Summorum Pontificum turns 7 - A recollection and a prediction

The future is always uncertain: The only certainty is that the LORD will prevail.

Looking back 7 years ago, I cannot claim that I made note of it when Pope Benedict XVI the beloved issued Summorum Pontificum. Back then I didn't even know what a Motu Proprio was; much less would I have cared to remedy that ignorace. In fact, at the time, I had only been to one Catholic Mass in Sweden, and that was when Pope John Paul II died, and I do not remember much about that Mass, apart from that the Church was very small and crowded.

The first I heard of a "liturgy war", as such, was when I read about some effort to get the Pope to limit something. I didn't know what that something was, but I realise now that it must have been Summorum Pontificum. I remember signing a petition in favour of upholding tradition, although I was not quite sure what that meant; I did know though that tradition is not to be taken lightly. It is to be revered, not disdained. This might have been in 2008; I doubt it was in 2007 or 2009.

To my pleasant surprise, it turns out that when news broke from Rome, it was very good indeed, and the Mass was given even more exposure, and more liberty.

It took a few years before I attended Mass again - following Pope John Paul II's funeral - but I had remembered reading from a coommentor in a newspaper that the Catholics have Mass with the priest turned against the people. The writer of that particular comment did not mean it in a complementary manner. When I finally did attend Mass, I went there loaded with a Bible - like I had learned to do while attending non-denominational services - fully expecting the priest to have his back turned towards us. Alas, this was not the case!

It turns out that my Bible was of no use at the Mass - strange people these Catholics are that don't need a Bible at Mass! There was a hymn book though and I sat next to a young man who I assumed was Spanish, and he must have realised I was new because he helped me out. The Mass was in English. This was in 2010. I admit readily that I felt a bit short-changed, but I was also very exhilirated about finally attending a Catholic Mass all on my own.

It would be 2013 before I attended my first Tridentine Mass. I had made a New Year's resolution to attend the 'Old Mass', tired as I was about the arguments regarding the new English Translation of the Roman Missal, and also frankly questioning all the innovations and liturgical abuses that I had been reading about. I had even ordered a missal, although it had not arrived in time for the first Sunday Mass of the year.

Mass came and went. I took part. I had never felt more at home than I did then.

Sure, a lot of things seemed perplexing, and I hardly understood a word, but it was clear that I was worshipping with the saints in Heaven, and that this Mass was one made for God, and not for man. I have really never looked back since, and how I wish I had discovered it sooner. Sadly, the Tridentine Mass is not as available as it should be, and in Sweden at least, the growth has not been as exponential as that (allegedly) experienced elsewhere, but at least the knowledge that it exists is growing - it has even made enemies-, and in time those who have an opinion on the Tridentine Mass without even knowing what it is will open their eyes. Some of them will undoubtedly come to revere the immense treasure that Holy Mother Church has bequeathed us through the Mass.

As to why Pope Benedict XVI chose to issue Summorum Pontificum, it is difficult to know for sure. From his writing, it is clear that he laments the apostasy and watering down of the faith that has taken place since Vatican II. His writings clearly display a reverence for the sacrifice of the Mass that is as humbling as it is pious - wisdom in action. I have little doubt that Pope Benedict XVI would have much rather had us return to the Tridentine Mass, and that he would have taken us there had he felt he had the power to do so - this much is clear from his writings. As it is, he left us without ever having offered a Tridentine Mass as Pope; regrettable indeed.

What he felt was not in his power to accomplish he left to the laity instead: With the Tridentine Mass liberated, it is up to the faithful to the world the true face of worship so that the Church can once again teach with the clarity she once did. It is up to those who insist that God deserves to be worshipped in dignity and modesty, that apostolic tradition deserves to be upheld, that the Liturgy should shine forth in all its supernatural beauty, and that the Church's teachings should filter down to us unchanged from the first centuries onwards to bring people to the Mass and do what Pope Benedict XVI felt incapable of doing: Restore the Tridentine Mass to its pride of place in the Latin-rite Church. For sure Summorum Pontificum will not be the final salvo, but without an authentic Catholic liturgy, it is impossible to have an authentically Catholic Church. The battle goes on, but now those on Christ's side can fight with the most powerful of weapons.

As to what the future holds, the fault lines seem to be quite clear. The craziest and wildest of the heretics are dying off, but that does not mean that the faithful can take it easy. Much of the apostasy they fought for now goes for Catholicism in many places, and the battle to rebuild a Christ-centered culture is going to be difficult. Many of the young clergy show a deeper devotion to Catholic tradition than their immediate predecessors, but unfortunately, many of them are still under the authority of apostate bishpos (for all intents and purposes anyway), so being an orthodox clergyman will have its challenges. These young men will need our help, as will the monks and nuns who choose to witness to the glory of God using their vocations.

What of 10 years from now? Well, my prediction is that the fault lines will be even clearer. The Tridentine Mass will have grown and might even challenge the Novus Ordo in terms of weekly Mass attendance. Many priests will know of the Tridentine Mass and this will help the Novus Ordo mass. The culture will probably be even more anti-Christ than it is now, and the faithful Catholic will have to make a choice about where his allegiances lie: In truth, this will not be difficult, since the choice will be forced upon them. The Tridentine Mass will be an oasis in the desert for those disillusioned by the lies of modernism. The challenge will be to make sure that those attending the Tridentine Mass come closer to Christ, and not simply flee away from the anarchy of the pagan world.

The LORD will prevail. We have to do our part. Thanks to Pope Benedict XVI the beloved, we have the Tridentine Mass to help us along the way: The most beautiful thing this side of Heaven is also our greatest weapon for Christ this side of Heaven.