Being a Traditional Catholic is not Easy

Posted on February 20, 2013

by Fr. Peter Carota

Before I discovered the Holy Latin Mass, as a priest I would always say Eucharistic Prayer II for mass because it was the shortest, the easiest. By nature I am a lazy priest. It takes God’s grace to overcome laziness and serve Him well. As Mary said it so well, “I am the servant of the Lord”. To be God’s servant takes discipline and love. You really have to LOVE God a lot because everything in the Traditional Catholic way of life takes so muchmore time, discipline, preparation, study, memorization and sacrifice. I learned the Novus Ordo Mass so quickly. It has taken me years to learn the Holy Tridentine Mass. Any of you priest who are attempting to learn this mass, do not be discouraged, just keep at it. I still make mistakes and still have so much to learn. Latin is very hard to pronounce and learn. Keep on learning anyway. It is all well worth it for God in the long run. Your priesthood will grow so much deeper in union with the High Priest Jesus Christ. The whole spirituality is so other worldly, God heavenly.

Now I have started saying the Latin Breviary. This is a huge step to make. But since I believe with all my MIND, SOUL and HEART that latin prayer is more powerful against the devil and is so much more pleasing to God, I had to start praying the Latin Breviary. The Novus Ordo Breviary is demanding in of itself. All of us priests have made a promise to God to pray all the hours of the breviary. In the Novus Ordo you have Office of Readings, Morning Prayer, Daytime Prayer, Evening Prayer and Nighttime Prayer.

 

In the Latin Breviary (Divinum Officium) you have Matins, Lauds, Prime, Terce, Sext, None, Vespers and Compline. They were planned to be said every 3 hours all through the night and day. I am way to lazy to pray throughout the night. These 8 offices together are taking me up to 3 hours a day. In one week you say all the 150 psalms. In the Novus Ordo you do it in 4 weeks. So it is four time the work. No wonder everyone hates traditional catholicism. It takes so much sacrifice. I have been very tempted to do the Novus Ordo liturgy of the Hours many time when I run out of time.

None of us like discipline. Look at kids (and most adults), they hate home(work). They hate chores. They hate to pray the rosary. They love chocolate, Pizza, Sodas, Fast Food, TV, Video Games, Computer Games, and sleeping in till 1 pm. Let us admit it we are a lazy, gluttonous, sensual, bunch of people. So we ask God’s mercy to give us the grace to change before we become diabetic or fired from our job or flunk out from school. So many kids in my parish got D’s and F’s. But they did have good hand eye coordination from all the video games they played. You parents stop buying them all these electronic toys. Because of this they are maladjusted and anti social and no help around the house. Not to mention all the pornography they see on the computer and receive from friends on their iPhones. OK, let them have it if they will use it for prayer.

What does this have to do with tradition? The Breviary, the Holy Tridentine Mass, the Blessings all take so much sacrifice and discipline to do well. That is why people hate it so much. No wonder most priest and religious were so happy to give up all this discipline and do everything that was easy. But Then look where the world has gone. Look at all the evil that took place in the 60′s, all the rebelliousness. Never forget that we the catholics are the light of the world, salt to the world, and when it goes flat or out, what darkness in the house, in the world and in the family.

For .99 cents you can download an app that is called BrevMeum. It is the Latin Breviary that you can say on the iPhone (most phones too), iPad, and computer. It is in latin but you can go to settings and set it for Latin on one side and English on the other side. So I am reading it first in English and then in Latin.

I would not advise this for you if you are not a priest or religious unless you have the time and discipline to do it. You laity could do Lauds and Vesper if you would be up to it. It is so wonderful to a traditional catholic but it also take love for God and great discipline. The Holy Latin Mass, the Breviary and the Rosary are the most important thing a priest can do for God and the salvation of souls. You attending Holy Mass and praying the Rosary are of great help to convert sinners stating with ourselves. What did Mary say at Fatima; Pray the Rosary for Peace and the conversion of sinners.