Traditional Latin Mass: A Sacred Living Treasure of the Roman Catholic Church

CEBU, Philippines — I saw a piece of heaven one night in January, 2012. It happened at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Church, where I attended my first Traditional Latin Mass.

Details of what transpired have escaped me, but I remember that the first thing that struck me was that I just left the world and glimpsed a piece of heaven. There was a sense of mystery that lifted my heart to God alone and my mind to eternal things. I knew right then that I was in love.

Like many Catholics of my generation, I had no idea that this form of the Mass existed. The Catholic schools I’ve been to only taught us the basic things, and even those were not enough. Religious education, which is supposed to be the bread-and-butter of Catholic schools, is now being treated as just another subject. Many baptized Catholics are ignorant of their own faith due to lack of good catechesis, and more importantly, lack of well-formed Catholic educators – an issue the Church should prioritize.

Thankfully, through the internet, I discovered a sacred treasure of the Roman Catholic Church, which is the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, commonly known as the Traditional Latin Mass.

This is the form of the Mass celebrated by the Church for centuries before the liturgical reforms that came after the Second Vatican Council. It is the Mass that most of the saints witnessed. To name a few, we have St. Augustine, St. Alphonsus Liguori, and St. Teresa of Avila, as well as our own, Sts. Lorenzo Ruiz and Pedro Calungsod. Saint Padre Pio and St. Pope John Paul II have also attended and celebrated this Form of the Mass.

And, by God’s grace, it is still around. Thanks to Pope Benedict XVI’s Apostolic Letter entitled “Summorum Pontificum.” Issued in July of 2007, this document expresses Pope Benedict XVI’s desire for greater access to the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite by giving all priests and bishops permission to celebrate the Mass according to the typical edition of the Roman Missal of 1962 which was promulgated by Pope Saint John XXIII. This missal was never abrogated, and where there is a stable group of the faithful who requests the Extraordinary Form, no priest or bishop should refuse them.

As I spent time learning this form of the Mass and appreciating its beauty, the more I fell in love with God. And, where love for Him increases, faith and devotion deepen.

To deepen your faith so that you can live it to the fullest, you must love God above all else. All other things take second place. This is the whole essence of our worship. How many of us can say that we go to Mass for the sake of loving God alone, to please Him, and not just for fulfilling an obligation? How many of us love God with our mind, body, and soul? Does our love for God express itself not just in our prayers but also in our behavior?  This faith and love are expressed and nourished in a consummate way in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the heart of our Catholic faith. 

The Extraordinary Form has actually transformed the faith of many people, including me. Perhaps it is because of the silence and reverence for the sacred in everything – from how the priest offers the un-bloody Sacrifice of Jesus, to the extreme care with which the altar servers assist the priest, to the solemn and beautiful Gregorian chant, which, according to Article 116 of “Sacrosanctum Concilium,” should “take possession of first place.”

All of this leads us to give God – Our Lord and King of the Universe – His due. “But if you wish to behave with due respect to such a mighty Monarch, you should reflect on Who He is you are addressing, and what you yourself are, that you may show fitting reverence,” says St. Teresa of Avila, in her book, “The Way of Perfection.”

Amidst a culture that is trying its best to annihilate what is holy and to create a Godless society, the Extraordinary Form Mass provides a shining example of how Mass ought to be celebrated in order to reveal God’s glory and His kingdom. Even the Ordinary Form itself, when celebrated reverently and according to the norms, can fittingly express worship for the Divine Majesty.  As faithful and practicing Catholics, we must rise above the tide of revelry and “put on the new man, who according to God, is created in justice and holiness of truth.” (Colossians 4:24, Douay-Rheims).

The Traditional Latin Mass is slowly being discovered, most especially by young people who yearn for what is eternal and who are constantly bombarded with noise and acts of depravity. It is no wonder why their souls thirst for what is not of this world.

And, the Extraordinary Form Mass doesn’t fail them.  For, in the stillness and reverence in the Extraordinary Form Mass, they encounter the mystery of the Incarnation, Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, which very same mystery calls all of us to imitate Him, for He is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). As St. Josemaria Escriva, founder of the Opus Dei states, “The world admires only spectacular sacrifice because it does not realize the value of sacrifice that is hidden and silent.”

Since 2007, the number of Roman Catholics who appreciate and desire the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite has been growing. They come in all colors, shapes, sizes, and ages from all around the world, including the Philippines. Here in Cebu, a group of faithful Catholics, after having encountered the Sacred Mystery in the Extraordinary Form, have committed themselves to restoring, promoting, and preserving this living treasure of the Roman Catholic Church, as well as worshipping in the Ordinary Form of the Mass reverently. We call our group the Cebuano Summorum Pontificum Society, in honor of Pope Benedict XVI’s Apostolic Letter.

If you wish to witness, experience, and pray the Traditional Latin Mass, do so with us every Sunday at 4 p.m. at the Adoration Chapel of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Parish (Capitol Parish). As you do, I pray, that, like me, you will glimpse a piece of heaven and fall in love with God more than ever before. (FREEMAN)