TLM ON THE FEAST OF ST. MARK, THE EVANGELIST, FOUNDER OF THE APOSTOLIC SEE OF ALEXANDRIA

On April 25, 2008, Feast of St. Mark the Evangelist, Fr. Abe, CRS celebrated Mass in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite [Traditional Latin Mass], together with a group of Somascan Sisters. The sisters were concluding their weeklong retreat. Fr. Abe served as their retreat master and he wanted them to experience the TLM. The Mass was held in the Chapel of the Sisters' Convent and their orphanage in Pangpang, Sorsogon City, Philippines. Although we're not part of the Somascan Community we are glad to have been invited in the said celebration. Indeed it is a privilege have the chance to assist in the Mass. No matter what circumstances we are in as long as it is for the service of God we should always make ourselves available. I invited two of my students to accompany me. In the evening after returning home, one of them send me an SMS on the cell phone and told me how he appreciated being with us in that mass. He noted the solemnity and the serene athmosphere pervading in the celebration, especially the punctuated silences. The young man told me that he is entertaining thoughts of being a priest. Which was indeed a good inspiration coming from the Lord. I just hope that his experience wih the TLM will inspire him more. I remember the parable of the Sower and I hope that the Seed of the Sower would have fallen on good grounds which later on will bear fruit unto life eternal. I marvel as to how this form of celebrating Mass is making an impression on the young even though they have been used to the Novus Ordo. I think that there are many things that these young people will appreciate in this form of the Mass.

Enjoy the pictures below:

The Altar: Stands for Christ and for His Calvary.

It is an altar designed for the Ordinary Form [Novus Ordo] but Fr. Abe and the Sisters temporarily arranged the altar to suit the requirements of the Extraordinary Form of the Mass. The altar is a bit small. I told Fr. Abe that the celebrant in the Extraordinary Form has to be conscious of the Sides and Middle of the Altar because the rubrics dictate that there are certain functions in the Mass where the priest is instructed to be on either sides and at the middle. In Olden times, in Churches where the altar is made of stone, it is customary to place relics of martyrs and saints in the stone altar. The installation of these relics are done when the altar is consecrated by a Bishop. Some historians wrote that the early Christians valued their martyrdom so much. Many Chrisians of the first four centuries of the church desired martyrdom because they believe that this is a way of expressing their union with Jesus Christ who died on the Cross. Thus even after the persecution ceased, the Christians continued to venerate the relics of the martyrs and to express the desire in the spiritual sense to follow Christ in His footsteps. In fact one scholar said that even after the persecution ceased, the Christians still continued to celebrate Mass in the catacombs. Not because they were hiding but because they wanted to venerate the saints. They consider this veneration as a form of honoring Christ. This is also the reason why in the Canon of the Mass, the names of the Apostles and Martyrs are invoked. Taking this historical note into consideration will help us understand why in the Roman Canon, the names of the Martyrs are invoked. This is the rationale behind this practice. By reciting this and by praying this canon we are transported and connected with the patristic era and with hundreds of centuries of tradition. Just as St. Paul said to Timothy, that what I have received that I also transmit to you. This is the reason why even our Pope recognize the value of preserving tradition. It connects us with our spiritual roots, the faith of the Martyrs and the Apostles, and the Faith of Jesus Christ. Everytime we celebrate the Mass we are transported into the level where we commune not only with the Lord but with all the saints. This is an important article in the Creed..."the communion of the saints." For whether we live or die, we always live unto the Lord. For the Lord is not the God of the dead but of the Living. Hence the Holy Mass itself is a pledged of Love from God to us - a promise of the resurrection!

