Tridentine Mass This Sunday.

[AugustineA]

I've been going back and forth for a long time. I was graciously invited by a member on the forum here to the traditional Mass, but at the time was experiencing some family and faith issues. Now I'm back in my home city, I'm finally going.

 

I was considering going to confession and receiving the Eucharist at my parish tomorrow, and simply attending the TLM on Sunday in order to get better acquainted. Do you guys think this is a wise idea?

 

Also, as always, I request prayers for my family, who are not showing any signs of warming to the faith at least outwardly. 

 

PS: I'm really excited...  :woot:

[Anastasia13]

Sure, why wouldn't it be? I don't think you really need to do both, but if it makes you feel more comfortable with the Latin going on, then go for it.

[truthfinder]

Hi AugustineA (I seem to think you were here before under a different user name, but nevertheless - Greetings!),

if you're more comfortable, you may want to go to  your regular Mass first and then just soak in the Latin Mass. However, you don't have to "get" everything that goes on in the Latin Mass to be able to receive communion; you only need a state of grace - and an earnest attempt to participate (ie pray and follow any gestures and responses, this depends on the church itself and if it's a High or Low Mass.  It takes a while to really catch on to what's happening, so don't let get flustered by multiple things going on at once and missal page-flippings get in your way.  It took me over two months to feel somewhat comfortable with standing and kneeling, and then the priest switched to low masses, and I felt like I was back at the beginning! Now, I'm "attached" to the Latin Mass.  

 

Make sure to pick up any missal they offer - usually red, to try and follow along, especially if you're just there to observe.  One thing to note, although you might feel like hiding at the back, I find sitting about the middle of the church helps me follow because I can usually pick up some of the prayers Father is saying (they don't use microphone's at my parish) so you can locate yourself in the Mass.  If the church you're going to has someone actually handing out the missals, you might want to mention to them that you're new, and they'll probably be more than willingly to give you a couple pointers.

 

My prayers are with you and your family, and I hope this has helped.  

[SilentJoy]

The first time I attended the Tridentine Mass, I spotted one man who seemed to really know what he was doing; he made all the signs and responses very eloquently. I decided to just do everything he did. At one point, the priest muttered something, and the Eloquent Man raised a hand, so I raised mine dramatically like I knew what I was doing, but he was just scratching his head...

[AugustineA]

Sure, why wouldn't it be? I don't think you really need to do both, but if it makes you feel more comfortable with the Latin going on, then go for it.

 

Yeah, I'm not sure what to expect and I like Mass, so why not right.

 

Hi AugustineA (I seem to think you were here before under a different user name, but nevertheless - Greetings!),

if you're more comfortable, you may want to go to  your regular Mass first and then just soak in the Latin Mass. However, you don't have to "get" everything that goes on in the Latin Mass to be able to receive communion; you only need a state of grace - and an earnest attempt to participate (ie pray and follow any gestures and responses, this depends on the church itself and if it's a High or Low Mass.  It takes a while to really catch on to what's happening, so don't let get flustered by multiple things going on at once and missal page-flippings get in your way.  It took me over two months to feel somewhat comfortable with standing and kneeling, and then the priest switched to low masses, and I felt like I was back at the beginning! Now, I'm "attached" to the Latin Mass.  

 

Make sure to pick up any missal they offer - usually red, to try and follow along, especially if you're just there to observe.  One thing to note, although you might feel like hiding at the back, I find sitting about the middle of the church helps me follow because I can usually pick up some of the prayers Father is saying (they don't use microphone's at my parish) so you can locate yourself in the Mass.  If the church you're going to has someone actually handing out the missals, you might want to mention to them that you're new, and they'll probably be more than willingly to give you a couple pointers.

 

My prayers are with you and your family, and I hope this has helped.  

 

Hi. Yeah that was very helpful. I'm hoping spending so much time with the LOTH will help with using the missal. I'm guessing the structure is completely different though? I'm not sure if I will receive communion. I have an irrational dislike of receiving on the tongue. It's not a pride thing. I would rather receive it the traditional way, but in laymen's terms it just freaks me out. But I still really want to celebrate the traditional Mass. Yeah, I was on here before, can't remember my old username, bet I could find it if I tried. :)

 

The first time I attended the Tridentine Mass, I spotted one man who seemed to really know what he was doing; he made all the signs and responses very eloquently. I decided to just do everything he did. At one point, the priest muttered something, and the Eloquent Man raised a hand, so I raised mine dramatically like I knew what I was doing, but he was just scratching his head...

 

haha.. No questions during Mass please. Did you make a graceful recovery? 

[truthfinder]

Yeah, I'm not sure what to expect and I like Mass, so why not right.
 
