Fr. Josh answers questions about why some Catholics seem to think traditional Latin Mass is better than the Norvus Ordo, whether witchcraft is demonic or fake, and why only some saints have mystic visions.
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If you have a question, comment, or response for Fr. Josh, email us at askfrjosh@ascensionpress.com. You may hear your question or comment in an upcoming podcast episode!
Snippet from the Show
“Just because a priest celebrates one of the liturgies sloppily doesn’t mean that liturgy is bad [traditional Latin Mass or Norvus Ordo]. It means that priest needs to be reformed.”
SHOWNOTES
Glory Story (2:08)
Fr. Josh recalls the very first Catholic book he ever read outside of the Bible: The Mystical City of God by Venerable Mary Agreda. Read it. It will rock your world!!
Listener Feedback (5:59)
Witchcraft (8:29)
Hello Father Josh, Could you please explain what the Church teaches on witchcraft and tarot cards and all that creepy stuff. I know it’s something we as Catholics shouldn’t be part of in general. However, I want to understand the Church’s reasoning behind this. Do we believe witchcraft is not real and it’s all fake? Or do we believe it’s the devil working in this world and that’s why we stay away? Do we believe tarot cards really reveal the future or do we believe it’s all fake or do we believe it’s real but it’s evil? Lol it gets pretty confusing. I mean I know we are not supposed to be superstitious… whatever that means… but being from Africa, I’ve seen some really crazy things happen in this life, that can low-key only be explained through witchcraft (which a lot of people still practice). Anyway, I just want to know what to think about all this and I trust the Church to guide me. Thank you Father Josh! I’ll be praying for you! And pray for me too!
-Ozigbo
Mystic Visions (17:04)
Father, I’m reading the meditations of Christ and each day there is a new meditation about a saint. I’m reading all these saints and their experiences with miraculous appearances of Jesus or Mary or another holy figure and they instantly feel that change of heart and have immense faith. My question is, if we are all called to be saints how come some people have those miraculous visions and others don’t? Because you do need a miracle to become a saint, right? So it seems like Gods’ choosing specific people?
-Andrew
Traditional Latin Mass (22:15)
Hi Fr. Josh, My parish priest has always made his opinion known on the Latin Mass following, like they are cultish, think they are better than people who follow the New Order Mass, etc. At first I wasn’t sure what to think, but after some personal experience I’m a bit worried. It seems like Latin Mass followers go around saying that they are basically better than us: they refuse Communion if it’s not administered by the priests, say that the Novus Ordo celebrations of the Mass aren’t valid, and even say that women should only wear dresses and are meant to stay at home to raise children. I get the feeling that they “groom” or “brainwash” people into following this extreme and fanatical form of Catholicism.
What are your thoughts on this extreme Catholicism following? A google search leads to Novus Ordo Watch, Ad Orientum Masses–how the New Order Mass isn’t really worship and isn’t really Catholicism, etc., and I am so confused. There is so much division in our world–and now I come across this? I love being Catholic, but just feel that this is so wrong. We are all Catholics in the same universal Church, aren’t we? Fr. Josh I’m sorry this isn’t very articulate, but what are your thoughts? Thank you so much for your time!!
-Maria
Universal Call to Holiness (29:40)
Resources
Want to browse the previous resources Fr. Josh has recommended? Click here to select an episode and view the shownotes.
- Broken and Blessed book by Fr. Josh Johnson
- Broken and Blessed Audiobook
- The Mystical City of God by Venerable Mary Agreda
Wow Father, thanks for your answer on the Latin Mass! After the beating us “trads” have taken these past two weeks, I was expecting more of the same. God bless you for your magnanimity!
Father,
I just heard your podcast on the Latin Mass. I started attending a couple of years ago and LOVE it! I would love for you to do more podcasts on this subject and please keep us informed on whether you decide to start doing the Latin Mass yourself.
Thank you, Andrea
“My parish priest has always made his opinion known on the Latin Mass following, like they are cultish” …so who thinks they are better than who? I attend Latin Mass Regularly, and although I do struggle with pride, I do not think that I am a better Catholic just because I am blessed to attend this mass.
Now about Fr. Josh answer: How can you be “incorporated deeper and deeper and deeper into the Body of Jesus Christ”, than by sharing in the way most Catholics celebrated the Mass through history? The Mass is the deepest form of prayer, the “source and summit” of our Catholic life? Get to know how Padre Pio said it, how St Therese of Lisieux knew it… and most saints throughout history. Get to know the Latin Mass.
The other day my sister asked, why Latin? There are many, much better reasons, and there are other important things about the Tridentine mass, but all I could say was basically the following: Why do we use the cross? Because it is an instrument of death which is, at the same time, a sign of Christ’s victory. Same goes for Latin. It was the language used to sentence Christ, and so many martyrs, to death. And who seats in Rome now? Not Caesar.
For more: https://onepeterfive.com/traditional-catholics-liturgy-debates/
Father, what about the argument made here? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRlpY2IzsSk
Isn’t it rather subjective to say that whatever way one approaches God is ok? Doesn’t this smack of a sort of syncretism? God bless.
As a child, I participated in the Latin Mass, as that was the only form of Catholic worship in effect. I remember many people saying the rosary during Mass — perhaps, because they didn’t understand what the priest was saying. Some people, including me, would follow the Mass using the St. Joseph Daily Missal, which had the English translation on the page facing the Latin. I believe that most of the hymns were Catholic, many sung in Latin. For whatever reason, not everybody would go to Communion — except at the special feasts of Easter and Christmas — and Communion was available only from a priest, and then, on the tongue and in a kneeling position at the Communion rail. Everybody “dressed up” for Mass — perhaps the derivation of “Sunday, go-to-meeting, clothes” — and were pretty reverent.
In contrast, today just about everybody takes Communion, most from a “Eucharistic minister,” in the hand, from a member of the congregation who may or may not be dressed as sloppily as the communicant. (As an oddity, the ordained priest or deacon still wears the cope and humeral veil when exposing the Eucharist in the monstrance — yet we have non-ordained “ministers” from the congregation who distribute the Eucharist — some in a blythe manner.) Perhaps, there is more participation now that the liturgy is in English; but, reverence is lacking, and the hymns sung are decidedly more Protestant than Catholic.
Some of the changes brought about by Vatican II may have been for the better; but, just perhaps, some went too far?
Such “question” is clearly fake and instigated.
1) It’s not an honest question; it’s a complex and politically savvy attack on traditional Catholics couched in the form of a question. IE, the “question” contains multiple accusation that Catholics who follow tradition are “extreme”
2) Yet Christ himself was an extremest. Leftwing politics today uses that term as an attack because they value conformity, yet a basic reading of the Bible shows Jesus was no conformist and therefore he was the opposite of what they try to portray.
3) Jesus believed that spiritual truth was worth fighting for, and in fact made a point of saying that we must even be willing to separate family relationships in order to support what’s true. “For I have come to turn ‘A man against his father…'” Mathew 10:35
No. Im afraid it is not. Ive run in to.the same thing. I dealt with q brother who was a trad for 20 years and was exactly as she described.
I love the Latin mass, but then I grew up with it. Don’t consider myself superior or any of the other silly things written above. My cousin said what was beautiful when she was at the Vatican at mass & there were people from every country in the world, praying together in one voice in Latin. This was years ago, of course, & I think we’ve lost that. ??????
Really appreciate your balanced perspective on the Latin Mass. Thank you, Father Josh!