The day began much sooner than I expected it would. I could not believe the clock said 5am when the alarm went off. I should have stayed in bed. I went to Mass. The woman who needs to blow her nose sat in front of me, snorting, sniffing and clearing her throat. It's to the point where I dread when I see her. How dare I? She's a child of God and for all I know, she is battling some psychological or physical problem that makes it impossible for her to get any relief from this condition that causes her to make such a racket. I do as I normally do when someone annoys me which is to ask myself: "What would Therese do?" She would take it and offer it up. Somehow, I settled down enough that I got past the temptation of handing the woman a tissue and saying " You sound like you really need this."
But now she has given me a new reason to complain. "May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands, for the praise and glory of GOD's name, for our good and the good of all GOD's church."
The attempt not to refer to God by the pronoun "His" is one I find seriously annoying and pales in comparison to the sniffing and throat clearing. We have no such problem at the TLM. What's more, the priest celebrant today was one who also likes to change the words and subsequently, fumbles and forgets what he's trying to say. The little voice in my head says "Shut up Joyce and be thankful you have a Mass to go to each day". Is it really asking too much to want priest and people alike not to improvise?
BTW, I know I should not complain. I happened upon Father Z's blog yesterday where he has been juxtapositioning video of the TLM with Masses spiked with puppets and liturgical dancers. At first there is a temptation for me to laugh, but a mockery of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is no laughing matter.
I woke up on the wrong side of the bed and if I'm not careful, I'll be retiring the same way.
You mean she intentionally doesn't use the pronoun while everyone else is articulating the pronoun? Odd. She must have learned it that way and can't forget it, but I have always seen it with the pronoun.
ReplyDeleteYou know for some reason, I always get that response wrong. I don't know why but I always stumble over those words when I try to do it from memory.
Why don't you sit somewhere else, away from her?
I hate gender neutral language in any context, but at Mass, it is absolutely horrifying. About a year ago, I got to hear an Epistle reading in that gibberish. Why, oh Why do people want to do that? And how does a church tolerate it?
ReplyDeleteI think anyone's nerves can get frayed by noises such as you mention. I an no expert on the wording of Mass, so wouldn't really notice mistakes or added words.
ReplyDeleteI hopped over to Father Z's, I didn't look at the videos but read the comments.
As he often does, Father mentioned the biological solution again, when interjecting someone's comment: Commenter-"I think Rome has come to the conclusion that there are so many heretics in the ranks that it is just easier to wait till they die off." Father's interjection
"[What I call the "biological solution".]"
It's a good job God the Father didn't go for a similar 'solution' when He looked at us, sinful mankind. His response was to send His only Son to die in agony for sinners, or indeed the less liturgically elite lot. Not so with Fr Z though, he gleefully awaits their death. Not keen on the man, not keen atall and I have tried to like him. He puts me off all things trad, so I have to try and hear other voices, that echo Christ's, his voice doesn't, I'm afraid, not to me anyway.
1. I hear ya. On both points. I often forget where he is too and don't know whether to stand, sit , kneel... There are a whole group that say that thing 'may the Lord accept...'
ReplyDelete(some of them are sisters) that have always driven me bananas. I sort of emphasize my "His" to at least cover it up from my own ears.
(I also refuse to sing hymns with the new language. I still sing "man" where it should be :) I know I am not nice. What can I say? Yes I offer it, but I also haven't grown in charity much on the issue. I have a ways to go.
St. Therese has the nun sit near her who used to click her teeth together. She offered it up and actually chose to always sit near her (smile). There are some liturgical changes approaching. I hope they do not include changing gender specific references. From what I understand, some of the prayers will be changed using some of the original translation so I hope it's for the better.
ReplyDeleteManny, this woman usually arrives after I do or I would make every effort to sit far away from her.
ReplyDeleteRos, I hear what you're saying about the mean-spirited comments. I used to be a regular at his blog but now I only occasionally visit and I can't be bothered reading the comments.
