The Traditional Latin ('Tridentine') Mass vs. the New (Novus Ordo) Mass (4)

Item

Traditional Latin ("Tridentine") Mass*

New ("Novus Ordo") Mass*

Purpose of Changes

If any changes, designed to help us spiritually or to give greater glory to God

Usually seem designed to further ecumenical activities

Heavenly Home Vs. Earthly Home

Heavenly Home

Earthly Home

"Now we are made to 'feel at home' on earth rather to think of the true and everlasting heavenly home" 

Priority of Faith Vs. Social Issues

Faith

Often priority is given to social issues (especially in homilies)

Majestic?

Yes

No

Note: There is now no majestic language, no majestic music, no period of sacred silence, no hidden actions of the priest, no incense (generally), etc.

Build Up to the Consecration?

Yes

No

Laity's Discernment At the Consecration

It is traditional to repeat the aspiration "My Lord and My God" silently at the Consecration 

No aspiration is known to be typical (except possibly for older Catholics who learned to do this before the New Mass was imposed in the 1960's)

Produces Converts?

Many

Few

Power of Laity to Impose Things on Others, Even to the Detriment of Some?

No

Yes

Widespread Use of the Vernacular Language?

No

Note: Unlike the Novus Ordo Masses, the 'Tridentine' Mass is generally celebrated everywhere in the Latin language, the official language of the Church. Not only does this protect the Mass from error and give us a link to the past, but it keeps us united to our brothers and sisters throughout the world and serves to "lift us outside ourselves and into the mystery" of the Mass. With the 'Tridentine' Mass as the normative Mass, Catholics had been united across the world, praising God in one voice, whereas Protestant 'worship' resembled the tower of Babel.

"If any one saith that the rite of the Roman Church, according to which a part of the Canon and the words of consecration are pronounced in a low tone, is to be condemned; or that the Mass ought to be celebrated in the vulgar tongue [that is, the vernacular] only; let him be anathema." (Council of Trent, Twenty-Second Session)

"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, the pope who called the Second Vatican Council, 1962 A.D. )

Yes, in contradiction to the expressed will of popes and councils (including the Second Vatican Council).

"As referring to the use of the vernacular in liturgical prayers - false, rash, disturbing the prescribed order of the celebration of the mysteries, and easily productive of many evils. (Pope Pius VI, "Auctorem Fidei", 1794 A.D.)

"The vernacular has robbed the Mass of its majesty and mystery" (George Mackey Brown, famous Catholic Convert)

"In the attempt to suppress the Latin language of the liturgy and to replace it by the vernacular, there was a more or less premeditated scheme to undermine Catholic unity, to loosen the bond of union with Rome, to weaken the Catholic spirit, to destroy the humility and simplicity of the faith. Therefore, the Apostolic See at all times most persistently and inflexibly resisted such innovations; for it is an invariable principle of the Church never to alter the ancient liturgical language, but inviolably to adhere to it, even though it be no longer the [language spoken by the people]" (Gihr)

"The Council Fathers did not intend that there should be a wholly vernacular liturgy and did not imagine that there would ever be a wholly vernacular liturgy... It was never intended that prayers pertaining to the priest should ever be in the vernacular... The intention that Latin should remain the norm is proved by Article 36 of the Liturgy Constitution which gives permission for the vernacular in certain parts of the rite as a concession. There is no obligation to introduce any vernacular anywhere in the Mass. Had it been intended to make the vernacular the norm this would have been stated with appropriate permissions to use Latin as a concession... Even in 1965 the Consilium insisted that permission would never be given for a vernacular Canon" (Davies)

"'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)

Introduction of Mass Required the Removal of Previous Prayers? 

N/A

Yes

Note: It has been pointed out that the same (fixed) prayers omitted by the Protestant 'Reformers' in the sixteenth century were omitted in the New Mass. Of the non-fixed prayers, "the vast majority were simply deleted". Of those which remained, many were changed to make them more "this worldly", to remove references to the supernatural or to remove negative references (e.g. hell, judgment, sin), or to make them more acceptable to Protestants (heretics!). Ones which fared better were the "positive" prayers (e.g. prayers which consider God's great love and mercy). Many of the deleted prayers were ancient, and even authored by saints. When one considers that the fact that prayers which are incompatible with Protestant doctrine were eliminated from the Mass, there is concern that it will appear that the Church's doctrine has changed. The deletion of such prayers also makes it easier for error to be introduced. As Davies indicates, "By omitting the Judica me and other prayers which are unacceptable to Protestants, the authors of the New Mass are, on a practical level, conceding that the sixteenth century 'Reformers' were right. The same is true with regard to practices which became a hallmark of Protestantism such as the substitution of a table instead of an altar, and the use of the vernacular and of an audible tone throughout. Certain prayers, practices, and ceremonies, while not essential in themselves, take on a new significance once they have been declared unacceptable by the enemies of the Church." 

