Today we went to the

Today we went to the Latin Novus Ordo mass at St. Margaret Mary's in Oakland. Usually we go to the solemn sung mass at the National Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi in San Francisco, which is about 70% Latin (sung polyphony in Latin for the Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus, Agnus Dei, as well as motets, with a chanted Credo). While I prefer the amazing singing of the St. Francis Scola Cantorum, I do prefer Latin for the Eucharistic prayer, the Pater Noster, etc. The main reason for that preference is that Latin is reserved for Sacred use. When a car cuts me off, in a moment of weakness, I may yell mean things at the other driver, but always in the vernacular, when I buy a pound of lamb at the butcher, it is in the vernacular, when I post semi-coherent rantings on my blog, it is in the vernacular. Latin is kept for the realm of the Sacred (or at the very least, for reading classical poetry, but my Latin is rusty enough that I generally read that in translation). Anyway, I will continue to go to the National Shrine, but I will also continue to pester the priests for more Latin.

The thing about the Novus Ordo (actually I prefer to call it the Mass of Paul VI), is that it is a wonderfully reverent and worthy liturgy, particularly when done properly, following the directives of the Second Vatican Council, with plenty of Latin, Gregorian chant, and polyphony. On those occasions when I have to participate in a guitar/piano mass, or an irreverent mass, or a sloppy mass, I understand the folks who think that the reforms of the council were a disaster. But when I go to a mass like the one today, or the ones at St. Francis, I am always struck by the beauty of the Pauline missal.