One of the frequent attacks against traditionalists has always been that we are scrupulous Pharisees, who try to make a camel pass through the eye of the needle. (Mark 10:25) While we get offended when we hear this, at times I think
we should acknowledge it. Sometimes traditionalists do make an idol out of liturgical discipline, and we are like the Pharisee in the temple. We thank God that we have liturgical correctness, unlike those filthy modernists! Concupiscence sucks. We have a noble impulse, and sometimes we go overboard. Everyone does this, and we aren’t immune to that.
Yet if the impulse is noble, then that means there’s a hint of truth to this. So why the emphasis on the smallest bits of liturgical discipline? Why nitpick? In short, we are trying to be like the just servants in the parable of the talents. (Matthew 25:14-30) The master looks for servants to manage his affairs, so he gives them small tasks. When they complete these small tasks, he is pleased. Since they have completed the small tasks, he gives them the higher things to concern themselves with.
Traditionalists advocate this kind of strict discipline for the same reason. You cannot probe the endless depths of the liturgy and acquire the infinite knowledge the Mass possesses without first getting the simple things right. Furthermore, once you are at those higher things, it is the basics that keep you there.
I learned this lesson being a baseball fan. There is a player named Miguel Cabrera on my beloved Tigers, and he is recognized as the greatest hitter in the game currently. When you watch why he is such a great hitter, you are struck by how good he is at doing the basics. He has incredibly quick hands, his body outside of the hips seldom moves, his eyes are always focused on the ball, he only swings at things favorable to him, etc. Because he does these small things, his coaches always have supreme confidence in him at every at bat.
That is how we traditionalists want to act so we can get the most out of the liturgy. Not everyone is a liturgical scholar. Yet everyone can be obedient in doing the gestures they are supposed to. Not everyone is prone to grandiose visions and meditations during Mass, but everyone can express the smallest bit of love in making the Sign of the Cross.
The benefit of this attitude is how infectious it is on everything else you do. If
you come to our Church, you find the canned food drives and other charitable
activities for the poor are done by a high percentage of people in the
congregation. Indeed, I’ll wager that traditionalists give with greater amount
and frequency than your average “modern” parish. Why? Because the simple acts
are something everyone can do.
They also help teach us humility. At first, giving to the poor can seem tough when things are scarce for yourself. Yet as you continue to give, you learn to do more with less, and you realize that just because something is uncomfortable, does not mean following it is impossible. Sometimes the rubrics might seem a bit silly. Sometimes they might even seem a little pointless. I don’t need to kneel at this point to express my reverence towards Christ. Yet they are a pretty good reminder that I should reverence Christ, just as giving to the poor or donating to your church (even when it might be uncomfortable) is a helpful reminder that our talents and wealth are not there for our own benefit, but the benefit of others.
Is this abused? Yes, as I said, concupiscence sucks. Yet if we want to live out our salvation, there is no other way. We must be faithful in small things, so our Heavenly Father will give us the greatest thing He can: eternal life in His rest.
