My friend Fr. Ray Blake, PP of St. Mary Magdalene in Brighton following the conference at Merton College, Oxford, had a very good comment about the TLM:
I love the constant call of Dominus Vobiscum and response Et cum Spiritu tuo, it is almost as if the priest and congregation need the reassurance of one another as they enter the divine presence. I love the symbolism of the celebrant being dragged about the altar by his assistants: being held at the altar lest he should flee. I love the of the idea of the scriptures being proclaimed as if the most important thing is hearing the voice of Christ and the actual meaning of the texts, important as it is, is secondary.
One of the most teaching things was Bishop McMahon of Nottingham celebrating Vespers, he knew more or less what to do but in practice had to be guided by his assistants. There was an moment were obviously someone was saying to him, “Turn, turn around, no, not to the left, turn to the right”. What it was saying, seemed to be that even a Bishop is subject to the liturgical rules. We give ourselves to the Liturgy, so we might be conformed to the mind of the Church, rather the Liturgy being given to us, so that we might do with it what we want.
Well done.
There is a profound point of the constant call and response in the TLM.
