The Traditional Latin ('Tridentine') Mass vs. the New (Novus Ordo) Mass (3)

Item

Traditional Latin ("Tridentine") Mass*

New ("Novus Ordo") Mass*

Appears That Mass is a Sacrifice to Almighty God or a Mere Assembly?

Sacrifice to Almighty God

"In the Mass there is offered to God a true sacrifice, properly speaking, which is propitiatory for the living and the dead." (Pope Pius IV)

"If any one saith that in the mass a true and proper sacrifice is not offered to God; or that to be offered is nothing else but that Christ is given us to eat; let him be anathema." (Council of Trent)

"If any one saith that the sacrifice of the mass is only a sacrifice of praise and of thanksgiving; or that it is a bare commemoration of the sacrifice consummated on the Cross, but not a propitiatory sacrifice; or that it profits him only who receives; and that it ought not to be offered for the living and for the dead for sins, pains, satisfactions, and other necessities; let him be anathema." (Council of Trent)

"The holy council teaches that this Sacrifice [of the Mass] is truly propitiatory, so that if we draw near to God with an upright heart and true faith, with fear and reverence, with sorrow and repentance, through the Mass we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need (see Heb. 4:16). For by this oblation the Lord is appeased" (Council of Trent)

"And thenceforth, the Apostles, and their successors in the priesthood, began to lift to heaven that 'clean oblation' foretold by Malachy, through which the name of God is great among the gentiles. And now, that same oblation in every part of the world and at every hour of the day and night, is offered and will continue to be offered without interruption till the end of time: a true sacrificial act, not merely symbolical, which has a real efficacy unto the reconciliation of sinners with the Divine Majesty." (Pope Pius XI, "Ad Catholici Sacerdotii", 1935 A.D.)

"The august sacrifice of the altar, then is no mere empty commemoration of the passion and death of Jesus Christ, but a true and proper act of sacrifice, whereby the High Priest by an unbloody immolation offers Himself a most acceptable victim to the Eternal Father, as He did upon the cross. 'It is one and the same victim; the same person now offers it by the ministry of His priests, who then offered Himself on the cross, the manner of offering alone being different. The priest is the same, Jesus Christ, whose sacred Person His minister represents." (Pope Pius XII, "Mediator Dei", 1947 A.D.)

Assembly / 'Fraternal Banquet'

Note: The regarding of the assembly of the people as the focal point is a Protestant concept. It is Catholic dogma that the Mass is a true sacrifice to God. "They must remember that that community gathering is NOT more important than the Eucharist - which is the most sacred of all things."

"Stripped of its sacrificial meaning, it is celebrated as if it were simply a fraternal banquet. Furthermore, the necessity of the ministerial priesthood, grounded in apostolic succession, is at times obscured and the sacramental nature of the Eucharist is reduced to its mere effectiveness as a form of proclamation... How can we not express profound grief at all this? The Eucharist is too great a gift to tolerate ambiguity and depreciation." (Pope John Paul II)

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Clear That 'Spectators' Are Not Required For Validity?

Yes

Although "it has always been the desire of the Church that at every Mass some of the faithful should be present and should communicate" (Pope Leo XIII), a Mass is just as valid even if there is no congregation. It is the priest alone - acting in the name of Christ - which effects the transubstantiation, and no lay communicants (or 'spectators') are necessary. Remember that "the essence of Mass is in consecration, NOT in Communion". 

"For each and every Mass is not something private, even if a priest celebrates it privately; instead, it is an act of Christ and of the Church... [T]here is no reason to criticize but rather only to approve a Mass that a priest celebrates privately for a good reason in accordance with the regulations and legitimate traditions of the Church, even when only a server to make the responses is present. For such a Mass brings a rich and abundant treasure of special graces to help the priest himself, the faithful, the whole Church and the whole world toward salvation - and this same abundance of graces is not gained through mere reception of Holy Communion." (Pope Paul VI, 1965 A.D.)

"The proposition of the synod in which, after it states that 'a partaking of the victim [that is, Christ in the Holy Eucharist] is an essential part in the sacrifice,' it adds, 'nevertheless, it does not condemn as illicit those Masses in which those present do not communicate sacramentally, for the reason that they do partake of the victim, although less perfectly, by receiving it spiritually,' since it insinuates that there is something lacking to the essence of the sacrifice [of the Mass] in that sacrifice which is performed either with no one present, or with those present who partake of the victim neither sacramentally nor spiritually, and as if those Masses should be condemned as illicit, in which, with the priest alone communicating, no one is present who communicates either sacramentally or spiritually, [is condemned as] false, erroneous, suspected of heresy and savoring of it." ('Auctorem fidei', Condemning the Errors of the Synod of Pistoia, Aug. 28, 1794 A.D.)

"We must, however, deeply deplore certain exaggerations and over-statements which are not in agreement with the true teaching of the Church. Some in fact disapprove altogether of those Masses which are offered privately and without any congregation, on the ground that they are a departure from the ancient way of offering the [Eucharistic] Sacrifice; moreover, there are some who assert that priests cannot offer Mass at different altars at the same time, because, by doing so, they separate the community of the faithful and imperil its unity; while some go so far as to hold that the people must confirm and ratify the [Eucharistic] Sacrifice if it is to have its proper force and value. They are mistaken in appealing in this matter to the social character of the Eucharistic Sacrifice, for as often as a priest repeats what the divine Redeemer did at the Last Supper, the [Eucharistic] Sacrifice is really completed. Moreover, this [Eucharistic] Sacrifice, necessarily and of its very nature, has always and everywhere the character of a public and social act, inasmuch as he who offers it acts in the name of Christ and of the faithful, whose Head is the divine Redeemer, and he offers it to God for the holy Catholic Church, and for the living and the dead. This is undoubtedly so, whether the faithful are present - as we desire and commend them to be in great numbers and with devotion - or are not present, since it is in no wise required that the people ratify what the sacred minister has done." (Pope Pius XII, "Mediator Dei", 1947 A.D.)

