NCR, the National "Catholic" Reporter, the bastion of extreme liberalism in America. It is the epitome of Boomerism and cringy radicalism, as out-of-date as a felt banner.
So we were very pleasantly surprised with the guest article they accepted to publish today, authored by Roxie Beckles (also known as "That Black Catholic Chick"), part of a series they are running on "Views on the First U.S. Pope"), with strong praise for the Traditional Mass and its attraction to the faithful -- and the hope that the Pope Leo XIV will understand that it is reverence and holiness that will keep attracting young people to the Church.
An excerpt fom the piece:
One of the most painful divides in the Catholic Church today is around how we worship. But when we really listen to the hearts of young Catholics, we see that the desire for tradition is not about ideology, but identity. It's about feeling rooted in something eternal when the world keeps shifting beneath our feet.
In my opinion, the traditional Latin Mass, with all its ritual precision and theological depth, continues to draw young Catholics precisely because it refuses to compromise the signs of the sacred. The use of Latin, incense, chant, sacred silence and the like are not frivolous or outdated. They engage the whole person — body, mind and soul — in an act of worship that lifts us out of ourselves and into the presence of God.
Young people want a liturgy that reflects the weight and glory of what we profess. They want to hear sacred music that stirs the soul rather than mimic the culture outside the church walls. They want to see beauty. They want to be caught up in mystery.
To move forward as one body, we have to stop pretending that reverence belongs to the past when, in fact, it's one of the only things still bringing young people in. The future of the Catholic Church depends not on reinvention, but on deepening. We don't need to discard what's still bearing fruit. We need to water it, tend it and let it flourish.
My hope is that this pontificate offers space for that to happen; that we won't be asked to silence what gives life, but invited to share it freely and joyfully with the world.
[source]
