Traditionis Custodes did not come as thunder out of a clear sky; rumors of a plan to restrict the use of the Roman Rite had been circulating for weeks before it actually dropped. But when it did drop, on a Friday at noon in Rome, the shabbiness of the whole affair was immediately evident to the entire world, not least because of the absence of a vacatio legis.
The bishop of the area where I was living at the time was far out of town, and unable to return on short notice that weekend, but I have it on absolutely certain authority that he immediately contacted his secretary to have him clear his schedule for the Sunday following. Come the day, His Excellency spoke at both of the traditional Masses in the main church where it is celebrated in his diocese, and said, “I have read this document, and I see nothing in it that applies in any way to this community.” He immediately issued all the necessary dispensations, and the traditional mass remains as it was in that diocese.In the following months, the reactions of so many of the world’s bishops were so similar that, in the name of collegiality synodality, the Holy See had to do a special end run around canon law, and remove their ability to use canon 87 in this matter specifically. And from that day to this, the would-be defenders of TC have never been able to make up their minds as to why it was necessary. They tell us almost simultaneously that those who attend the traditional Roman Rite are a tiny fraction of the faithful, (the least of the brethren, as it were,) so their concerns and the pastoral care of them need not trouble anyone, least of all their shepherds. But at the same time, they also represent a grave threat to the unity of the Church.
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| Dangerous counter-revolutionaries threatening the unity of the Faith! |
That first year, when NLM’s anniversary came around, instead the usual “happy anniversary to us, and thank you, Shawn!” piece, I wrote an article called, “The Revolution is Over.” The basic point was that TC was a gesture rooted above all else in despair, the despair that overmasters the minds of all revolutionaries when their revolution has failed. Seeing that the rising generations are not interested in their revolution, they attempt to impose ideological conformity by force, because they can no longer do so by persuasion. When that happens, it is already too late, and the revolution is already over.
I have thus far seen no evidence that I was wrong about this, and I write this now because I have just seen a new and very interesting piece of evidence that I was right. The National Catholic Reporter, of all publications, ran an outstanding opinion piece two days ago by a Catholic YouTuber named Roxie Beckles, who uses the handle That Black Catholic Chick. Commenting on the crowds of young people who attended the Jubilee celebration in Rome this summer, she writes, “These young Catholics were not extremists obsessed with nostalgic throwbacks. They were the future of the church – standing tall, unashamed and deeply in love with Jesus Christ. This moment wasn’t orchestrated by branding experts or synodal surveys. It was the Holy Spirit moving through the hearts of a generation tired of being lied to by the world. A generation that’s not content with shallow answers and empty rituals. They want real doctrine. Real reverence. Real formation. Real holiness.”
Turning specifically to the topic of the Latin Mass, she then writes something which has been, of course, obvious to all those with eyes to see and ears to hear, but which is nevertheless always worth repeating. “…when we really listen to the hearts of young Catholics, we see that the desire for tradition is not about ideology, but identity. … Young people want a liturgy that reflects the weight and glory of what we profess. They want to hear sacred music that stirs the soul rather than mimic the culture outside the church walls. They want to see beauty. They want to be caught up in mystery.
To move forward as one body, we have to stop pretending that reverence belongs to the past when, in fact, it’s one of the only things still bringing young people in. The future of the Catholic Church depends not on reinvention, but on deepening. We don’t need to discard what’s still bearing fruit. We need to water it, tend it and let it flourish.”
Even the National Catholic Reporter recognizes that the ideological crusade of frustrated revolutionaries against the traditional Roman Rite is out of gas. This column is part of a series on “Views on the first U.S. pope”, and ends with Ms Beckles saying, “My hope is that this pontificate offers space for that to happen; that we won’t be asked to silence what gives life, but invited to share it freely and joyfully with the world.” That is our hope too. Oremus pro pontifice nostro Leone!
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| From Pax inter Spinas, the publishing house of the Monastère Saint-Benoît in Brignole, France. |
