This past Sunday, I attended a pontifical high mass celebrated by His Eminence Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. The mass was held at a church near Madison, WI which is fairly well-known within the traditional Catholic sphere in America, St. Mary’s of Pine Bluff. This parish is the home base for two fairly prolific priests; Father Richard Heilman, creator of the popular website “Roman Catholic Man,” and Father John Zuhlsdorf who runs the also popular “Fr. Z’s Blog.” The mass was absolutely beautiful. If you have ever been, you know that St. Mary of Pine Bluff is not a large church, but the liturgies which it hosts are huge. Of course, a pontifical high mass with a prolific American Cardinal is going to follow suit. The pews were packed with people sitting shoulder to shoulder and people were standing around the sides and the back of the nave. There were also people sitting and standing in the breezeway watching from screens. The mass was the perfect way to celebrate the Immaculate Conception, the patronal feast day of the United States.
Afterwards, all in attendance were invited to a reception in the parish school building. My friends and I decided to attend in hopes to kiss the good Cardinal’s ring and even snag a photo with him. We went and stood in line to get some food. As we did so, in walks His Eminence and he instantly begins greeting and speaking with people as they stood in line. His interactions were extremely genuine; he spoke with adults and children alike, refused no conversation, and graciously accepted requests for photos. My encounter with him was simply sublime. I respectfully knelt down and kissed his ring, a traditional sign of respect for high ranking clergy such as bishops and cardinals. I stood up and thanked him for being with us and celebrating the traditional mass for us and he responded that it was a great pleasure for him to do so. As I looked at him, I saw a smile on his face. I could tell that the celebration of the holy mass was such a source of joy for him. Here was a man who has been celebrating the mass since his ordination in 1975. Even after forty-five years, I could have thought that the mass on Sunday was his first with the joy that radiated through his smile. Our conversation was brief, but so genuine and so full of joy. As he continued on down the line, the smile rested on his face and spread to each person he greeted. As we neared closer to the food table, in walks Fr. Richard Heilman, the pastor of St. Mary’s. I said, “Hello Fr. Heilman,” to which he joyously responded, “Wasn’t that awesome?!” He kept saying over and over again, “Wasn’t that awesome?! That was awesome! What an awesome blessing!” Fr. Heilman was bursting with joy that couldn’t be contained. We all understood why; we had just encountered Heaven in the mass. Even more so, the traditional latin mass, especially the pontifical high mass, is celebrated in a way which inspires awe in the faithful. Afterward what we had all just experienced together, I don’t know how any emotion besides complete and utter joy is even possible. We had just witnessed the condescension of Christ the King as He came to make bread and wine His body, blood, soul, and divinity so that he may feed us with His very self and the mass was celebrated in a way which perfectly conveyed this most holy mystery. This Sunday reminded me of something very important; tradition is for the joyful. I have found that there are many people who have a certain stereotype about traditionalists. It’s often believed that we are joyless people who are mad about everything going on in the world and the Church right now. It’s believed that we’re unwelcoming and uncaring. However, I’ve found that this simply isn’t the case, at least not for the huge majority of people. I will admit, yes there are some “traditionalists” out there who do fit this stereotype. They are the small yet vocal minority and the reason the stereotype even exists. However, I would argue that our traditional Catholic faith is a cause for great joy and that the true traditionalist relishes in this joy and spreads it to to the entire Church and the world. The true traditionalist loves the faith so much that one cannot help but feel such great joy at the thought of how great a gift it is to be Catholic and to be living the Catholic faith as it has been lived for centuries. The true traditionalist gladly takes the demands of the faith upon himself, considering it an honor to be more closely united with Jesus crucified through them. And, ultimately, the true traditionalist is glad to share the faith with those around him in order to bring as many souls to Christ as possible. Sure, there is a share of sorrow and even anger at the state of the world in the Church. The traditionalist should desire nothing more that the glory of Christ and His Church and the salvation of souls. As a result, when one sees corruption among the hierarchy or souls seemingly on the path to Hell, joy may be hard to find. We are allowed to experience these emotions of anger and sorrow. In fact, theologians have often taught that anger can be good as long as it inspires us to right the injustice that makes us angry. As traditionalists, however, we must always call to mind that Christ has already won the battle. This thought should always bring us back to joy so that we can continue to march on as soldiers of the Church Militant, offering prayer, sacrifice, word, and deed for the good of our souls, the good of the souls of the entire world, and the glory of Christ the King!
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About MeAn Iowa-raised convert to Catholicism seeking to live my life entirely for Jesus and His Church with all the saints. Archives
August 2021
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