My liturgical dancing out of the TLM ;-)

For those terribly offended by this analogy, consider:

• When John the Baptist leapt for joy in his mother Elizabeth’s womb as he was sanctified by little Jesus in the womb of Immaculate Mary, this leaping was dancing for joy just as David danced for joy before the Ark of the Covenant. But this time, with John, the Ark is not a box, but Mary who carried God Himself. The preface even in the Novus Ordo speaks of John singing about the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world.
• Commenters on the symbolic meanings of Juan Diego’s Tilma say that the posture, the stance of Mary depicts that she is actually moving, well, dancing, dancing for joy, and she also sings her magnificat, glorifying the Lord.

We recall Guardini’s and Ratzinger’s The Spirit of the Liturgy, at play before the Lord, right?

One is free to enter into the Sacrifice of Praise, following the law by way of the Holy Spirit, which is not freedom to break the commandments, or the rubrics for that matter, but the freedom of the children of God who will joyfully follow the commandments. See Romans 3:31…

• “Do we, then, nullify the law by faith? Certainly not! Instead, we uphold the law.”

So, let me offer a contrast. I have witnessed academic know-nothing professors in seminaries who, thinking themselves to be clever, sophisticated, ever so self-congratulatory, would go out of their way to change words in the Eucharistic Prayer (this all being Novus Ordo) and change all sorts of rubrics at Holy Mass, consistently, purposely, just so as to showcase that Mass is be an occasion by which to turn the sanctuary into a staging of narcissism. They turn the Law of Prayer, the Sacrifice of the Last Supper as united with Calvary, into an instruction to the seminarians about how, when they are priests, they too will be able to kick their parishioners in the face, relativizing to themselves that which is by it’s very nature is to be open to those who desire to be united to that Sacrifice of Jesus, and not privatized by narcissists.

Could it be that those bad and evil trads who say the black of the text and do the red of the rubrics at Holy Mass ever so rigidly, so very entrenched – because they’re all, ALL OF THEM, old meanies, right? – could it be that at least some of them are actually saying the black and doing the red because they have light and joyful hearts, truly joyful in the gift of joy from the Holy Spirit, and are absolutely enjoying the freedom of the children of God, freed because of not being forced to be narcissistic, freed because of being immobilized, nailed down, crucified with the Son of the Living God, dead to themselves so as to live for Jesus, to lead others not to themselves but to Jesus, because He’s the One, the only One?

Yes, that could be. It’s true in some small way with me. I’m so unworthy. But our Lord’s graciousness in having wretched me be His priest makes me all the more joyful. He’s so good and kind, and His Truth is overwhelmingly glorious, awesome, stunning… I don’t have the brain-power-band-width to distract myself about how cleverly I can enculturate my idiocy into what is by rights His Holy Mass so as to relativize the Holy Mass to myself, cheating myself and everyone else in The Lord’s Little Flock. They have a right to His Holy Mass. They don’t need my stupidity. I would feel terribly self-conscience in “creating my own Mass.” I want to be preoccupied not with myself, but with Jesus. He’s the One. He’s the only One.

And there’s this from Taylor. Great! He nails this perfectly. Lol. Well done, Taylor. Well done:

I’M SORRY! I APOLOGIZE! THERE’S LACE IN THAT PICTURE AT THE TOP OF THIS POST! OH NO!