"The august [Eucharistic] Sacrifice of the Altar is concluded with communion or the partaking of the divine feast. But, as all know, the integrity of the [Eucharistic] Sacrifice only requires that the priest partake of the heavenly food. Although it is most desirable that the people should also approach the holy table, this is not required for the integrity of the [Eucharistic] Sacrifice. We wish in this matter to repeat the remarks which Our predecessor Benedict XIV makes with regard to the definitions of the Council of Trent: 'First We must state that none of the faithful can hold that private Masses, in which the priest alone receives Holy Communion, are therefore unlawful and do not fulfill the idea of the true, perfect and complete unbloody sacrifice instituted by Christ our Lord. For the faithful know quite well, or at least can easily be taught, that the Council of Trent, supported by the doctrine which the uninterrupted tradition of the Church has preserved, condemned the new and false opinion of Luther as opposed to this tradition.' 'If anyone shall say that Masses in which the priest only receives communion, are unlawful, and therefore should be abolished, let him be anathema.' They, therefore, err from the path of truth who do not want to have Masses celebrated unless the faithful communicate; and those are still more in error who, in holding that it is altogether necessary for the faithful to receive Holy Communion as well as the priest, put forward the captious argument that here there is question not of a [Eucharistic] sacrifice merely, but of a sacrifice and a supper of brotherly union, and consider the general communion of all present as the culminating point of the whole celebration. Now it cannot be over-emphasized that the Eucharistic Sacrifice of its very nature is the unbloody immolation of the divine Victim [Christ], which is made manifest in a mystical manner by the separation of the sacred species and by their oblation to the eternal Father. Holy Communion pertains to the integrity of the Mass and to the partaking of the august Sacrament; but while it is obligatory for the priest who says the Mass, it is only something earnestly recommended to the faithful." (Pope Pius XII, "Mediator Dei", 1947 A.D.)

No. In fact, much of the Mass may seem to depend upon "the community"

"For We can see that some of those who are dealing with this Most Holy Mystery in speech and writing are disseminating opinions on Masses celebrated in private or on the dogma of transubstantiation that are disturbing the minds of the faithful and causing them no small measure of confusion about matters of faith, just as if it were all right for someone to take doctrine that has already been defined by the Church and consign it to oblivion or else interpret it in such a way as to weaken the genuine meaning of the words or the recognized force of the concepts involved. To give an example of what We are talking about, it is not permissible to extol the so-called community Mass in such a way as to detract from Masses that are celebrated privately; or to concentrate on the notion of sacramental sign as if the symbolism - which no one will deny is certainly present in the Most Blessed Eucharist - fully expressed and exhausted the manner of Christ's presence in this Sacrament; or to discuss the mystery of transubstantiation without mentioning what the Council of Trent had to say about the marvelous conversion of the whole substance of the bread into the Body and the whole substance of the wine into the Blood of Christ, as if they involve nothing more than transignification, or transfinalization as they call it; or, finally, to propose and act upon the opinion that Christ Our Lord is no longer present in the consecrated Hosts that remain after the celebration of the sacrifice of the Mass has been completed. Everyone can see that the spread of these and similar opinions does great harm to belief in and devotion to the Eucharist." (Pope Paul VI, 1965 A.D.)

Clear that Mass is Designed to Please God Rather Than Men?

Yes

It may be argued that the New Mass seeks primarily to please men

Ability to Raise Hearts & Minds to God

Very High

Much lower

Note: This may occur because of the prayers, songs, responses, behaviors (e.g. 'sign of peace), or even because of the church architecture itself (modern churches are often more egalitarian, are more horizontal than vertical, contain earthy rather than heavenly artwork, etc.)

Mass As a Source of Joy & Peace

Yes

Frequent cause of disunity, bitterness

True Fixed Rite?

Yes

No (there are multiple options available to priests)

Ties to Past

High

"Estranges us from Christian culture of the past"

Thirst for Truth / Novelty

Truth

Novelty

Thirst for What is Best / What is New

What is best

What is new

Appreciation for the Most Sacred of All Things?

Great

"No one is permitted to undervalue the mystery entrusted to our hands: it is too great for anyone to feel free to treat it lightly and with disregard for its sacredness and its universality." (Pope John Paul II, 2003 A.D.)

Little

"[T]he most sacred of all things has become mocked and abused and abandoned"

Highly Spiritual?

Yes

No

"Liturgy Affects the People" or "People Affect the Liturgy"?

Liturgy affects the people

People affect the liturgy

Reconcilable With Working Out One's Salvation With 'Fear and Trembling' (Phil. 2:12)?

Yes

Almost Never

Opinion of Mass by Those Who Hate the Catholic Church

Hate it (although some admit its beauty)

Like it (even use it for their own 'worship services')

'Busyness' of Attendees

Low

High

Concelebration?

No

Yes

Lay Persons in 'Street Clothes' Present in the Sanctuary During Mass?

