I don’t think that I’ve ever been told that I was being detrimental to the unity of the Church by insisting on liturgical norms being followed. However, I have been told that I’ve been making a big deal out of nothing. Most Catholics whom I know have an aversion to rules and regulations, often seeing them as purely arbitrary. Still others see them as “the ideal” rather than the minimum standard that they are.
Some people just trust whatever their priest tells them. If another priest tells them differently, then they assume that the matter is left to the discretion of the priest. Sadly, this won’t do anymore. When I explained to a group of people the liturgical laws, someone once replied “. . . but they’re not enforced.” Under this logic, laws against child sexual abuse must not be too important because they have not been enforced.
What we have experienced is a loss of the sense of the sacred. We have failed to see the Mass as something greater than ourselves. Therefore, many have decided that the Mass is something that they can alter according to their individual taste. Add to this the fact that solid catechesis on the Mass and its meaning are nearly impossible to find (even more so than sound moral catechesis), and you have the current situation.
I pray for a return to proper worship and reverence for Our Lord in the Holy Eucharist.
David