Silent Canon

Yes

Note: "The silent canon emphasizes sanctity, mystery, and dignity" and "allows the priest to perform his awesome task reverently and with total recollection".

Note that "it is not necessary that various prayers addressed to God be audible to the laity, since God can hear even the innermost thoughts of our hearts."

No

"If any one saith that the rite of the Roman Church, according to which a part of the Canon and the words of consecration are pronounced in a low tone, is to be condemned; or that the Mass ought to be celebrated in the vulgar tongue [that is, the vernacular, or language of the people] only; let him be anathema." (Council of Trent)

"The proposition of the synod by which it shows itself eager to remove the cause through which, in part, there has been induced a forgetfulness of the principles relating to the order of the liturgy, 'by recalling it (the liturgy) to a greater simplicity of rites, by expressing it in the vernacular language, by uttering it in a loud voice'; as if the present order of the liturgy, received and approved by the Church, had emanated in some part from the forgetfulness of the principles by which it should be regulated, [is condemned as] rash, offensive to pious ears, insulting to the Church, favorable to the charges of heretics against it." ('Auctorem fidei, Condemning the Errors of the Synod of Pistoia, Aug. 28, 1794 A.D.)

Aesthetical Appeal?

Great (incense, candles, ornate altars, great beauty, etc.)

Little

"In the past, the aesthetics often drew a person back to the Church, even after being gone for a long while" 

Self- Communicating (Placing the Holy Eucharist in One's Hands and Then One's Mouth)?

No

Yes

Note: Introduction of Communion in the hand for lay persons in the 20th century began as a result of disobedience to the Pope. This Protestant-inspired practice has contributed to irreverence, loss of faith, desecration and sacrilege. Communion in the hand lessens respect for the Holy Eucharist, detracts for priestly dignity, and may display a lack of humility. The practice goes against the expressed wishes of recent popes. In fact, one recent pope warned that "the innovation could lead to irreverence, profanation, and the adulteration of sacred doctrine", yet the practice was introduced in the 20th century in defiance of their wishes. Not only does placing Holy Communion in the hand usually physically sully the Holy Eucharist and expose it to profanation (especially since crumbs may fall on the floor and be stepped on by others), it may also lead to illness since those who receive Communion in the hand do not wash their hands before handling the Eucharist. [Note: Those who receive Communion in the hand may have, only minutes previously, touched filthy dollar bills (e.g. for the collection), touched contaminated collection baskets, touched the unwashed hands of multiple strangers (e.g. 'sign of peace'), sneezed or coughed into their hands, lifted dirty kneelers, etc.] And further, the practice has aided those who steal the Holy Eucharist for use in satanic rituals. 

Click here for 'Communion in the Hand: Why Not? (Sacraments Section)

Similarity Among Various Churches?

Yes

No

"All Catholic churches used to be essentially the same - now there are vast differences between them." This tends to resemble Protestant sects.

Uneducated are Able to Understand the Mass?

Yes

"Although many argue that the old Mass was difficult for some to understand, the long history proves them wrong. Even the most uneducated persons understood the old Mass. In fact, they probably knew it better than many today understand the New Mass."

Yes

Charged with 'Banality'?

No

Yes

Note: The New Rite of Mass has been criticized as 'banal' even by high-ranking prelates - "...in the place of liturgy as the fruit of development came fabricated liturgy. We abandoned the organic, living process of growth and development over the centuries, and replaced it - as in a manufacturing process - with a fabrication, a banal, on-the-spot product." (Cardinal Ratzinger, the future Pope Benedict XVI)

"Anyone who is not stubbornly determined to close his eyes and ears to what is happening throughout the Church in the West today must concede that the celebration of the New Mass is characterized almost invariably by banality, and only too often by irreverence and even sacrilege." (Davies)

"What was intended by Vatican Council II as a means of making the liturgy more easily understood by the average Christian, has turned out to be something more like an orgy of stripping it of all sense of reverence, bringing it down to the level of commonness where the very people for whom the changes were made now only yawn out of sheer boredom with the banality of the result." (Archbishop Dwyer) 

Typical Musical Style

"Angelic"

"[T]he chants and sacred music which are immediately joined with the Church's liturgical worship should be conducive to the lofty end for which they are intended. This music - as our predecessor (St.) Pius X has already wisely warned us - 'must possess proper liturgical qualities, primarily holiness and goodness of form; from which its other note, universality, is derived.' It 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." (Pope Pius XII)

Click here for 'Sacred Music' Reflections (Church Talk Section)

"Kumbaya" or Pop / Rock

Choir Location

Choir loft

Anywhere (even including the sanctuary)

Purpose of Music

Honor God, raise minds to God, edify the faithful, etc.

