NO DISCUSSION, NO DEBATE, NO SYNODAL SOLUTION TO TLM VS NO

By Tim Rohr

It's Christmas morning, 2025. I was looking for something on YouTube to enhance the spiritual sense of today before I head off to Mass and came across a devotional video of the type of what I was looking for. 

In the video, after the devotional part, a book was mentioned (and quoted from) that piqued my interest: Leo XIV: Citizen of the World, Missionary of the 21st Century. The link in the video took me to the article titled: A Book-Interview in Which Leo XIV Speaks About the Traditional Latin Mass.

For 20 plus years, my family and I attended the Latin Mass here in Guam (there is only one). In fact, we did more than attend. My sons were some of the original altar boys for several years, and for many more years, I was the organist. I also helped build the congregation for the TLM by constantly inviting others. At one point, I believe at least half the congregation was the result of those invitations. I no longer attend the Latin Mass for reasons I won't discuss here. However, I continue to defend and promote it. 

The article (I encourage you to read it), quotes the pope as saying: 

“Well, you can say the Latin Mass right now. If it is the rite of Vatican II, the Mass of Paul VI, there is no problem. Obviously, between the Tridentine Mass and the Mass of Vatican II, the Mass of Paul VI, I don’t know where that will lead us. It is obviously very complicated.” 

The pope goes on to propose "synodality" as a solution to the debate:

“I have not yet had the opportunity to meet with a group of defenders of the Tridentine Rite. The opportunity will present itself soon, and I am sure there will be occasions to discuss it. But it is a problem that I also think we perhaps need to address through synodality. It has become such a polarized subject that people are often reluctant to listen to one another.”

A Vatican observer and expert, counters:

“Sitting down and discussing ‘in a synodal context’ is not the method of the Holy Catholic Church. It is a method the Church adopted from the world, reducing it to a caricature of political democracy. A method that, at best, leads to an endless series of misunderstandings and, at worst, openly betrays the faith.” 

I happen to agree with the expert. Synodality (there is actually no such word), is exactly that: "a caricature of political democracy" - the very opposite of a "Magisterium." 

The pope admits the abuses of the Novus Ordo ("NO"), and proposes that the NO, rightly celebrated, will resolve the issue. And this is where I want to comment.

It won't. The NO "rightly celebrated," is not possible because the NO is itself an abuse. There are many volumes which support this, but in short, it's an abuse because it is a wholly manufactured liturgy created by mostly one man (Bugnini), and thrust upon the Church in the wake of Vatican II. At no time in the history of the Catholic Church was the liturgy ever wholly manufactured as was the NO. The liturgy is an organic thing. It has always grown organically through the centuries, beginning with the Lord's Last Supper and as also found in Acts 20:7. 

Modified, codified...yes. But never manufactured "out of whole cloth," despite its creator's appeal to the"primitive church,"which was nothing more than the "antiquarianism" condemned by previous popes.

The NO is inorganic. It is divorced from two thousand years of Sacred Tradition. This is why, more than 50 years after it's fabrication, it not only continues to be "abused," but has created ever more divisions in the Catholic Church. A "discussion," as the pope proposes, will not solve this. As the observer states, he (the pope) is the pope. It is his call. However, the pope really has no call. And if he has a call at all, it is to abrogate the NO, not the TLM. And here's why.

As Benedict XVI rightly stated in Summorum Pontificum: 

"...what was sacred and great for past generations remains sacred and great for us as well, and cannot be suddenly forbidden or considered harmful."

This fact led Benedict to declare that the TLM was "never abrogated." However, in the context of "sacred then, sacred now," it can be clearly deduced that Benedict meant not only was the TLM "never abrogated," he meant, and would have rightly stated: "it can never be abrogated." 

Thus there is no discussion, no debate, no synodal solution. What was sacred then is sacred now. The NO never was either.

STAY AT THE PARTY

 By Tim Rohr

This will be a little different post than the JW usual. In fact, I should post it over at my other "Catholic" blog. Nevertheless, I'll post it here since this blog has a higher readership and this view may help someone that isn't necessarily looking for a "religious" perspective.

This past Sunday's gospel reading was the familiar "Wedding at Cana" whereat Jesus performs his first miracle. I'll copy the reading in full before sharing my thoughts:

Gospel. John 2:1-11

There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee,

and the mother of Jesus was there.

Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding.

When the wine ran short,

the mother of Jesus said to him,

“They have no wine.”

And Jesus said to her,

“Woman, how does your concern affect me?

My hour has not yet come.”

His mother said to the servers,

“Do whatever he tells you.”

Now there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washings,

each holding twenty to thirty gallons.

Jesus told them,

“Fill the jars with water.”

So they filled them to the brim.

Then he told them,

“Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.”

So they took it. 

And when the headwaiter tasted the water that had become wine,

without knowing where it came from

— although the servers who had drawn the water knew —,

the headwaiter called the bridegroom and said to him,

“Everyone serves good wine first,

and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one;

but you have kept the good wine until now.”

Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs at Cana in Galilee

and so revealed his glory,

and his disciples began to believe in him. 

The usual sermon following this Gospel usually revolves around the unique roll of the Blessed Mother - even getting God the Son to do something he didn't want to do. In fact, it could be said she got him to do something that he wasn't supposed to do: "My hour has not yet come." 

Much can be said about this Gospel passage and much usually is. I particularly like this Gospel because it says so much about who the Blessed Mother is and what she can do for us poor creatures.

It was a few years ago when I suppose I finally matured enough to see something in this story that I've never heard before, and it's sort of a shame that we don't hear something said about this.

The key verse is when the headwaiter says to the groom: “Everyone serves good wine first, and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one; but you have kept the good wine until now.”

Of course, neither the headwaiter nor the groom knew at first what really happened, though I suppose later everyone found out because the gospel goes on to say "and so revealed his glory, and his disciples began to believe in him."

As is usually the case, a single scripture passage or an account like this one can hold many meanings, and the great meaning for me is "you gotta stay at the party." 

When the wine ran out, probably some people left. There was obviously a disturbance in the party because the Blessed Mother was troubled enough to go to Jesus to fix the problem. And for those who stayed at the party, well, they got the best wine.

So, in short, and this is nothing new, God saves the best for last - for those who "endure to the end" as St. Paul tells us. And since this miracle occurs at a wedding, I believe it is a special message about marriage: endure to the end because God saves the best for last - for those who endure to the end. 

Stay at the party - even after the wine runs out.