One devoted Catholic Mother named Andrea, from a RURAL parish south of Oklahoma City, as she describes it, responded expressing her experience as a traditional Catholic riding the Back Pew in her local, modernist parish.
A Mother Writes In (emphasis mine):
Joseph,
You describe our situation exactly. We would be the traditionalist sitting in the back row of the Novus Ordo, cringing as we try not to notice the gum chewer to our left, the short skirt and low-cut blouse to the right . . . here comes the part where everyone holds and lifts hands, another Protestant infiltration, Our Sacred Lord placed in dirty hands and flopped in the mouth . . . Even the hymns are not reverent; "They will know we are Christians by our love" was written by an ex-priest (Peter Scholtes). One gets weary having to sing Protestant hymns every Sunday. Coming out of mass, I feel saddened and worn out. So much disrespect for the Eucharist. How does one block every bit of it out? It is difficult and with 4 children in tow, everything matters so much more.....The Oklahoma parish we currently attend is VERY tiny. We are the only family with younger children there. I had a conversation with one of the older parishioners (she is in her late 60's). She seemed angry when I mentioned my love of the Latin mass. Her comment was how horrible it was, how she was just a "spectator" and didn't get to be "involved". I pondered her comment for a good long while. This, indeed, is the root of the whole problem. The mass, that was once solely "about" Christ, is now about US or ME. I'm bored, I want to be a part of it too, I want to pass communion out too, I want to do this and that, etc. It's all me, me, me. And there you have it: altar girls, lay ministers, musicians with guitars only a few feet from the altar, which family gets to carry up the gifts this Sunday . . . and the list goes on and on. And then, somewhere in all of this distraction, is our Precious Lord.
We are all suffering. I hold on to what Christ said, "...the gates of hell will not prevail against His Church." And so, I wait . . . patiently at times, and not so patiently at other times. And once in a while, we get to attend a Traditional Latin Mass . . . the mass that my generation was robbed of..
Thank you Andrea for standing up and sharing your story from Rural Oklahoma. I'd estimate there are on the order of Thousands of traditional Catholics here in Oklahoma like this mother, "sitting in the back row of the Novus Ordo," with very similar experiences.
My Thoughts:
Allow me to add some comments on the sections I underlined above. I think it can be easily forgotten--I know I do--that perhaps far more traditional Catholics across the RURAL parts of our state (as in other states) are enduring the mental-spiritual torture of their local Novus Ordo Mass, then the hundreds of urban Trads blessed by Providence to be able to make it regularly to their TLM in the city.
This devout Catholic Mother asks how she can "block every bit of it out" with 4 children? Coming out of Mass she feels "saddened and worn out." The realist in me, who sees no way to divorce the mind from reality, sees no way to "block out" the pervasive Ecclesiastical Mental-Spiritual Abuse, except by staying home on Sunday to pray.
Her anecdote about the angry, older woman in her parish bashing the Latin Mass of her youth, makes me want to go outside and scream. But considering its 11:30 pm, that might not be the best idea. I find it ironic those who disdain our Catholic Tradition are often our church elders (lay and ordained alike), while those reconnecting with Tradition tend to be the younger generations.
Anyway, its getting late and I better wrap it up.
If you ever have a similar experience at your own "local, modernist parish," please stand up and share to help readers better re-orient themselves towards the traditional Faith/Church.
Have a restful, cool (finally, thank God), Fall weekend! I'll be making chili and lighting a fire tomorrow evening!