It's possible that you're missing out on something really great because you're too lazy. I'm sorry to have to put it like that, but at least now I have your attention, right? In this post, I'm going to talk about the Extraordinary Form of the Mass and why you should take the time to give it a chance (or a second chance or a third . . . you get the picture).
In a previous post, I gave a brief reflection on how to prepare to go to the Latin Mass if you are unfamiliar with it. I realize now that my prior post presupposed that you are willing to overcome that unfamiliarity. What if you don't see the point? I mean, isn't Latin fine for other people, but really not necessary and kind of dead anyway? Isn't the older form of the Mass just a throwback, whereas you are part of the current Church, relevant to modern culture, and not unhealthily nostalgic for past ages of faith? In response to these questions, here are a few of my personal reasons to approach the EF Mass:
1. It is Scriptural. I'm going to take it as a given that you appreciate the value of the Word of God in your personal prayer life. Even more so, the beauty of God's Word should have a place in your public, liturgical prayer through the prayers of the older form of the Mass. Many of these are taken directly from Scripture and provide a richness unparalleled by the newer form of the Mass, in which these prayers have been abridged, imperfectly translated, or removed altogether. If you attend the older form and, in time, follow the missal attentively, you receive a beautiful interwoven tapestry of the Word of God in Scripture and the Word of God made Flesh and sacrificed for you on the altar.
2. It is an aid to meditation. Is it easier to meditate in a loud or a quiet room? The Tridentine Mass produces an interior quiet, a secret room in which we can pray, as Our Lord instructed: "But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you." When you attend Mass, you are coming to the altar of Sacrifice, the re-presentation of Jesus' death on the Cross. It's not only "nice" to be filled with awe and wonder--it's an absolute must.
3. It is simple. That the Latin Mass is something "simple" may not instantly occur to you, as there are many outward pieces coming together that make it seem rather bewildering: a different language, the priest facing away from you, inaudible prayers, lots of kneeling, etc. After attending this form of the Mass for years, however, I can tell you that the liturgy is not the sum of all these parts. The liturgy is meant to bring that "one thing" that Our Lord said was necessary: prayer. The EF Mass allows you to see, in stark relief, that you are worshiping God Himself; there is no other reason to be there than that.
4. It is beautiful. We train and discipline our minds to pray and indeed the moment of prayer is the most important and definitive moment of our lives--a moment which is meant to last into the next life. Nevertheless, we have bodies as well as souls; we see and hear and smell and taste and touch, and these senses too are meant to be directed toward God. We have to train our whole selves to appreciate beauty, to see God in all the outward realities we experience in life. The Tridentine Mass is hugely helpful in this, not just because it provides "smells and bells," but because it combines that primary focus on prayer/meditation with suitable gestures, music, and incense, befitting the worship of God.
These are just a few reasons that you should give the "traddie" Mass a(nother) go, if you haven't already. To utterly retract my opening line, I am pretty sure you are not too lazy! On the other hand, maybe you just don't know what you're missing.
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