I can only speak to my experience growing up in the changes of Vatican II and taking into account a little bit of history and human nature:
Rightly or wrongly, many people from bishops to laity reacted to Vatican II with the mindset of children who never had candy “now had the run of the candy store.” The pendalum swung to an extreme and had some devastating effects and abuses. We cannot deny that, but we also have to remember that this did not happen in a vacuum. As a small example, one of the mandates of the Holy Name Society, popular in many parishes in 1940s and 1950s, was to encourage increase participation in communion among men.
It is also a fact of human nature that often we over emphasize one aspect at the risk of de-emphasizing another aspect. Our faith, practices, and disciplines should not be either/or but that is a challenge considering the society we live in: think red state/blue state
Although there are many examples of pain among people who share their love of the Eucharist on this forum, I am a believer in the Holy Spirit
and a student of history who believes we will wind up with a more balanced Church where BOTH adoration and communion will be revered and honored.
Will we see it in our lifetime? Who knows? God’s timeline is not mine – even when I want to tell him it would be better if he did it MY way
I