Kelly, yes I have noticed that some of the sister also do that. It drives me bonkers. It could be my imagination running away again, but doesn't it seem like the gender-neutral crowd always tries to make that response louder than the other responses they make? Agh!
We will not have to worry about the PC stuff in the new translations, thankfully.
I ,too, am so grateful for the Traditional Latin Mass and the wonderful priests that we have at our parish
ReplyDeleteBut now she has given me a new reason to complain. "May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands, for the praise and glory of GOD's name, for our good and the good of all GOD's church."
ReplyDeleteOrate Fratres 1962 Translation
P. Pray brethren, that my Sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God the Father Almighty.
S. May the Lord receive the Sacrifice from your hands to the praise and glory of His Name, for our good, and that of all His holy Church.
Orate Fratres 1970 Translation
Pray, brethren, that our sacrifice may be acceptable to God, the almighty Father.
P. May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands for the praise and glory of his name, for our good, and the good of all his Church.
I am old enough to remember the Latin Mass as a child. If one reads even the English text of the 1962 Mass one can see the real beauty that we have lost; however, if we are obedient to the Bishop of Rome we honor both, right?
St Benedict would ask as he visited monasteries throughout Europe,'who is the difficult one here?'
ReplyDeleteAnd if there was no one to fit that description he instructed the brothers to travel to another monastery until one could be found. This, Benedict says, 'is how saints are made.'
Father told me this in confession one day when I woke up on the wrong side of the bed :)
Joyce I love how real you are..
+PAX
Thank you Caroline, I am not familiar with those words of St. Benedict but I will bear them in mind from now on. God bless the Father who shared them with you :)
ReplyDeleteMaria, yes, I honor both. People who improvise the words honor neither.
Laurie, where is your parish?
Joyce:If you read both you will see that neither the 1962 or the 1970 translation reads as you have suggested that it should.
ReplyDeleteMaria, you misunderstood the post. That quote is NOT what I suggested, it's what the woman and others like her who don't want to refer to God as a male say instead of the actual words. Please read it again.
ReplyDeleteBut now she has given me a new reason to complain. "May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands, for the praise and glory of GOD's name, for our good and the good of all GOD's church."
ReplyDeleteThe attempt not to refer to God by the pronoun "His" is one I find seriously annoying and pales in comparison to the sniffing and throat clearing.
Oh, Joyce, I am an idiot. You were saying that this person prayed purposefully in this way! LOL. Maybe she has just come back and doesn't know the words? I will be quiet now and pray that all within your ambit both pray and behave better at Mass, LOL!!! See how we misunderstand one another?
Maria, you are NOT an idiot :) Kelly knew exactly what I meant because she has encountered the exact same thing, and sadly, sometimes it is the sisters who do this. I really need to train my ears so that I hear only what I need to hear and tune everything else out, just like my kids do to me!
ReplyDelete:)
Joyce
Joyce: The sisters? Kyrie Eleison. I have been back deep in my faith now not long--since 2009. It seems the closer I come to God the more I see the 'abuses'.It is as if he give us theological 'eyes' that come with increased faith. The soul seems to know what Truth is and seems also to spot its enemy. Does this make sense?
ReplyDeleteLike you, I am frustrated by noise in Church, a lack of reverence. If I am honest, I am only now just beginning to understand the 'abuses' to which others refer. Often I think about what Sr. Lucia referred to: diabolical disorientation. I believe that this is somehow what we are dealing with--though I am not sure I know what I am talking about. That we see, that we believe, in this disorientation, is a great testament to His Grace, don't you think?
Yes, Maria, it makes perfect sense. I "get" things now in a way I never did before I fell away from the faith. What you say makes perfect sense. I sometimes wonder why God chose me to have this sight and not others. I can take no credit for any of it because it's not me, it is Him who does everything. I'm glad He lead you back too.
ReplyDeleteGod Bless
Joyce