Latin Mass | Musings From a Catholic Bookstore

A Wonderful Perspective on Celebrating the Traditional Latin Mass - The Priest Isn’t the Center of Attention

November 27th, 2007

From Closed Cafeteria comes a wonderful reflection on the priest’s role at Mass:

The old Missal’s rubrical micromanagement made me feel like a mere machine, devoid of personality; but, I wondered, is that really so bad? I actually felt liberated from a persistent need to perform, to engage, to be forever a friendly celebrant. When I saw a photo of the old Latin Mass in our local newspaper, I suddenly recognized the rite’s ingenious ability to shrink the priest. Shot from the choir loft, I was a mere speck of green, dwarfed by the high altar. The focal point was not the priest but the gathering of the people. And isn’t that a valid image of the church, the people of God?

Read the rest.