The Canon of the Mass

The recitation of the Canon of the Mass is the Holiest Portion of the Sacrifice. This event reminds us of how the High Priest in the Old Covenant enters the Holy of Holies to render God the supreme worship. In the new testament the church continued this practice in light of the new covenant. St. Paul spoke of this, "Having therefore brethren, a confidence in the entering into the holies with the blood of Christ. A new and living way which he hath dedicated for us through the veil, that is to say his flesh, and a high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in fullness of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with clean water..." (Hebrews 10:19-22, Douay Rheims Version). At this point the Priest inaudibly recites the Canon. In the Novus Ordo the Canon is recited aloud to the hearing of everyone. But in the Traditinal Latin Mass, the Canon is recited by the Priest inaudibly. The reasons for this is that prayers are addressed to God and not to the people. At this point the Ordained Priest or Bishop performs his sacerdotal role of intermediary between God and the faithful. The faithful are invited to join their hearts and intentions to the acts of the minister on the altar. Silence prevails over the congregation as they see the Priest, the persona Christi enters the Holy of Holies. Christ when he died on Calvary entered the Holy of Holies to offer the Eternal Sacrifice. So as the Canon is recited we kneel in worshipful awe to this act of Supreme Worship, both vicarious and propitious, beneficial and meritorious, for both the living and the dead. By virtue of his ministerial priesthood, the Priest silently recites the Canon because it is only He who can perform this. The laity assists but cannot confect the Body and Blood of the Lord. Here in the communion we recall and honor the humility of the Centurion when he said "Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof, but only say the Word and I shall be healed..." The recitation of the second confiteor at communion time brings us all to the foot of calvary where we behold the Crucified Lord. With a mixture of penance and joy we acknowledge that it was our fault that Jesus underwent this pain for us. But in our hearts we are also filled with gratitude for this healing balm. People who are not familiar with the TLM often say that in the Latin Mass the Priest has his back on the faithful. This is not the correct description. The description should say that the Priest is leading the people, together they turn their faces to the East, the Rising Sun Symbol of Christ and His Resurrection. Thus when the altar is arranged, it is designed to face towards the deriction of the Crucifix, symbolic of the East and symbolic of Christ. When the priest turns his back, he is turning his back together with the people. They face the East, the Easter hope and turn their back on the world. Christ teaches us that if we want to be saved we must turn our backs from the world. St. Paul further said: "be not conformed unto this world but be transformed...". Now who will accuse us that the Holy Mass is unscriptural? When its ethos, rationale and history are all rooted in Scripture.

The Offertory

The Priest says, "Pray Brethren that my Sacrifice and yours be accepted...." Here the priest makes the distinction between his role and that of the faithful, thus he says "my sacrifice and yours..." Everyone feels the unworthiness to offer the Supreme Sacrifice, but every one is filled with Hope and Chairty. The theological and didacic significance of that line is important. Here the Church teaches us that there is one sacrifice but that distinction has to be made between the Ministerial Priesthood and the Common Priesthood. The Ministerial Priesthood is important because it is the ordained manner by which Christ perpetuated his sacrifice for the benefit of the Church. Here the Church makes the act of Calvary present to us. This is the transcendence of God's saving work. Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forevermore. Here he continually feeds us with the real manna from heaven until we dine with Him in the eternal banquet when He will come again the Second time to Judge the world and to redeem His own. St. John in the Apocalypse saw a company of people in white clothes with palms on their hands. He asked the angel, who are these? The Angel replied... "these are they who have cleased themselves with the blood of the Lamb." May the Eucharist we receive clease us and prepare us for eternal life. Amen.

The Leonine Prayers

These are called Leonine Prayers because Pope Leo XIII ordered this to be said in order to help solve the Roman question at a time when the forces of Emmanuel I were invading the Papal States. But today the Church even after the resolution of the Roman Question through the Lateran Treaty of 1929 continues to recite these prayers for the conversion of Russia and of the world.

The Somascan Sisters, Fr. Abe, CRS and us.

The nuns posed for a picture. They stood still but I said "Fr. Abe we need to keep our hands in an Amen position". This is the usual position for photo session in pre-Vatican II era. No we are not returning to archaic practices we are rediscovering them. Doing so helps inspire piety and love for the Lord.

To our friends continue to pray for our TLM apostolate. May God be gracious to all! This Sunday will be the first time that our weekly TLM will be scheduled on a Sunday. It will be at the St. Jerome Emiliani Chapel in Sorsogon City, at 10:00 a.m. We are holding this TLM not on an inaccessible time but on a prime time! God is gracious indeed. Some members of the Allinace of Two Hearts will be joining us.