Turn back to me with all your heart! (Joel 2:12)

1st August 2021

I don't usually write a blog post on a Sunday but I came across an interesting video on YouTube and felt that I had to write something about it.

Today is a Sunday, the day set aside to adore God at Holy Mass. Today is also the Feast Day (not observed on a Sunday) of the Holy Maccabees who fought for the purity of the Temple and right worship of Almighty God.

Today also marks the beginning of August, the month dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

The sacred conjunction of these three was too great an opportunity to pass by. I'll explain why soon. But first here is the video that I found. 

Catholic Interim Mass (1965-1967) versus populum - YouTube

As you can see, it is a video of what is called a Catholic "interim" Mass. Taken from between 1965 to 1967 it comes at a significant moment in history for the Church.

Vatican II has just ended (1965). The release of the Novus Ordo is a little over 2 years away (Advent 1969). This video gives an insight into what I would call a bridge event. A moment when one era crosses over to another.

From this very short video we gain a tremendously profound insight into what was happening to the Catholic Church, the Church we love so well.

What we see is the start of what can only be described as the rot. For sure, it hasn't reached the abyss of "clown" Masses. There are no guitars or drums. No "Lay Eucharistic Ministers". In fact, there is no obvious abuse at all. But let's take a closer look.

The first thing we notice is that it is basically the Traditional Latin Mass celebrated by a Bishop, but facing the people or versus populum. The Tabernacle, where Almighty God, Our Lord Jesus Christ, resides is behind him. The Bishop offering the Holy Mass has his back to God.

This is deeply significant. It shows a 'new orientation'. A new direction. A subtle turning away from God and turning to ourselves. We, man, have started to become the focus. But that is not the only aspect that has been put behind. The Crucifix, Liturgical East (Symbol of Christ's return as our Triumphant King), the powerful symbolism of preaching the Gospel to the North, the cold, dark, sinful and the Pagan. All of that is lost.

A spirit antithetical to the ethos of the Traditional Mass has made its appearance. Those moments when the Bishop talks to God and then to the people are lost because he is facing the same way regardless. 

Gone is the 'Moses Moment', when the priest offering the saving Sacrifice to the All Holy, faces the Divine One and then, turning to the people, brings salvation from the Altar of God. There is no longer any turning to the people because it is to the people that the priest has firmly set his face.

Man is now the focus.

It doesn't end there.

The High Altar, the height of the Mountain of God, Tabor and Calvary, lies abandoned and, instead, we find a table like "altar". There are no candles on this new altar. There seems to be only one altar cloth which gives the appearance of a table cloth. No altar cards are apparent.

What we have is both a stripping back and what I would call a creeping uglification.

Let us bear in mind that this is before the introduction of the Novus Ordo (1969 Advent). Many people, especially priests, claim that the Novus Ordo was intended to be celebrated Ad Orientem yet we clearly see here that the rot of Mass Versus Populum was already setting in. Without a doubt his is a new direction, quite literally! 

We can safely conclude that this was planned long before before the emergence of the Novus Ordo. Undoubtedly, they were getting the people accustomed to a dumbed down, man focussed, man centred Liturgy.

This is at the heart of the problems we see today. We had started to turn in on ourselves. We became a community that was a closed circle. Our sights were no longer set upon the heights of Heaven but on the dust of our frail, sinful existence. We exchanged heavenly glory for puerile navel gazing. 

Furthermore, isn't it interesting that since we started doing that in the 1960's we have seen a massive increase in self centredness: pride, materialism, lust & pornography, immorality of all sorts (e.g Sodomy, Abortion) pleasure seeking, narcissism etc and with it a sharp increase in depression rates and poor mental health? 

                "By their fruits you shall know them." Matthew 7:16

Sadly, we know how this developed. The TLM had to go. It just didn't fit in with the new vision. It was an obstacle.

Not only that, but Latin itself had to be all but expunged. There was no place for it in this Brave New Church.

Latin is often described as a "dead language". Yet that is one of its great virtues.  

With Latin we cannot be the focus. Our intellect, understanding and pride cannot be pampered. With Latin the focus is on the One who alone comprehends all things. Latin places us before Mystery and Mystery makes us small. Mystery has no place for pride. Being a "dead language" we have no power over Latin just as we have no power over Mystery.

This points to the heart of Modernism, an nefarious "synthesis of all heresies" (to quote St. Pius X). Modernism is Satanic in its pride. It seeks to destroy Mystery. For the Modernist there is absolutely no place for the Supernatural. If pride cannot comprehend it, it will seek to destroy it. 

To further destroy Mystery, a New Calendar had to be created. In this New Calendar there had to be less Octaves, less penitential days and less fast days. They wanted less awareness of our need for repentance, of Grace, of Salvation and, ultimately, of God Himself.

Thus this is where we find ourselves today

20150611_Sint-Franciscuskerk_Bolsward.jpg (3672×4896) (wikimedia.org)

So what is the significance of today's sacred conjunction?

Sunday teaches us that we must not just worship God but that we must offer Almighty God truly worthy adoration. We need to rediscover this.

The Maccabees teach us that we must fight for the rights of God. We must fight for a worthy Liturgy and a Holy Temple.

The month of the Immaculate Heart points to Our Lady's promise in Fatima

                 "In the end my Immaculate Heart will triumph"

This is our hope. We fight under the banner of the Immaculata! 

But how do we go about this?

The heart of the issue is the heart itself. We need to convert. We need to turn away from ourselves. We need to listen to the words of the Lord

          "Turn back to me with all your heart" (Joel 2:12)

Our fight for the Faith, the Sacraments and the Traditional Mass must have this at its root and centre. Each one of us must, in our hearts, undo what we see that Bishop in the video doing. We must re-turn to the Lord. Face Him. Make Him the centre and heart of our lives, our Liturgy and our souls.

The Church and Our Lady's Promise are all counting on it.