"Sacred music, being a complementary part of the solemn liturgy, participates in the general scope of the liturgy, which is the glory of God and the sanctification and edification of the faithful. It contributes to the decorum and the splendor of the ecclesiastical ceremonies... It must be holy, and must, therefore, exclude all profanity not only in itself, but in the manner in which it is presented by those who execute it. It must be true art, for otherwise it will be impossible for it to exercise on the minds of those who listen to it that efficacy which the Church aims at obtaining in admitting into her liturgy the art of musical sounds." (Pope St. Pius X, "Inter Sollicitudines", 1906 A.D.)

Click here for 'Sacred Music' Reflections (Church Talk Section)

Often appears to be for entertainment or otherwise to give pleasure to the attendees

"[St.] Jerome does not absolutely condemn singing, but reproves those who sing theatrically in church not in order to arouse devotion, but in order to show off, or to provoke pleasure. Hence [St.] Augustine says (Confessiones x,33): 'When it befalls me to be more moved by the voice than by the words sung, I confess to have sinned penally, and then had rather not hear the singer.'" (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")

"The soul is distracted from that which is sung by a chant that is employed for the purpose of giving pleasure." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")

Musical Instruments

Pipe Organ

Note: The pipe organ, "the premier instrument of the Catholic Church", has historically been considered "the only instrument sacred enough for the Mass" (although certain other appropriate instruments may be allowable under certain conditions).

"In the Latin Church the pipe organ is to be held in high esteem, for it is the traditional musical instrument which adds a wonderful splendor to the Church's ceremonies and powerfully lifts up man's mind to God and to higher things." (Second Vatican Council)

Anything goes (including drums, guitars, tambourines, cymbals, tambourines, synthesizers)

"The employment of the piano is forbidden in church, as is also that of noisy or frivolous instruments such as drums, cymbals, bells and the like." (Pope St. Pius X, "Inter Sollicitudines", 1920 A.D.)

"It is strictly forbidden to have bands play in church, and only in special cases with the consent of the Ordinary will it be permissible to admit wind instruments, limited in number, judiciously used, and proportioned to the size of the place - provided the composition and accompaniment be written in grave and suitable style, and conform in all respects to that proper to the organ." (Pope St. Pius X, "Inter Sollicitudines", 1922 A.D.)

"As the Philosopher says (Politica viii,6), 'Teaching should not be accompanied with a flute or any artificial instrument such as the harp or anything else of this kind: but only with such things as make good hearers.' For such like musical instruments move the soul to pleasure rather than create a good disposition within it." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")

Use of Traditional Catholic Music?

Yes

Generally not (in fact, many Masses incorporate Protestant music)

"The treasure of sacred music is to be preserved and fostered with great care." (Second Vatican Council)

Applause in Church?

No

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

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

"It is not fitting that the servant should be applauded in His Master's house." (Pope St. Pius X)

"...let him admire in silence: there is none to prevent him... Even the heathen philosophers - we hear of their discoursing, and nowhere do we find that noisy applause accompanied their words: we hear of the Apostles, making public speeches, and yet nowhere do the accounts add, that in the midst of their speeches the hearers interrupted the speakers with loud expressions of approbation... Christ spoke publicly on the Mount: yet no one said aught... I do not rob those who wish to be applauded: on the contrary, I make them to be more admired. It is far better that one's hearer, having listened in silence, should by his memory throughout all time applaud, both at home and abroad... Nothing so becomes a church as silence and good order. Noise belongs to theatres, and baths, and public processions, and market-places: but where doctrines, and such doctrines, are the subject of teaching, there should be stillness, and quiet, and calm reflection, and a haven of much repose" (St. John Chrysostom, Doctor of the Church)

Click here for flier: 'Applause in Church?'

Yes

"Wherever applause breaks out in the liturgy because of some human achievement, it is a sure sign that the essence of liturgy has totally disappeared and been replaced by a kind of religious entertainment." (Cardinal Ratzinger, the future Pope Benedict XVI)

"[St.] Jerome...reproves those who sing theatrically in church not in order to arouse devotion, but in order to show off, or to provoke pleasure. Hence [St.] Augustine says: 'When it befalls me to be more moved by the voice than by the words sung, I confess to have sinned penally, and then had rather not hear the singer.'" (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")

Lay Readers?

