Dear Rev. Know-It-All,

I read your letter to Ms. Thingoze in last weeks bulletin with great enjoyment.  I agree with you.  Back to Latin and the true Church!

Yours gratefully, 

Franz Liebchen

I'm afraid you've gotten the wrong impression.

Though I taught Latin for almost twenty five years,  I have never said that I want to go back to the exclusive use of Latin in the Mass. 

I think that my real opinion will make no one happy.

I find it odd that we turned the altars around when neither the council nor the teaching authority told us to do so.  I think that it is probably more appropriate to say certain parts of the Mass facing away from the people.  The symbolism is that we are directing ourselves, priest and people together toward the Lord.

However, I suspect it is the will of my bishop that I continue to say Mass with my ugly mug facing my long suffering parishioners and will do so until he says otherwise.  I also believe that the Tridentine rite is a treasure for the church and if given the permission to do so, I will on occasion offer the told Latin rite for those who request it.

I think far more important than returning to Latin, we need to redevelop an awe an reverence for the wonder that Mass is.  It isn't a theatrical presentation, nor a community meeting.  It is the meeting of God and Humanity, the embrace of Christ and his bride, the sacrifice of Calvary renewed in our age.

If we all really knew what Mass is, I don’t think the language would matter one way or another.  We would swept away by love and beauty. 

Yours sincerely, the Rev. Know-it-all 

Rev. Know-It-All
 

Editorial Note:
this question regards Q&A
Liturgy means 'work of the people' so can we can change the Mass?
published on February 18, 2007