Tradition and Traditionalists

I have decided that when someone asks me how I stand on "la question liturgique" - as opposed to just assuming, which I think many people do - I will say that, "I love liturgical tradition while I have trouble, at times, with self-identified 'traditional-ISTS.'" That is, I have problems with some of the personal attitudes and narrowness of vision, the frankly cultish tendencies of some who have chosen the Tridentine Mass as their banner. And frankly, I don't think some of them have anywhere near the appreciation for the very thing which they claim defines them. My yardstick is that, if I had to choose between a Tridentine Low Mass (esp. with only the server doing the responses) and a Novus Ordo Latin Mass celebrated ad orientem with incense, a complement of servers, chant, polyphony, etc., I would definitely choose the latter. The second follows the spirit of liturgical tradition far better. (I am not saying that you can't criticise specific prayers/features of the 1970 Missal. Neither am I saying that there weren't serious problems with the liturgical reform. I am just trying to make the basic point that the solemn sung Mass is the liturgical ideal.)

Of course, most people do not have these two things to choose between. Still, since I have been in this ideal situation I can get closer to the truth of the matter.

However, having criticized traditionalists, I will not let the neo-Catholics off the hook - or at least some of them who think that the Extraordinary usage will go away if they grit their teeth hard enough. What I say to them is, "as long as you insist on quarentining something, you are guaranteeing it will be associated with sick people." The whole point of Summorum Pontificum was to acknowledge that it is wrong to treat something considered holy for centuries as if it were all of the sudden bad - rather than what it should be, revered. You are undermining the Pope's intentions. The Extraordinary usage is a legitimate, normal liturgy of the Church - it belongs to ALL Catholics (not just Catholic's whose belts are tied a little too tightly) - so get to work and start forming 'ordinary' catholics in it.