No

Note: Traditionally, there are no lay readers at Mass. However, since Summorum Pontificum this novelty may (unfortunately) occur. When this occurs, such persons may unfortunately appear in 'street clothes'

Yes

Note: This tends to 'demote' the role of the priest and harm the sacred ethos of the sanctuary.

Protestants Assisting At Holy Mass?

No

Sometimes

"Some Protestant sects have now [permitted] their members to receive Holy Communion at a Catholic Mass, provided Communion is given under both kinds." (Davies) Note that this is despite the fact that they do not believe in the Mass as a sacrifice or in the Real Presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist. Such actions call to mind St. Paul's warnings that "[A]nyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself" (1 Cor. 11:29) and that "[W]hoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord" (1 Cor. 11:27). Keep in mind also that Protestants may tolerate grave sins such as contraception, abortion, divorce/'remarriage', etc.

Individualistic?

No

Yes

Emphasis on Sacrificial Act or "Imparting of Information"

Sacrificial Act

"Imparting of Information"

Teachings Focused on Those 'Pleasing to the Ears' (e.g. Love of God, Mercy)?

No

Yes

May Tend to Appear "Friendly With the World"?

No

"Do not love the world or the things of the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." (1 Jn. 2:15)

"If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you." (Our Lord Jesus Christ, Jn. 15:18-19)

Often yes

Note: The New Mass generally does not encourage one to "work out one's salvation with fear and trembling" (cf. Phil. 2:12), nor does it encourage attendees to have a high regard for the "great suffering of purgatory" or the dangerous situation of one's non-Catholic friends in their "sects of perdition" or of the unbaptized. It tends to elevate the people at the expense of the hierarchical priesthood and of the Real Presence. It fails to promote humility (especially certain practices such as lay readers, lay 'ministers', Communion in the hand, standing instead of kneeling, etc.). And, even the grave seriousness of various sins (e.g. contraception) may appear watered down.

Frequent Changes at Mass Tend to Cast Doubt in Minds of Catholics on the Dogma of the Eucharist?

No (no changes)

Yes

Note: As indicated above, it has been reported that around 70% of Catholics no longer believe in the Real Presence in the Holy Eucharist. It is clear that this dire situation is directly related to the many novelties in the Novus Ordo Mass, such as: Self-communicating (Communion in the hand), lay 'ministers', Communion received while standing, reduced signs of reverence towards the Holy Eucharist, demotion of the Tabernacle in many churches, texts in Mass that appear to deny the Real Presence (e.g. saying "Christ will come again" right after Christ is truly made present on the altar, the formula of consecration recited as a narrative, etc.), etc.

Word of God (Bible) Given Greater Emphasis Than the Word (Christ) Made Present on the Altar?

No

Often, yes 

Note: "Latria (the highest form of worship, given to God alone) is to be paid to the Holy Eucharist. Sometimes, however, the veneration given to the Bible seems greater than that given to the Holy Eucharist. ' The Bible is the word of God, but it is not the Word of God - that is, God Himself'." Even if the behavior is only apparent, and not actual, it serves to cast doubt on the Real Presence.

Gregorian Chant

Yes

"Gregorian Chant has always been regarded as the supreme model for sacred music, so that it is fully legitimate to lay down the following rule: the more closely a composition for church approaches in its movement, inspiration and savor the Gregorian form, the more sacred and liturgical it becomes; and the more out of harmony it is with that supreme model, the less worthy it is of the temple." (Pope St. Pius X)

"It is the duty of all those to whom Christ the Lord has entrusted the task of guarding and dispensing the Church's riches to preserve this precious treasure of Gregorian chant diligently and to impart it generously to the Christian people." (Pope Pius XII, "Musicae Sacrae", 1955)

"[Sacred music] must be holy. It must not allow within itself anything that savors of the profane nor allow any such thing to slip into the melodies in which it is expressed. The Gregorian chant which has been used in the Church over the course of so many centuries, and which may be called, as it were, its patrimony, is gloriously outstanding for this holiness. This chant, because of the close adaptation of the melody to the sacred text, is not only most intimately conformed to the words, but also in a way interprets their force and efficacy and brings delight to the minds of the hearers. It does this by the use of musical modes that are simple and plain, but which are still composed with such sublime and holy art that they move everyone to sincere admiration and constitute an almost inexhaustible source from which musicians and composers draw new melodies." (Pope Pius XII, "Musicae Sacrae", 1955 A.D.)

Click here for 'Gregorian Chant' Reflections (Church Talk Section)

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"Virtually eliminated"

Note: Despite the fact that Gregorian Chant has been so highly praised throughout the centuries and was even recommended by Vatican II:

"The Church recognizes Gregorian chant as being specially suited to the Roman liturgy. Therefore, other things being equal, it should be given pride of place in liturgical services." (Second Vatican Council, 12/4/1963 A.D.)

...and despite the fact that Gregorian Chant 'remains popular in the private sector', it has been all but eliminated in most New Masses. 

