Never did I think I’d be grateful for the Latin Rite. I left the Roman Catholic Church because I was growing weary of its “modern spirituality” and its seemingly incessant need to stay relevant, while accomplishing such in rather awkward and uncomfortable ways. The eastern Church opened up to me a vast plethora of ancient Christian praxis and when I fully integrated myself into it, I was quite content to remain there, while simultaneously forgetting all about my western origins. These days, however, I am finding myself appreciating what the west offers.
Because of the regular unavailability of my wife, who currently serves my liturgies as the only cantor (at least until the permanent monastery is built), it has become impossible to offer the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom on a usual basis. Add to it the simple fact that our eight-month-old son often doesn’t possess the stamina to make it through a two and a half to three hour liturgy, and the extreme difficulty of this service becomes clear. Fortunately though, I had the foresight to render the Holy Monastic Order En Deus bi-ritual (meaning, utilizing both eastern and western rites). I did this with the intention to foster a complete Christian monasticism that explores both eastern and western spiritual contributions, but now I am finding an even more practical benefit to this decision.
The Latin Rite Mass can be offered respectably, solitarily and without chanting in no more than 40 minutes. Making this rite the perfect solution to the difficulties listed above. While I do happen to be the sort of person who actually enjoys long three hour Divine Liturgies, the realities of being a married priest, with a young child, who has a rather busy ministerial out-reach schedule must be reckoned with in the best way possible.
Interestingly enough, offering Mass on a regular basis has begun to reconnect me and resolve the “western fall-out” that occurred so many years ago when I left the Roman Catholic Church for the east. Much to my surprise, I am actually finding it to be more spiritually rewarding than I could have ever imagined. Being blessed with the tremendous privilege to offer the Eucharist as a priest is an experience beyond words. Even when I was at my most 'Buddhist' in life, the Eucharist remained that Sacrament I could not seem to forget. It kept calling me, sometimes quite literally, until eventually I returned to the Church, and the rest is history. Now, I can say with complete confidence that regardless of eastern Divine Liturgy or western Mass, the experience of the True Presence in the Eucharist transcends any past, present, or future preconceptions.
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