went to the normal Catholic service and there was still singing (albeit choral), blind repetition and chanting but the difference was that most people were miserable looking. So who's to say which is right and which is wrong?

[Margaret Pilkington]

Although I am not a catholic, my mother is....she used to take me to Mass on a Sunday morning at the Sacred Heart Church.......I thought the Latin mass was beautiful.
My mother had a Missal with the translation of the latin mass, so she knew what it was all about, she also did latin when she was at school.
I think the Latin mass has far more solemnity to it than the Happy Clappy services.....if I had to choose I would take the latin Mass over the happy Clappy stuff anyday.
And maybe the faces of those who were at the Mass, were deep in contemplation, reflection or prayer.
I know that I have been accused of looking miserable when I am deep in thought.

[Eric]

Originally Posted by Margaret Pilkington

Although I am not a catholic, my mother is....she used to take me to Mass on a Sunday morning at the Sacred Heart Church.......I thought the Latin mass was beautiful.
My mother had a Missal with the translation of the latin mass, so she knew what it was all about, she also did latin when she was at school.
I think the Latin mass has far more solemnity to it than the Happy Clappy services.....if I had to choose I would take the latin Mass over the happy Clappy stuff anyday.
And maybe the faces of those who were at the Mass, were deep in contemplation, reflection or prayer.
I know that I have been accused of looking miserable when I am deep in thought.

I agree ... I think ritual is important and comforting ... and if one has strong personal spiritual beliefs I don't think it interferes. Maybe in some it inspires faith, and this might not be a bad thing. I'm nominally Catholic. My mom told me that my grandad converted in WWl. During the Battle of the Somme my grandad was lying wounded in no man's land, and a priest came up, gave him a shot of rum, lit him a cigarette, and gave him a field dressing and some pain killers. Then he asked him if he wanted the last rights. And all this during a battle with bullets and shells flying all over the place ... not only that he was doing this for the German wounded too. My grandad (so my mom said) was so impressed by his faith and courage, that he converted. Point is, this man had faith. And he risked his life to bring comfort and the ritual of last rights to the men lying wounded. So perhaps ritual is not so empty if it inspires this kind of act.

[bullseyebarb]

No. Traditional Catholicism doesn't change with fashion - hence its attraction.

Although not a Catholic myself, I did sit in on a mass recently at Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. It was soothing.

[emamum]

I like the latin mass, i am one of those that can recite the mass so you do know whats going on. Its good that a 'dead' language still gets some use. We used to have a priest that sang the mass aswell, thats nice, sounds like monks chanting.

[West Ender]

I was brought up Catholic and used to attend St Mary's church where I was baptised and married. The 11 o clock mass was always sung, in Latin (apart from the Kyrie which is Greek), and I always went to that because the male voice choir was so fantastic. Also the congregation joined in hymns (in English) at the end which I enjoyed as I was a singer in those days. Mind you, there was a youngish Irish priest there (can't remember his name) who was tone deaf and couldn't carry a tune in a bucket. It rather took the shine off things when he took the sung mass and I always wondered how the choir members managed not to laugh.

I too learned Latin at school so I didn't need the missal's translation of the Latin mass as a teenager (church Latin is pretty basic and easily understood at O level). Even though I wasn't the most ardent believer I found the ritual and the solemnity a spiritual experience.

The only full mass I've been to since Latin was formally dropped was a requiem mass at the funeral of one of my aunts so I can't say what it's like these days. I've seen a few masses for staff and guests in hotels in Malta, on Sunday mornings, and they've usually had guitar accompaniment but weren't "happy-clappy".