Respect Shown for Tradition in the Imposition of the Mass

Great

Note: Traditionally, great respect has been accorded to valid Church traditions. When the 'Tridentine' Mass was codified (not created), it was not imposed on those who used another rite for many years. It should also be noted that the 'Tridentine' Mass wasn't a "New" Mass when it was 'imposed' since most of the important elements could be traced back even to apostolic times. Rather, it was a Mass that had gradually developed over the centuries under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and with the assistance of popes and saints. In contrast with false liturgical development, in this true liturgical development, at each stage "what may have been originally only implicit becomes more and more explicit, but always preserving its evident identity with the preceding stage of development." (Davies) As further stated by Davies, "One cannot emphasize enough that St. Pius V did not promulgate a new Order of Mass (Novus Ordo Missae). The very idea of composing a new order of Mass was and is totally alien to the whole Catholic ethos, both in the East and in the West. The Catholic tradition has been to hold fast to what has been handed down and to look upon any novelty with the utmost suspicion. The essence of the reform of St. Pius V was, like that of St. Gregory the Great, respect for tradition." In fact, he states: "Father Fortescue considers that the reign of St. Gregory the Great marks an epoch in the history of the Mass, having left the liturgy in its essentials just as we have it today. He writes: 'There is, moreover a constant tradition that St. Gregory was the last to touch the essential part of the Mass, namely the Canon. Pope Benedict XIV (1740-1758) says: 'No pope has added to or changed the Canon since St. Gregory.' Whether this is totally accurate is not a matter of great importance: even if some very minor additions did creep in afterwards, perhaps a few amens, the important point to note is that a tradition of more than a millennium certainly existed in the Roman Church that the Canon should not be changed." (Davies) 

"I praise you because you remember me in everything and hold fast to the traditions, just as I handed them on to you." (1 Cor. 11:2)

"The best advice that I can give you is this. Church traditions - especially when they do not run counter to the faith - are to be observed in the form in which previous generations have handed them down" (St. Jerome, 4th century A.D.)

"Let them innovate nothing, but keep the traditions." (Pope St. Steven I, 3rd century A.D.)

"What the universal church holds, not as instituted by councils but as something always held, is most correctly believed to have been handed down by apostolic authority." (St. Augustine, Doctor of the Church, c. 400 A.D.)

"The Church appeals to the faithful not to abandon or make light of the traditions of the Fathers but to receive them reverently as a precious possession of the Catholic family and to honor those traditions." (Pope Paul VI)

"It behooves us unanimously to observe the ecclesiastical traditions, whether defined or simply retained by customary practice of the Church." (St. Peter Canisuis, Doctor of the Church)

Little shown

Note: The New Mass was imposed (some say "forced") on the faithful with almost no respect for previous tradition. This action was unprecedented in the 2,000 year history of the Church. The Novus Ordo Mass also failed to respect tradition by stripping the Old Mass - which had developed gradually under the guidance of the Holy Spirit - of most of its prayers and creating an entirely new rite of Mass. It had no long history of development by the Holy Spirit, but was instead fabricated in the 1960's by a group of "experts" (men who received advice from Protestant observers and were led by a suspected Freemason). Before this time, none but the Protestant 'Reformers' would dare have touched the Mass, one of the holiest possessions of mankind.

The lack of respect shown for the Traditional Mass is clearly evident in quotations such as this one from Fr. Gelineau, an "active proponent of liturgical reform": "Let those who like myself have known and sung a Latin-Gregorian High Mass remember it if they can. Let them compare it with the Mass that we now have. Not only the words, the melodies and some of the gestures are different. To tell the truth, it is a different liturgy of the Mass. This needs to be said without ambiguity: the Roman Rite as we knew it no longer exists. It has been destroyed. Some walls of the former edifice have fallen while others have changed their appearance, to the extent that it appears today either as a ruin or the partial substructure of a different building. We must not weep over the ruins or dream of an historical reconstruction." (As quoted by Davies)

"It is absurd, and a detestable shame, that we should suffer those traditions to be changed which we have received from the fathers of old." (Decretals, as quoted by St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church") 

"A small thing is not small when it leads to something great; and it is no small matter to forsake the ancient tradition of the Church that was upheld by all those who were called before us, whose conduct we should observe, and whose faith we should imitate." (St. John of Damascus, Doctor of the Church)

"The various customs of the Church in the divine worship are in no way contrary to the truth: wherefore we must observe them, and to disregard them is unlawful." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")

"If anyone rejects any written or unwritten tradition of the church, let him be anathema." (Second Council of Nicaea)

"Those, therefore, who dare to think or to teach otherwise or to spurn according to wretched heretics the ecclesiastical traditions and to invent anything novel, or to reject anything from these things which have been consecrated by the Church...or to invent perversely and cunningly for the overthrow of anyone of the legitimate traditions of the Catholic Church; or even, as it were, to use the sacred vessels or the venerable monasteries as common things; if indeed they are bishops or clerics, we order (them) to be deposed; monks, however, or laymen, to be excommunicated" (Second Council of Nicea, 787 A.D.)

Ongoing Respect For Tradition After the Imposition of the Mass 

As indicated above, there was much respect for tradition and the 'Tridentine' Mass was not forced on those who had long used another rite. After codifying the 'Tridentine' Mass, however, many who had long used another rite chose - on their own - to use the 'Tridentine' Mass. 

It is true that many prelates are "downright hostile" towards tradition since the imposition of the Novus Ordo Mass. This is despite the fact that they are going against the Second Vatican Council (see below), the expressed wishes of Pope John Paul II (see below) and Pope Benedict XVI (see below), and are even indirectly condemning their ancestors ("In condemning us you are condemning your ancestors... For how we wish to worship, in that way they uniformly did.").

