Katie and I went to Sacred Heart parish in Austin yesterday for my first Tridentine Mass!

I didn’t know what to expect, and I so I shouldn’t be surprised that much of it felt quite unexpected. Overall, the Mass was very reverent and evoked in me a greater appreciation for the majesty of our Lord, something that our normal Masses don’t often do.

I was surprised when the priest first began Mass because he faced the altar and spoke inaudibly for a number of minutes–I realized he was saying certain prayers (in Latin of course) because the Latin/English Mass guide they provided to us indicated that.

Also, the congregation was very muted in their responses to the relatively few times that the Tridentine Mass calls for a response. No one was saying “Et cum spirito tuo” with gusto; it was more like a murmur.

As the Mass continued, I followed along reading the English translation of the Latin prayers that the priest was saying, and the beauty of the language struck me deeply. Our current English translation has vestiges of these prayers, but they are stripped down considerably both in length and in eloquence.

This difference between the Tridentine Mass and the regular one made me think that there must be a blessed medium in between the two that preserved the reverence and power of the older language while incorporating more elements of the regular Mass’ participation. Maybe the new English translation coming in a few years will improve upon this?

The priest read the readings and the Gospel in English and gave the homily in English. It was informative and interesting, and I appreciated this small island of familiar language amidst the ocean of Latin.

We received the Eucharist in the kneeling posture using portable kneelers that the ushers brought in. That was neat, although it then took a while for everyone to receive Jesus–maybe not a bad thing!

The people that Katie and I talked with who are regulars at this Mass were very welcoming and could tell we were “newbies” (or is that new-bees ). Still, they didn’t stare at us too much as we no doubt made some errors.

The choir sang a few English hymns and then the “Pange Lingua Gloriosi” which I have always enjoyed, even though I don’t remember all the Latin words nor what they mean.

Both Katie and I felt keenly that we were joined with the priest in his offering of the Sacrifice of the Mass, if that is the right way to put it, but that there was a difference between him and us: A good difference because he truly is in persona Christi!

Jesus offered himself to the Father on our behalf, for love of us, as he does in a re-presentation of his once-for-all sacrifice on the Cross, and this truth and mystery of our faith was felt strongly.

Katie and I plan to go to the Tridentine Mass a few times a year, for it really is beautiful.