Of coarse there are problems with liturgy performed by humanhands, even if put to a Godly purpose.
There is much to be desired in the [Tridentine] Latin Mass
…It is beautiful and can bring a person face to face with Jesus in a profound way.
However, to imply that the Latin Mass was an Utopia of Worship, focused on the Eucharist, Heaven on Earth, etc. in 100 % of the parishes, clergy and laity denies a reality.
The reality was that post WWII era of the latter 1940’s and the 1950’s and early 1960’s were a period where vocations were beginning to delcline, catholic economic status was raising [in the US this was primarily due to the GI Bill that provided college tiotion assitance; catholics were represented in the armed forces in nummbers that exceeded their percent of the population ] but parish contributions were stagnant or declining. Enrollment in parochial schools was declining. In Europe mass attendance was declining at rates even higher than in the US which had greater religious fervor from its conception.
During the latin mass, many of the faithful prayed the rosary or other private devotions, called to the ‘significant’ aspects of the mass by the ringing of the bells. A major observation [often fueled by catholic testimony & witness] was that catholics could sin monday through saturday morning, hit a confessional saturday afternoon, and receive communion on sunday at mass, then begi again with sin on monday.
John Kennedy was elected president [basically on the promise to not ‘be’ catholic] setting the stage for a ‘liberal’ view of catholicism that seprated the catholic from the parishioners secular life except for the ‘sunday’ obligation. All of this was before Vatican II and the innovations.
Many of the ‘innovations’ instituted by Vatican II were actually returns to more ancient practices. The RCIA formation rather than the hap hazard individual instruction, public rites for baptism vs private [liturgy means public work or work of the people].
The early church had communion in the hand. The reception of the Eucharist on the tongue was a change instituted to prevent abuse [use of the Eucharist superstitiously by the faithful and to prevent non believers from destroying or evil uses.] As someone mentioned above, if there is indeed current evidence of wide spread theft and selling on ebay then another change may be required.
The latin language had been the common tongue or vernacular language a change from when greek had been the common tongue which was a change from the original aramaic and the liturgical hebrew.
The Novus Ordo mass can be reverent and bring people face to face with Jesus. It is easy to get distracted but less easy to say a rosary during mass!
Nostalgia is a good thing. But at times it can fail to see clearly. People have always been able to abuse the mass [many priests were lousy at latin and/or unintelligable, praying private devotions etc].
There is something ‘exotic’ about the latin mass that appeals to our sense of the ‘other world’ that hints at heaven, perhaps that is why we wish so fervently for the mass of our past. Change comes hard and human nature resists alll changes [except the ones we desire
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I accept the teaching uthority of the church. When I attend mass I participate to the best of my ability and hopeflly reverently, no matter what format the mass or location. When I fail to do so, I seek pardon and forgiveness, then I try harder…
