Dr. Mirus Slams Latin Mass; His Donors UNANIMOUSLY Slam Him

Odium est vae tibi

Puritanism: The haunting fear that someone, somewhere may be celebrating the Latin Mass.

For reasons known best to himself, Jeffrey Mirus, the founder of the Catholic Culture website and its parent organization Trinity Communications, yesterday fully "came out" against the Latin Mass. It's notable that someone who takes such obvious enjoyment in explaining in lengthy and almost pharisaical detail precisely what Vatican II did and didn't say (and in addition how the documents of the Council itself are completely consistent with Church tradition and if you disagree you're a Nazi) would so firmly take a position so far beyond what the Council documents actually declared and that arguably contradicts the views of John XXIII and a majority of the Council fathers.

But hatred of traditionalists is a powerful force that can make some people say or do almost anything, no matter how stupid or crazy. If Michael Matt says X, then Not X must be true. Dr. Mirus hasn't gone full Michael Coren quite yet, but don't be surprised if a few years from now you see him sneaking into an Episcopalian meeting house with a full-figured priestess.

It might be the only way he can escape the resurgence of the Latin Mass.

The particularly annoying thing about his piece is his argument that Latin is too hard. It's too hard for seminarians to learn. (Or it's not being taught in the seminaries anymore and changing that would be too hard.) It's too hard for non-Europeans to say. It's too hard for those assisting Mass to understand what's going on. Apparently Dr. Mirus is unfamiliar with the concept of a Latin-English Missal, or thinks it too hard to for most people to read the English part of it, or whatever.

Catholicism for babies.

You want a missal? Here, take this board book with colorful pictures. None of the words are more than four letters long. See, you can even touch the picture of the priest. It's made out of the same felt as your actual priest's cassock.

But here's something amazing: Every single comment on the post disagreed with his position.

This may not seem that remarkable, but for Catholic Culture it is. The moderators are in the habit of making traditionalists feel unwelcome, either by deleting their posts, or writing snarky responses (guess how I know that). And if you're a traditionalist, you're probably not going to get a lot of support from the other people who comment. Plus, and most importantly, in order to comment (or "sound-off" as they call it on the site), you need to be a donor to Catholic Culture. This tends to encourage a certain conformity.

But Mirus's anti-Latin Mass post was slammed in ten out of ten comments. I've never seen anything like that on Catholic Culture. It must be some sort of a record. And I'm almost surprised that Dr. Mirus let them all through.

Here are excerpts from all ten: 

Some of us at least prefer to think of ourselves as "those who condemn the attenuation of the Mystical Body of Christ from the liturgy that She developed organically over two millenia." 

If the archdiocese was requiring Latin in its high schools I find it hard to believe that they weren't teaching Latin in their seminary. 

If Card. Dopfner (a pro-vernacular Cardinal at the Council) really believed he would lose half his seminarians over learning Latin, how genuine were their vocations in the first place? The imposition of the vernacular was far from John XXIII's mind when he wrote - "In the exercise of their paternal care they (the bishops) shall be on their guard lest anyone under their jurisdiction, eager for revolutionary changes, writes against the use of Latin... in the Liturgy." 

Use of the vernacular was permissive, not directive (in the documents of Vatican II). 

Simply put, your observations are as shallow now (as) at the Council. 

Almost the entire liturgical and musical patrimony of the Roman Church was tossed aside and we were told it was worse than useless. 

No one criticizes Jews around the world for studying Hebrew so that they can read the Scriptures and pray together. They even rejuvenated it to be the official language of Israel. No one wonders why Muslims everywhere learn Arabic so that they can read the Koran, which is not supposed to be translated. But let a Latin Rite Catholic learn a bit of Latin (we aren't talking Cicero here) and the derision flows. 

Latin? I don't read, write, or speak Latin. Yet I attend the Latin Mass. Why?... Its nature is a different theology from that of the vernacular Mass. 

Thank you, God, for Pope Benedict and Summorum Pontificum. 

Those familiar with Latin Liturgy who travel know the joy of stumbling upon a Mass in Latin in a foreign place.

All of us know about the bad news in the Church. But there is also good news. Perhaps the best news is that the Latin Mass (more rightly called the Old Mass) is coming back. Indeed, the Old Mass is leading a resurgence of Catholic faith. In a certain sense it is that resurgence. The little mini-rebellion above, on a supposedly anti-traditionalist Catholic website is one sign of it.

I was just kidding with that Michael Coren crack. I'm sure Dr. Mirus would never go that far. But I do hope he considers or reconsiders his position on the Mass in an unbiased manner, putting aside his anti-trad hate. Perhaps he should listen a bit more to his donors. Or, to phrase it in the Conciliar language he might be more comfortable with, maybe he should be more open to the "refreshing winds of change..."