"[I]n faithful obedience to tradition, the sacred Council declares that Holy Mother Church holds all lawfully recognized rites to be of equal right and dignity; that she wishes to preserve them in the future and to foster them in every way." (Second Vatican Council)

"To all those Catholic faithful who feel attached to some previous liturgical and disciplinary forms of the Latin tradition, I wish to manifest my will to facilitate their ecclesial communion by means of the necessary measures to guarantee respect for their rightful aspirations. In this matter I ask for the support of the bishops and of all those engaged in the pastoral ministry in the church... Moreover, respect must everywhere by shown for the feelings of all those who are attached to the Latin liturgical tradition by a wide and generous application of the directives already issued some time ago by the Apostolic See for the use of the Roman Missal according to the typical edition of 1962." (Pope John Paul II)

"I am of the opinion, to be sure, that the old rite should be granted much more generously to all those who desire it. It is impossible to see what could be dangerous or unacceptable about that. A community is calling its very being into question when it suddenly declares that what until now was its holiest and highest possession is strictly forbidden and when it makes the longing for it seem downright indecent." (Cardinal Ratzinger, the future Pope Benedict XVI)

Necessitated the Overthrow of Hundreds or More Years of Tradition?

No

Yes

Mass is Peaceful?

Yes

No (e.g. due to noisy entrance of parishioners, noisy greetings, constant talking and singing, distracting gestures such as the 'sign of peace', lack of silence, etc.)

Emphasis on Humility?

Yes

"...without [humility] we can never please God." (Pope Pius IX, "Inter Multiplices", 1853 A.D.)

"With what humility should we assist at Mass, if we realized that our guardian angel was kneeling beside us, prostrate before the majesty of God!" (St. John Vianney)

No. In fact, humility almost seems discouraged (especially in the face of lay readers, lay 'ministers', Communion in the hand, applause in church, prohibitions against kneeling, etc.)

"This is the one whom I approve: the lowly and afflicted man who trembles at my word." (Isa. 6:2) 

Tremble in Awe vs. Dance & Hold Hands

"Tremble in Awe"

"Therefore, we who are receiving the unshakable kingdom should have gratitude, with which we should offer worship pleasing to God in reverence and awe." (Heb. 12:28)

"Dance & Hold Hands"

Silence / Noise?

Silence

"But the LORD is in his holy temple; silence before him, all the earth!" (Hab. 2:20)

"Silence in the presence of the Lord GOD!" (Zeph. 1:7)

"Let all mortal flesh be silent, standing there...in fear and trembling; for the King of kings, the Lord of lords, Christ our God is about to be sacrificed and to be given as food to the faithful." (St. James)

"Holiness befits the house of the Lord; it is fitting that he whose abode has been established in peace should be worshipped in peace and with due reverence... Idle and, even more, foul and profane talk must stop; chatter in all its forms must cease. Everything, in short, that may disturb divine worship or offend the eyes of the divine majesty should be absolutely foreign to churches, lest where pardon should be asked for our sins, occasion is given for sin, or sin is found to be committed." (Second Council of Lyons)

Chatty / Fraternization

Possible to Have Poorly Celebrated Mass Even if Rules Are Followed?

"Nearly impossible"

Very possible since so many options are offered, since texts may be ambiguous, and since so many past abuses have been 'legalized'.

Nearness to Biblical Example

Near

Much farther

Note: Old Testament Scripture shows God's very particular requirements for proper worship (including requirements concerning the ornate decoration of the temple, liturgical singers, the priests' vestments, etc.). In this worship, God alone - and not 'the community' - is clearly the focus of attention, to the exclusion of all else. In the New Testament, we are told that we should offer "worship pleasing to God in reverence and awe" (Heb. 12:28). Many New Masses inspire very little "reverence" and practically no "awe".

Persons Have to Pick and Choose Which Parish (or Mass Time) to Attend in Order to Find 'Safe' Mass?

No

Frequently

All Masses At All Parishes (Or Even the Same Parish) Essentially the Same?

Yes

No

Feeling That Mass May Be Tailored to Suit the Personal Preference of the Priest (or a Lay Committee)?

No

Common

Stable Liturgy?

Yes

Note: A stable liturgy helps preserve orthodoxy and better represents the unchangeable nature of God. 

No

Note: In true liturgical development, changes correspond to existing practices and do not contradict hundreds of years of papal teachings and warnings. Clearly, any liturgical changes that are made should be few and should be designed for the betterment of worship and not to its detriment. The facts conclusively show that the numerous changes made in the New Mass have helped cause a decline in Mass attendance, a weakening of faith, a lowering of vocations, etc. Further, it should be noted that the liturgical changes have been coming at an increasingly rapid pace which may continue unabated in the future unless checked.

Changes to the Liturgy are "Gradual, Almost Imperceptible"? 

Yes

No

Note: Originally the changes were introduced more gradually ("so there wouldn't be as much protest"). Since that time, people have become accustomed to change and therefore the changes have come much faster. As Davies points out, "Revolutionaries do not require massive support to succeed, they require only minimal opposition." He also points out that many people can't think critically and that the official propaganda from "experts" can be very powerful. As a result, the last several decades have seen the most blatant novelties of the worst kind and many have simply "accepted them without complaint".

Average Parishioner Knows True Purpose of Mass?

Yes

Often no (although they may think they do)

"[T]he Eucharist was instituted by Christ for two purposes: one, that it might be the heavenly food of our souls, enabling us to support and preserve spiritual life; and the other, that the Church might have a perpetual Sacrifice, by which our sins might be expiated, and our heavenly Father, oftentimes grievously offended by our crimes, might be turned away from wrath to mercy, from the severity of just chastisement to clemency." (Catechism of the Council of Trent)

Personal Prayer Encouraged at Mass?

Yes

May be discouraged (instead community prayer is emphasized)

Reverent Silence?