 
Hi. Yeah that was very helpful. I'm hoping spending so much time with the LOTH will help with using the missal. I'm guessing the structure is completely different though? I'm not sure if I will receive communion. I have an irrational dislike of receiving on the tongue. It's not a pride thing. I would rather receive it the traditional way, but in laymen's terms it just freaks me out. But I still really want to celebrate the traditional Mass. Yeah, I was on here before, can't remember my old username, bet I could find it if I tried. :)

The LOTH will help will the understanding of flipping pages and such, but be warned, if you go to a high Mass, Father will probably get through the entire prayers at the foot of the altar, and you won't hear any of it because the schola will be singing the introit. (LOTH still isn't as complicated as the traditional breviary. Further, this Sunday in the EF is Passion Sunday, whereas in the OF it's Fifth Sunday of Lent.) This can be super confusing at first, because you're listening to the choir and beating your breast and making the sign of the cross for the confiteor all at the same time - it just takes getting used to. Low masses can vary, some priests will say the audible prayers loud enough for the congregation to hear, others will not.

As for receiving communion, it is WAY easier to receive kneeling at an altar rail, the priest comes to you. Tip your head back, stick out your tongue, and close your eyes (my parish priests insist that this makes things so much easier for everyone), and don't say amen, the priest will say it for you.

I realize now that my post sounds like scare tactics, but I hope you enjoy it. Let us know how it goes.

[AugustineA]

The LOTH will help will the understanding of flipping pages and such, but be warned, if you go to a high Mass, Father will probably get through the entire prayers at the foot of the altar, and you won't hear any of it because the schola will be singing the introit. (LOTH still isn't as complicated as the traditional breviary. Further, this Sunday in the EF is Passion Sunday, whereas in the OF it's Fifth Sunday of Lent.) This can be super confusing at first, because you're listening to the choir and beating your breast and making the sign of the cross for the confiteor all at the same time - it just takes getting used to. Low masses can vary, some priests will say the audible prayers loud enough for the congregation to hear, others will not.

As for receiving communion, it is WAY easier to receive kneeling at an altar rail, the priest comes to you. Tip your head back, stick out your tongue, and close your eyes (my parish priests insist that this makes things so much easier for everyone), and don't say amen, the priest will say it for you.

I realize now that my post sounds like scare tactics, but I hope you enjoy it. Let us know how it goes.

 

Well.. if it's particularly complicated this Sunday then it can only get easier from here. :D

 

Thanks for the heads up. I think we celebrate Passion Sunday as well in the OF, just under a different name and with different rubrics, right? Everything is covered up to focus on the the reality behind all the symbols. 

 

I know it's easier. I know it's better. I still have an irrational fear of it. I probably won't receive communion there, but I'll support it regardless. 

[chrysostom]

You may enjoy checking out the English translation of the propers of the day before going to Mass.  You could do lectio divina on them in the morning - which I try to do before my weekly TLM.

 

http://divinumofficium.com/cgi-bin/missa/missa.pl

 

Here's the link.  You can see the current date in the white box at the top of the page - to see Sunday's text today (Saturday), click the up arrow to the right of the box (or manually change the date) and then hit the gray button.

 

 

Introit
Ps 42:1 - 2.
Do me justice, O God, and fight my fight against a faithless people; from the deceitful and impious man rescue me. For You are my God and my strength.
Ps 42:3
Send forth Your light and Your fidelity; they shall lead me on and bring me to Your holy mountain, to Your dwelling-place.
Do me justice, O God, and fight my fight against a faithless people; from the deceitful and impious man rescue me. For You are my God and my strength.

 

Collect
V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with thy spirit.
Let us pray.
Look graciously upon Your household, almighty God, we beseech You, that by Your grace we may be governed in body, and by Your protection safeguarded in mind.
Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.
R. Amen.

 

Lesson
Reading from the letter of St. Paul to the Hebrews
Heb 9:11-15.
Brethren: When Christ appeared as high priest of the good things to come, He entered once for all through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made by hands - that is, not of this creation, - nor again by virtue of blood of goats and calves, but by virtue of His own blood, into the Holies, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the sprinkled ashes of a heifer sanctify the unclean unto the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the Blood of Christ, Who through the Holy Spirit offered Himself unblemished unto God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And this is why He is mediator of a new covenant, that whereas a death has taken place for redemption from the transgressions committed under the former covenant, they who have been called may receive eternal inheritance according to the promise, in Christ Jesus our Lord.
R. Thanks be to God.

