I have sometimes observed that the newer form of Mass is rather like the sort of food more appropriate to children, while the older form of Mass is the "grown up Mass".
While I don’t intend that this be a polemic, as reasonable people will immediately understand, Inevitably this brings comments cordial and vituperative, concordant and dissenting.
I received this from a reader:
You might appreciate this.
My oldest daughter is 20 years old. She is a college junior and a devout and orthodox Catholic.
The TLM was (emphasis on the tense) not available in the dioceses we lived in while she grew up. They are available now, and in her university. I’ve been gently nagging her to start going, but got a lot of resistance.
She finally went to her first one a few weeks ago. I asked her how it was. She replied "It was an easy Mass. I didn’t have to do anything." I was a little concerned so I asked what she meant.
She explained: "In the Novus Ordo Mass there’s so much going on it’s always hard work to focus on the Mass and not get distracted. With the TLM, it was easy to focus on God and the sacrifice being offered in front of me. Maybe it’s because I could understand the Latin, but it was a lot easier. No distractions."
I hadn’t heard that argument before: the TLM is easier. Most people argue the other way around (and I think I even remember one of your blog postings referring to the NO as Mass "light".)
Perhaps we might say that it is easier for grown ups to eat grown up food, rather than pureed goo perfect for babies. Grown ups can survive on the nourishment intended for the young, but they do not thrive. When the proper diet is matched to the person, better things happen.
