The ‘Signs of the Times’ Have Passed Them By
In The New York Daily News (July 12) there was a short column by the Rev. Brian Jordan, an immigration counselor assigned to the Church of St. Francis of Assisi in Manhattan. He comments on Pope Benedict XVI’s motu proprio, titled Summorum Pontificum (issued July 7), liberating the Tridentine Latin Mass.
Fr. Jordan says, “There continues to be no national pastoral need to celebrate the Mass in Latin other than to satisfy a small — albeit very influential — number of disgruntled Catholics…. And, more importantly, who really needs the Mass in Latin?… A certain few…. We must continue to be called to progression, not regression.”
Contrary to Fr. Jordan, we stated in our October 2007 Editorial that “we believe this is big news for the entire Church…. Catholic Tradition is the key to the future strength of the Church.”
Fr. Jordan says, “I myself have abided by the spirit of Vatican II to respond to ‘the signs of the times.'” He repeats the phrase “signs of the times” two more times.
You May Also Enjoy
We need a clearer understanding of the Church’s relationship with her past and her tradition that will help guide us along the uncharted road ahead.
Fr. Thomas Reese, S.J., of Georgetown University says, "Where there are groups that want [the Tridentine Mass], it's going to be a real pain in the neck."
The extraordinary form has a depth of imagery that the post-Vatican II revisers of the Mass simply eschewed, especially as regards the eucharistic sacrifice.