Yes

Almost Never

Note: This is despite Vatican II's directive that "at the proper times all should observe a reverent silence."

Hand-Holding

No

Yes (in some parishes)

Faith in Real Presence

Strengthened

Weakened

Note: As indicated previously, it has been reported that around 70% of Catholics today no longer believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist. Not only is this a chief tenet of our faith, but failure to believe in it has serious consequences. As St. Paul warns in 1 Cor. 11:29: "For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself." This loss of belief in the Real Presence is hardly surprising considering the Novus Ordo Mass has implemented (or permitted) the very changes instituted by the Protestant 'Reformers' in the 16th century - changes which they purposely implemented to destroy the faith of Catholics.

Use of Latin Language

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Throughout Mass (except during the Sermon)

"Unity of liturgical language and the consequent uniformity of divine worship form, finally, a strong bond for uniting indissolubly the churches dispersed all over the world, among themselves and with their common center - the Roman Church, the chief and Mother-Church of them all. The bond of a universal language of worship, which embraces the head and the members of the Church, supports and promotes everywhere the unity and the common life and operation of the Church. History confirms this; for it proves that a difference of liturgies, that is, the introduction of national languages into the liturgy, frequently gave or threatened to give rise to heresy and schism." (Gihr)

"To anyone who looks calmly at this question, it will appear evident that the use of one unchanging and universal language in the liturgy was a moral necessity, if there was such a thing as one universal Church... Just as the Church canons and definitions must be expressed in an official language that must remain the same throughout all the alterations of written and spoken tongues that time may bring about or diversity or nationality develop, so her liturgy, which embodies great dogmatic truths that every age and country must acknowledge and make use of day by day, must be expressed in an idiom which will not be exposed to the dangers and inconvenience of perpetual change. Had the Church from the beginning adopted the principle of a vernacular liturgy for each nation or people, one of two things would, by this time, have happened in every case; either the original liturgical forms would be as obsolete and as difficult to follow as the English of Alfred or the French of the early Normans, or else there would have had to be alterations and adaptations in every century. Now it would have been morally impossible thus to keep the liturgical prayers on a level with the changing and developing language of the peoples of Europe. The task would have been too vast, and too hard to organize. Misunderstanding, heterodoxy, heresy, arising from the incompetence of the willfulness of translators and adaptors, would have taxed the vigilance of the Church's pastors to such an extent that disaster would only have been averted by a standing miracle." (Bishop Hedley)

"Dr. Gihr rightly attributes the retention of the Latin liturgy to the guidance of the Holy Ghost. If he is not correct it is clear that the Holy Ghost had abandoned the Church for about 1,000 years until He returned in the sixteenth century to inspire the Protestant 'Reformers' and then descended once again upon the members of the Concilium, inspiring them to follow the example of the sixteenth-century heresiarchs." (Davies) 

There is infrequent use of Latin at most Novus Ordo Masses, despite the Second Vatican Council's directives that: "[T]he use of the Latin language is to be preserved in the Latin rites" and that "steps should be taken so that the faithful may also be able to say or to sing together in Latin those parts of the Ordinary of the Mass which pertain to them." Even the popes who called and closed the Second Vatican Council called for the use of Latin:

Pope John XXIII, the pope who called the Second Vatican Council wanted Latin retained in the Mass. "The Catholic Church has a dignity far surpassing that of every merely human society, for that it was founded by Christ the Lord. It is altogether fitting, therefore, that the language it uses should be noble, majestic, and non-vernacular." (Pope John XXIII)

Pope Paul VI (the pope who closed the Second Vatican Council) has said, "The Latin language is assuredly worthy of being defended with great care instead of being scorned" 

"'By wanting to put the sacred rites in to the vernacular languages, one would run into greater difficulties and advance a cure worse than the ill. The advantages in maintaining the ancient languages are chiefly: the expression that the ancient liturgies give to the fact of the unchangeability of the faith; the uniting of many Christian nations in a single rite, using the same sacred language, that makes them feel the unity and grandeur of the Church, and their common brotherhood all the more strongly; the fact that an ancient, sacred language has something venerable and mysterious about it, as if it were a superhuman and celestial tongue...the instilling of a feeling of trust in those who are able to pray to God with the same words with which numberless holy people, who are our fathers in Christ, prayed to Him for so many centuries' (Rosmini). The vernacularization of the rites 'would introduce a serious division among the people' and 'an endless changing of sacred things'." (Amerio)

"The stamping out of Latin is, furthermore, at odds with the egalitarian spirit which pervades the modern world, and the modern Church. Egalitarians want to raise the cultural level of the masses, but the abandonment of Latin displays a kind of despising of the people of God, as if they were unworthy in their coarseness to be elevated to a level at which they could appreciate the sublime and poetical, and it damns them instead to drag everything down to the lowest common denominator." (Amerio)

"If the liturgy were to be celebrated entirely in the vernaculars of the various countries, and the prayers of the Breviary said by each one in his own tongue, the Latin of the Church would automatically die out and our last links with the ancient sources would be irrevocably severed...in our time there exists throughout the whole world a movement whose aim is to bring the peoples closer together, to abolish frontiers. Is it not remarkable, then, that precisely at this time we should wish to cast off a vinculum unitatis which as existed for fifteen centuries." (Mohrmann, as quoted by Davies)

Priest Acts as Though He Truly Believes in the Real Presence?

