I sure do miss having classes with Fr. Mitch Pacwa, S.J.

From Fr. Pacwa's monthly e-letter column, "Words of Wisdom", these thoughts on the liturgy and various conflicts within the Church over the past forty years:

Some people think that since the Novus Ordo was created, it has been the cause of confusion for Catholics. I do not think that the Novus Ordo is itself the cause of the problem but rather the occasion for the abuses that have occurred. I believe, rather, that the problem began with the priests and religious, plus many lay people, who so accepted the post-war philosophies, especially existentialism and, for some, Marxism, that the Catholic Faith and their commitment to Jesus Christ the Son of God and Redeemer were replaced with a humanistic set of assumptions. The faith needed to be judged by the standards of philosophy rather than judge philosophy by the standards of the Faith. Add to this the social turmoil of the 1960's, when all institutions were treated as suspect, at best. The liturgy became an occasion to express ideology and politics. Furthermore, the teaching of catechism was seriously compromised after 1968, so people were not being taught the Faith. In such a context, everything new seemed to be acceptable, even though the instinct of faith went contrary to the nonsense. The heterodox Catholic progressives had the dynamic force from the 1960's into the 1980's.

   That situation is changing, in some ways for the better. The left is aging and has no young followers to push its agenda. The young either become apathetic about a faith emptied of its truth and power through the progressive agenda, or they become orthodox. I describe the heterodox liberals as spiritual geldings and spays; they have removed the essentials of their faith and cannot reproduce, bringing in neither converts nor vocations. The best they can do is make geldings and spays of those who do possess the faith: this is not an appealing prospect for most people.

   I am in favor of the restoration of the 1962 liturgy, though I do not intend to celebrate it. I use my talents in the Maronite Mass, where the default language is Aramaic, which I studied in grad school. My Arabic studies are also useful there. However, I promote the Latin Mass because it is an extremely important corrective to the abuses that have been - and still are - foisted upon the people of God in the Novus Ordo. This is not merely a tip of the hat to its inherent beauty, but also to the truths it proclaims in its very nature. I also promote the improvement of the translation of the Novus Ordo. The present translation altered so much - apparently with an ideological purpose - that it becomes easy to miss the proclamations of the Catholic Faith which the liturgy actually proclaims.

    Finally, I hope for a full reconciliation among all Catholics who believe the truths of our Faith. The divisions need to end, with a true reconciliation and not with mere capitulation. We need to focus on converting our modern world to Christ, especially the Muslims. God's grace is already operative within Islam, as over ten million Muslims a year become Christian - a first in history. May the dignity and truth of the liturgy be one more of God's tools for this service.

In Christ Jesus,

Fr. Mitch Pacwa, S.J.

This particular edition of "Words of Wisdom" is not yet archived, but you can read older editions here. And, of course, you can catch Fr. Pacwa on "EWTN Live" on Wednesday evenings.

Comments

[Jeff Miller]

Well at least you had classes with him, count me envious.

Once when coming out of Adoraton I noticed Fr. Pacwa kneeling in the backrow of the Adoration chapel. I knew that he was in town for a conference downtown, but it was pretty cool seeing him at adoration at a parish not connected with the conference. Now that's a true Jesuit.

[Carl Olson]

Jeff: As you know, Fr. Mitch is a very intelligent, well-educated priest with an impressive knowledge of Scripture, doctrine, history, etc. But what has always impressed me the most about him is his love for Christ, his devotion to the Eucharist, and his commitment to prayer and the Office. A true Jesuit and a true man of God.

[Alexander]

I would like to copy my comment from the NLM here. Although I mostly agree with Fr. Pacwa I feel that he misses something. Most here will probably not agree with me but here it is:

Fr. Pacwa wrote:

I do not think that the Novus Ordo is itself the cause of the problem but rather the occasion for the abuses that have occurred.

This is the main problem with his statement.

The many options in the Novus Ordo, it’s watered down prayers (even in the Latin) and removed symbolisms at least help to spawn abuse as well as the other things he mentioned.
Fr. Pacwa, like many others, correctly identifies the source of abuses and lack of reverence in the Mass by focusing in on the catechetics problem, social turmoil, etc. But what is not admitted is that the Novus Ordo is intrinsically problematic in that its prayers are watered down or ambiguous (a side by side comparison with the Traditional Latin Mass clearly shows this) and that it contains so many options which help to cause abuse and the sense of formlessness. This sense of formlessness in worship can spill over to what we believe. We should worship how we believe. A Mass with an enormous amount of options could possibly help to portray the perspective that what we believe has an enormous amount of changing progression and evolution, God is not unchanging etc.

When a prayer is watered down or the Catholic doctrine of sacrifice is not as clear as it is in the TLM the sense of the sacred plummets and the Mass is taken less seriously. Therefore abuses and lack of reverence rise. To a lesser extent the same can be said of the removed symbolisms that exist in the TLM but are lacking in the Novus Ordo. But of course we must admit that other factors are involved which are basically the ones Fr. Pacwa names in his piece – the problems he lists and the problems I list about the Novus Ordo collectively help to fuel this trouble.

However I see here a call to reform the so-called reform. That is the removal of all these banal options and forms.

Further (to echo this once again), if the "reform of the reform" took place, eliminating most of these options and make standard the traditional forums , you might as well use the TLM or at least TLM dialogue Mass with some vernacular. Even if one can argue that the Novus Ordo has something superior contained within it that is not a novel fabrication or a hindrance on Catholic doctrine (like maybe – just maybe – the petitions of the faithful, albeit reformed to where they are read by someone ordained only) these things could be incorporated into the TLM which already has superior prayers, structures, forms and superior symbolisms.

A true reform of the reform would end in with the eventual death of the Novus Ordo and a restoration of the organic developmental process of the TLM.

Most of my comments rest on the fact that the TLM is a superior Mass. No one has ever convinced me that it is not. Simply examine the prayers, structures and symbolisms of the TLM with the Novus Ordo and it is painfully obvious. And of course any legitimate organic development that might have occurred within the New Mass could easily be developed in the TLM.

And BTW Mr. Olson, I do enjoy your works. Good stuff.