Book Title: Liturgy and Personality
Author: Dietrich von Hildebrand
Publisher:The Hildebrand Project
Dietrich von Hildebrand was one of the leading Catholic
philosophers of the 20th century, a man Pope Pius XII called a
modern “Doctor of the Church.” Von Hildebrand’s recently republished work, Liturgy and Personality, (hereafter referred
to as L&P), demonstrates the justice of the pope’s respect. First
published in 1933, L&P is a journey into the heart of the liturgy of the
Tridentine Mass, now described as the extraordinary rite. The book helps
explain its ongoing popularity even among the young who are often, in their
youthful idealism, the most eager to encounter the fullness of Christ in the
liturgy and to be transformed by Him. Unfortunately, in view of his recent
remarks describing young people who love the extraordinary rite as “rigid,”
even Pope Francis fails to understand the timeless attraction and deep mystery
of the Church’s ancient liturgy shared by most of the saints. One of the great tragedies
of the post Vatican II Church was the denigration and suppression of the Tridentine
Mass.