Yes

Sometimes not (especially when the Bible is given greater emphasis than the Holy Eucharist, when the consecration is rushed / irreverent, when the priest allows lay persons - even those offensively dressed - to handle the Sacred Species, etc.)

Spiritual Vs. Bodily Perspective

Spiritual

Often bodily

Note: The focus on external participation (e.g. responses, singing, 'sign of peace', etc.) is so prominent, and there is so much noise, it makes it difficult for parishioners to penetrate deeply into spiritual realities, but they are instead more drawn to mere externals (e.g. responding, singing, hand-shaking, etc.).

Vernacular Mistranslations

Uncommon

Frequent

Note: The Novus Ordo Mass was officially promulgated in Latin (the Church's official language) and has been translated into many languages, such as English. It is well known that there have been many mistranslations into the Vernacular, including in English translations. For example, the text of the Creed has been wrongly translated as "We believe" instead of "I believe", and the formula for consecration has been wrongly translated as "for all" instead of "for many". Note that these mistranslations have been well publicized, but not corrected, for decades. In fact, they appear intentional since similar mistranslations may appear in various other languages. 

Compare today's toleration for error against Pope Clement VIII's strong rejection of corrupt missals: "Having considered these innovations, in Our pastoral solicitude which induces us to earnestly protect and preserve in everything and especially in the sacred rites of the Church the best and old norm, We have ordered in the first place that the above-mentioned printed Missals, so corrupted, be banned and declared null and void and that their use be disallowed in the celebration of the Mass, unless they be entirely and in everything emended according to the original text published under Pius V... as a result of an accurate comparison of ancient books... Our beloved sons, the Inquisitors against heretical depravity... they must not allow anything to be added to, or removed from it. Nor may them maintain that they have not incurred the penalties set form hereunder, by pleading as an excuse the negligence of the printers or the lack of diligence on the part of the proof-readers or perhaps of those engaged by them. When issuing the original document granting the license, they must certify in their own handwriting that, having made the collation, the Missals entirely agree with the standard edition... If they act otherwise, the Inquisitors shall incur, on that account, the penalty of being deprived of their office and of being debarred from getting it back and obtaining other offices in the future; the Bishops and the Ordinaries shall incur the penalty of suspension a divinis and of interdiction from entering the Church; and their Vicars shall similarly be deprived of their offices and benefices, they shall be debarred from obtaining these and other offices and benefices in the future and they shall incur excommunication, without any further declaration." (Pope Clement VIII, "Cum Sanctissimum", 1604 A.D.)

Note: It is expected that some mistranslations will be corrected in upcoming translations. However the fact remains that certain items were mistranslated for decades (even though the mistranslations were well known).

Generally the Same Words Used As Our Forefathers Used?

Yes

No

Chaos Uncommon?

Yes

No

Chaos Accepted?

No

Yes

Freedom Encouraged?

No

Yes

"Some even want to take out pews and emphasize freedom!"

Mass Seems to be Subject to the 'Creativity' of the Priest?

No

Yes

"If any one says that the received and approved rites of the Catholic Church wont to be used in the solemn administration of the sacraments may be contemned, or without sin be omitted at pleasure by the ministers or be changed by every pastor of the churches into other new ones; let him be anathema." (Council of Trent)

"[The priest] cannot consider himself a 'proprietor' who can make free use of the liturgical text and of the sacred rite as if it were his own property, in such a way as to stamp it with his own arbitrary personal style. At times this latter might seem more effective, and it may better correspond to subjective piety; nevertheless, objectively it is always a betrayal of that union which should find its proper expression in the sacrament of unity." (Pope John Paul II) 

Sacred Vs. Theatrical?

Clearly sacred

"Three characteristics of which Our predecessor [Pope St.] Pius X spoke should adorn all liturgical services: sacredness, which abhors any profane influence; nobility, which true and genuine arts should serve and foster; and universality, which while safeguarding local and legitimate custom, reveals the catholic unity of the Church." (Pope Pius XII, "Mediator Dei")

"It is necessary that the spirit of the sacred liturgy and its directives should exercise such a salutary influence on them that nothing improper be introduced nor anything unworthy of the house of God or detrimental to the sacred functions or opposed to solid piety." (Pope Pius XII, "Mediator Dei") 

May seem theatrical

Note: Some Masses may "seem so much like entertainment that a person might almost feel he should have bought a ticket to get in."

Faddish

No

"Mass is the most important thing we do, should not be treated like everything else, or be given over to fads"

Maybe

Mass Generally Conducted With the Reverence Due Almighty God?

As much as humanly possible

Very often not

Clear That Mass is Offered to God to Atone for Our Sins?

Yes

No

Frequent Concern Over the "Infinite Malice of Sin"?

Yes

No

Encourages a "Vehement Hatred of Sin"?

Yes

No

Apparent Priority

God

The congregation

Prayers in Plural (Community vs. Personal Assent)

No

Yes (e.g. "We believe..." instead of "I believe..." - meaning that persons profess belief for others, despite the fact that others may not truly believe)

Note: It is expected that the incorrect translation of the above into "we" instead of "I" will be corrected in upcoming translations. However the fact remains that this prayer has been mistranslated for decades (even though the mistranslation was well known).

Charged With the "Worship of Ourselves Rather Than God"?

No

Yes

"To worship oneself is to worship nothing."

Awareness of God as our Judge?

Yes

No

Mass Imposed on the People?

No

Yes

Respect Shown For People's Attachments?

