The purpose of this tread was not to bash the sppx and say everything that is or might be wrong about it. It was about how to defend the Novus Ordo. I think everyone here has forgotten that.
I don’t see the need to defend the Novus Ordo form. They are used to the Extraordinary form which, in my humble opinion, is a form of more profound reverence and more profound adoration where every act is all for the great glory of God. How can I defend the Novus Ordo? It will be meaningless.
It’s like defending English prayers from those who are used to pray in Latin , it’s meaningless. Because we all know that praying in Latin has more power, if not, why would exorcists do the rites in Latin instead of their speaking language. Why some well known canonized saints prayed in Latin? Because they knew.
It’s also like defending formula milk from those who breastfeed, it’s pointless.
Btw, I attend Novus Ordo. And I’ve been to 2-3 Extraordinary Form.
Novus Ordo has become a convenient concrete focus of criticism, as have V II and recent Popes (partly by reason of their attachment to both NO and V II). But I think of more deep down significance than any of these things to the pulling-apart tendencies the Church has always had are the Berulleanism entrenched under Louis XIII, XIV and XV and spread to the global Irish and other nations, and the Teilhardianism that has been gaining ground over the last 100 years or more (often hand in hand with Berulleanism).
The case for NO has been made, in fragments, throughout the responses to this thread. The supposed case against the NO - and against recent Popes - is mainly a disguised case against the confusion wrought in the average clergy minds by pep talks by “animators” probably since at least the 1930s, as a substitute for God’s genuine moves to updating (which have taken place in parallel).
I suppose one can say that. In this era of negative campaigning (politicians do it all the time) there is a “need” to slam the other side to best promote your own. (We hear cries of “irreverent, invalid,” etc from one side to cries of all-things-needing-to-be-in-English-or they’ll-leave on the other.) Unfortunately negative campaigning has been found to work. Maybe things haven’t changed that much after all.
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