Ann Barnhardt: The Changing of the Guard and the Mass

Check out this two-part article by Ann Barnhardt, posted on May 28, 2012, and entitled “Here Rests In Honored Glory…”.

She presents us with a video of the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington Cemetery, and draws some parallels with the Mass. Well…not those "clownish, degraded, irreverent Novus Ordo Masses of the last 45 years, or Superfun Rockband church[es]”. (She's not pulling any punches, is she?!) No, Ann Barnhardt is talking about the extraordinary form of the Mass.

Here’s the video. 

And here’s an excerpt from Ann Barnhardt’s article:

After watching the ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns above, I want you to imagine the guards walking about casually, maybe wearing a partial uniform jacket, but with jeans and sandals. Imagine the guards walking out and introducing themselves, "Hi, my name is Lieutenant Jones, but you can call me Jake." Then the guard might say something like, "Isn't it a beautiful day today? It sure was rainy yesterday. I had to wear a rain jacket. I'm so glad you all could make it to my shift today. I'm going to be guarding the tomb for the next few hours, and I know that it can sure get BOOOORING! That's why I have asked a local band to come in and play some music for you guys, because I want this to be A FUN EXPERIENCE for all of us!"

If this happened, you would be shocked and disgusted, right? Do you understand that what I have just described is a watered-down comparison of what has happened to the Mass? The Mass went from being even more reverent than the rubrics of the Tomb Guard to what I just described above - and many times even worse than what I described above.

Ann Barnhardt goes into great detail on the many parallels with the Mass, and I think her analysis is highly instructive. Be sure to read the whole thing.

My hopes are the same as the one she articulates:

I hope the sense of reverent awe and solemnity you feel when watching the ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns helps you understand what exactly it is that has been robbed from you.

Yep. We’ve been robbed. 

See the “TLM” tab at the top of the page for more of my posts on the EF Mass, the NO Mass, and liturgical abuse.