Every Mass is Extraordinary [I Am a Traditional Catholic]
"The body and blood, soul and divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ" - what can be more extraordinary than that?
In Roman Catholicism we often see a division between those who prefer a style and form of liturgy what has come to be called the "Ordinary" Form, usually in a vernacular language, the 'usual' Mass one experiences around the world today - and the "Extraordinary" Form - the Mass of Ages, the Mass of Trent, the 'Traditional Latin Mass': the Mass with its direct roots in such antiquity a thousand years before that.
Sundays.
But either way, when we think about it: we meet God Himself in the Eucharist. That is [i]extraordinary[/i] beyond measure.
It seems fitting then, despite my own preferences, that there exist two forms in which we do this. (Would that some permutations of the 'Ordinary' Form take on the reverence of the 'Extraordinary', though!)
For some reason I can't reply to your post on what is broken and what divides us. But I agree that it can be fixed and I don't think it will take hundreds of years. Our Lord prayed that His body would be one, just as He and the Father are one. I know that His prayer will be answered.
@daydeeo human beings do have a tendency to find ways to put a spanner in the works! We have to co-operate! (With the grace of God, although to say nothing of with each other too)
@Pfuzylogic They're similar in a lot of respects (though the TLM is of course always in Latin, and the 'new' Mass while it can be in Latin is usually in English, Spanish, Polish, etc) - the level of ceremonial around the TLM is generally far greater though. There's an immense visual (and musical, usually!) difference between the two forms.
Though the overall structure: Introit (entrance chant) - general confession & absolution - Kyrie eleison - Gloria in excelsis (some of the time!) - lessons - homily (if one is given) - Offertory - Sanctus & Benedictus - Consecration - Agnus Dei - Reception of Holy Communion - Dismissal is basically the same to both.
@Persephonee I have attended about 3 Catholic services, one wedding and a funeral. I enjoy the Christmas Mass at the Vatican over the television. Thank you for sharing. Even though our denomination broke away from the Roman Catholic Church in the the 16th century. We still share quite a bit.
@Pfuzylogic Martin Luther (for all his faults from a Catholic perspective!!) certainly did know a good thing or two - I know that largely the Lutheran services mirrors the order of the Mass, for a start! And yes, there is unquestionably more that unites Lutherans, Catholics, and some others, on the whole, than divides us.
What is broken, and what divides us, can be fixed - even if it takes several hundred years. If it took a few hundred years to begin meaningful and charitable dialogue between Catholics and Lutherans (and other denominations) - perhaps with another few hundred all may be formally united again. It's a devout hope (if possibly naive, given what human nature can be like!). :) God bless you
@Strictmentor if some reasonable plan of mine absolutely prevents my going on a Sunday then Saturday will do but it's better not to make a habit of it.
Of course during times of plague and in the country where decent masses are hard to come by and with the Sunday obligation lifted then one does what one can!
This place is full of Protestants that know absolutely nothing about the church and refuse to listen to the truth anyway...even when they can't refute it!
@Persephonee Good for you...when charity is genuine, it holds good value...
..but if given only for one's own spiritual sake (eg, not motivated by the welfare of the supposed recipient at all), then it only serves to function as a condemnation of the false giver...