Yes

"No regard has been shown for attachments of people which had historically been regarded by the Church"

Precedence of Changes in Liturgy 

N/A

"The wholesale changes in the liturgy are unprecedented in the 2,000 year history of the Church"

"It is an indisputable fact that never in the history of the Church has any Pope presided over so wholesale an abolition of traditional customs and ceremonies as Pope Paul VI. The only comparable revolution was that of the Protestant 'Reformation' - but this was done by men who were openly acting outside the unity of the Church." (Davies)

Changes to Rite of Mass Welcomed by Protestants?

N/A

Yes

Note: The New Mass is "praised by Lutherans because it brings it more towards theirs". In fact, this new rite of Mass has been "given an enthusiastic welcome by many Protestants who feel at home" with the new rite. As indicated above, some have even used the new rite in their own 'worship services'. Catholics, however, should not welcome the changes since we can see clearly that they have been quite harmful to the Church (and have helped to diminish respect for the Eucharist and for the priesthood, have fostered error, have confused the faithful, have caused disunity, etc.)

General Lowering to Meet the Perceived 'Needs' of Certain Persons (e.g. Children)

No. Instead those 'needs' are elevated

Yes

Persons Generally Appear to Observe the Eucharistic Fast?

Yes

May not (in fact some may eat during Mass and chew gum in the Communion line, despite the fact that the fast is considered a grave obligation)

Doctrinal Orthodoxy of Attendees

Usually very orthodox

Varies greatly. Many are unorthodox - and of these, unfortunately, many of them do not even know they are unorthodox (or they do know, but don't care).

Have to Seek Out Special Mass or Feel at Home in Any Mass in the World?

Feel at Home at Any Mass in the World

May have to seek out 'special' Mass (often this means driving a long way just to find an 'orthodox' or otherwise 'non-offensive' Mass).

Ability to Feel at Home at Mass With Any Group of People, Rich or Poor, Foreign or Native, Young or Old?

Yes

Possibly not (since the lay persons may have so much 'power' to set 'rules' for others and since the Mass may be adapted to the 'needs' of certain persons or cultures).

Church Recognized as the Place for the Solemn, Holy Sacrifice of the Mass or as a Community Gathering?

Place of the Solemn, Holy Sacrifice of the Mass

Community Gathering

Note: In fact, people commonly act as if they are in an auditorium (especially before and after Mass).

Meal vs. Sacrifice

Clearly a sacrifice

May appear to be simply a 'meal'.

Note: It is a Protestant concept to view the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass as a mere meal. As mentioned above, it is Catholic dogma that the Mass is truly a propitiatory sacrifice. To confuse the Mass as a meal brings many unfortunate consequences (e.g. loss of reverence / sacrilege, loss of belief in the Real Presence, lessening of respect for the priest, socializing, poor dress, etc.). As Amerio points out, even the Last Super had a tragic character and was not a 'cheerful meal'. Judas was about to betray Christ, the Lord was to be killed, the fearful disciples were to abandon the Lord, etc. Note that moderns even refer to the Mass as the "Lord's Supper" - as the Protestants are want to refer to their services - rather than use the very Catholic terminology - the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Further, it should be noted that one of the prayers in the New Mass is taken from a Jewish prayer before meals! (e.g. "through your goodness we have this bread to offer, fruit of the earth and work of human hands...") Such a prayer further tends to imply that Mass is only a meal!

"[T]he faithful have always reverenced the Eucharist and have treated it with great awe and reverence, now it is seen more as a fellowship meal of the community, even without any belief in the Real Presence. Transubstantiation and propitiatory sacrifice are out and 'love' and 'togetherness' are in"

"Jean Guitton, a close friend of Pope Paul [VI] and a lay observer at Vatican II, quoted a Protestant journal as praising the manner in which the new Eucharistic prayers had dropped 'the false perspective of a sacrifice offered to God.'" (Davies)

"Since the Second Vatican Council a movement to transform the Catholic Mass into a Protestant Lord's Supper has been gaining strength within the Church. The sacrificial nature of the Mass is expressed in very muted tones even in the papally approved text of the new Mass when celebrated with Eucharistic Payer No. II. The meal is emphasized to the detriment of the sacrifice in almost all the episcopally approved catechetical texts which have appeared since the Council; in some cases the Mass is presented as nothing more than a jolly party. Altars have been replaced by tables. And now the innovation of Communion in the hand is being used to promote the meal concept to an even greater extent than before." (Davies)

"The meal obsession has become so predominant that references to 'bread' and 'wine' have become standard, particularly in the U.S.A." (Davies)

Socializing / Restaurant Atmosphere?

No

Yes

Note: This is especially apparent as parishioners enter, as parishioners are instructed to greet each other, and during the 'sign of peace'.

Protection of Missal From Error

Greatly protected

Note: "Previously the Missal was carefully guarded by the Church 'lest any error should slip into it.'"

Little (in fact, known errors seem to be deliberate - since the same errors appear in so many translations and have remained for decades)

Mass Possibly Detrimental to One's Catholic Faith?

No

Yes (e.g. Loss of faith in the Real Presence, tendency to adopt religious indifferentism, failure to appreciate the seriousness of sin, presumed 'universal salvation', ambiguous texts leading to unorthodox interpretation, etc.), especially over a long period of time. As unpleasant as it may be to say, the fruits speak for themselves. Clearly a Mass that tends to endanger one's faith was previously unheard of!

Fate of Those Things in Mass Which Are "Not Liked"

No effect ("whether or not something is 'liked', it should be retained if it is beneficial")

Reduced / eliminated from Mass