 

Gospel
Cleanse my heart and my lips, O almighty God, who didst cleanse the lips of the prophet Isaias with a burning coal, and vouchsafe, through Thy gracious mercy, so to purify me, that I may worthily announce Thy holy Gospel. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Give me Thy blessing, O Lord. The Lord be in my heart and on my lips, that I may worthily and in a becoming manner, proclaim His holy Gospel. Amen.
P. The Lord be with you.
S. And with thy spirit.
Continuation of the Holy Gospel according to John
R. Glory be to Thee, O Lord.
John 8:46-59.
At that time, Jesus said to the crowds of the Jews: Which of you can convict Me of sin? If I speak the truth, why do you not believe Me? He who is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear is that you are not of God. The Jews therefore in answer said to Him, Are we not right in saying that You are a Samaritan, and have a devil? Jesus answered, I have not a devil, but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. Yet, I do not seek My own glory; there is One Who seeks and Who judges. Amen, amen, I say to you, if anyone keep My word, he will never see death. The Jews therefore said, Now we know that You have a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets, and You say, ‘If anyone keep My word he will never taste death.’ Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead. Whom do You make Yourself? Jesus answered, If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing. It is My Father Who glorifies Me, of Whom you say that He is your God. And you do not know Him, but I know Him. And if I say that I do not know Him, I shall be like you, a liar. But I know Him, and I keep His word. Abraham your father rejoiced that he was to see My day. He saw it and was glad. The Jews therefore said to Him, You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham? Jesus said to them, Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I am. They therefore took up stones to cast at Him; but Jesus hid Himself, and went out from the temple.
R. Praise be to Thee, O Christ.
S. By the words of the Gospel may our sins be blotted out.

 

Offertory
P. The Lord be with you.
S. And with thy spirit.
Let us pray.
I praise You, O Lord, with all my heart; be good to Your servant, that I may live and keep Your words. O Lord, give me life according to Your word.

 

Communion
1 Cor. 11:24 - 25.
This is My Body, which shall be given up for you: this is the cup of the new covenant in My Blood, says the Lord; Do this as often as you receive it, in remembrance of Me.

Edited April 5, 2014 by chrysostom

[truthfinder]

Just checked my missal, this Passion Sunday is actually pretty regular, except one of the prayers at the foot of the altar is transferred to the introit (and the Preface is of the Holy Cross, which you probably won't see in the missals they usually lend out). Further, the OF is reading John 11, and EF is doing John 8, so expect radically different homilies in that regard. Heads up that if you go to Palm Sunday next week in the EF, expect kissing the priest's hand after kissing the palm frond, at the altar rail while kneeling :)

[SilentJoy]

 

haha.. No questions during Mass please. Did you make a graceful recovery? 

 

I scratched the pretend itch on my scalp, and a little on my neck just to be really convincing. :smile3:

 

 

There is a Byzantine church in my area too, and I'd been anxiously studying how to participate both in the Tridentine Mass and the Divine Liturgy. So the first time I received Holy Communion at the Tridentine, on the way back to my pew, I freaked out because I hadn't said "Amen" and I couldn't remember if that was the Byzantine or the Latin way...

 

It really isn't that scary.

[truthfinder]

I scratched the pretend itch on my scalp, and a little on my neck just to be really convincing. :smile3:

Lol, I do this to, but it's usually pretend re-adjusting my veil or a fly-away hair.

[AugustineA]

Lol. 

 

Yeah, I wasn't actually sure if it was better to study the liturgies before actually going to them, or just diving in. But I remember when converting the Monsignor was emphatic (note the phat) that I begin attending Mass at once, every Sunday. I guess Silent, you studied, what about you Chrysostom and Truth? (edit: thanks I will certainly read over the propers of the day tomorrow). 

 

Just came back from a very reverential and beautifully conducted NO Mass, in a church decorated in an Eastern fashion. And tomorrow the EF. There's so much diversity lol. 

Edited April 6, 2014 by AugustineA

[chrysostom]

I started going to the T L M every Sunday quite recently.  I didn't study the liturgy very hard, no, though little by little I'm learning more about it.  My general thought is that the T L M, though of course it bears study (a lifetime of it), edifies you extremely well without any study.  It draws you up to God effortlessly - you need only kneel, watch, and pray.  The profusion of gestures helps with this a lot. 

 

You might realize this very soon after Mass begins, but you may find it difficult to keep track of where the priest is in the little red missal, especially if a choir is singing at the same time as he prays.  That's OK.  St. Padre Pio gives this advice for assisting at Holy Mass: "keep your mind focused on the mystery that is unfolding before your eyes. In your mind's eye transport yourself to Calvary and meditate on the Victim who offers Himself to Divine Justice, paying the price of your redemption."

[Anastasia13]

How was it?

[Not The Philosopher]

If you become acquainted with it well enough, it's possible to keep track of where Father is in his prayers by noting his position/gestures.