No

Note: Traditionally, there are no lay readers. However, since Summorum Pontificum this novelty may (unfortunately) occur

Yes

Note: This Protestant inspired practice tends to elevate the people and demote the priest, who is charged with teaching his flock. The appearance of a priest sitting in the "presider's chair" while a lay person - even a woman, contrary to Scripture (1 Cor. 14:34) - reads the readings, seems childish at best. Cannot the priest read a few short paragraphs? Does he really need our help for this? How many squabbles has this caused? How much distraction has this brought? How can this practice engender humility? How much does this encourage the feminists? Further, rather than having the priest read Holy Scripture on behalf of the Church, it may "tend to give the impression that the Scripture is the 'personal possession' of lay persons, that may be subject to one's own personal interpretation."

Altar Cloths

Three

As few as one (and possibly none outside of Mass)

Use of Very Large Altar Breads?

No

Sometimes

Note: When very large altar breads are used - usually to help 'spectators' see the Host - it is less likely that all sacred particles will be collected (e.g. when the size of the Host exceeds the size of the paten). Remember that even the tiniest particle of the Eucharist contains Christ's Body, whole and entire.

"Yes, the same Jesus Christ is just as much in a particle of a host as in a whole host." (Catechism of St. Pius X)

"[O]ur Lord is not in the Sacrament as in a place. Place regards things only inasmuch as they have magnitude. Now we do not say that Christ is in the Sacrament inasmuch as He is great or small, terms which belong to quantity, but inasmuch as He is a substance. The substance of the bread is changed into the substance of Christ, not into magnitude or quantity; and substance, it will be acknowledged by all, is contained in a small as well as in a large space. The substance of air, for instance, and its entire nature must be present under a small as well as a large quantity, and likewise the entire nature of water must be present no less in a glass than in a river. Since, then, the body of our Lord succeeds to the substance of the bread, we must confess it to be in the Sacrament after the same manner as the substance of the bread was before consecration; whether the substance of the bread was present in greater or less quantity is a matter of entire indifference." (Catechism of the Council of Trent)

"If any one denieth that in the venerable sacrament of the Eucharist the whole Christ is contained under each species, and under every part of each species, when separated; let him be anathema." (Council of Trent)

Sacred Vessels

Ornate, precious materials, veiled, protected with pall, purified at once on the corporal. Handled only by priests.

"To safeguard in every possible way the dignity of so august a Sacrament, not only is the power of its administration entrusted exclusively to priests, but the Church has also prohibited by law any but consecrated persons, unless some case of great necessity intervene, to dare handle or touch the sacred vessels, the linen, or other instruments necessary to its completion. Priests themselves and the rest of the faithful may hence understand how great should be the piety and holiness of those who approach to consecrate, administer or receive the Eucharist." (Catechism of the Council of Trent)

Plain, may not be precious materials, non-veiled, may not be protected with pall, purification may be delayed (and may not be on the corporal). May be handled by laity.

Tabernacle Design

Ornate, beautiful

Plain, often homely or indistinguishable

Candles (Lit on Altar)

Six (high mass), Two (low mass)

Usually none on the altar

Liturgical Vestments

Complete, ornate

Note: For a biblical basis for ornate vestments, refer to the instructions given by God Himself in the Old Testament (e.g. see Ex. 28)

Less complete, simple, certain colors excluded (e.g. black for funerals)

"By abolishing or rendering optional many of the priestly vestments - in some cases only an alb and stole are now required - the new rite obliterates the priest's conformity to Christ even more. The priest is no longer clothed with all Christ's virtues. He is now a mere 'graduate' with one or two tokens that barely separate him from the crowd - 'a little more a man than the rest,' to quote a modern Dominican's unintentionally humorous definition." (Cardinals Ottaviani & Bacci)

"But it is neither wise nor laudable to reduce everything to antiquity by every possible device. Thus, to cite some instances, one would be straying from the straight path were he to wish the altar restored to its primitive table form; were he to want black excluded as a color for the liturgical vestments..." (Pope Pius XII, "Mediator Dei", 1947 A.D.) 

Sacred Images

Many

Few (and often those that remain are earthly, modern looking, or unrecognizable)

Priestless Parishes

Very Uncommon

Increasingly Common

Mass Often Thought of as an Act of the Community or of the Church? 

Act of the Church

Act of the community

Confusion Among Parishioners Regarding Catholic Dogma

Very Low

High (or they might wrongly think their heterodox views are orthodox)

Clearly a Sacrifice?

Yes

Often unclear

"[T]he Novus Ordo Missae is seriously defective with regard to sacrifice - which is the crucial point at issue." (Davies) 

Clearly a Propitiatory Sacrifice?

Yes

Usually unclear 

"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)

Kneeling Throughout Communion?

Yes

Almost never

Kneeling After Holy Communion?

Yes

Often not (many people simply sit)

Respect for the Sacred Role of the Priest

Great

Much lower 

"The role of the priest used to be considered sacred, now he's our 'buddy'."

Priest's Focus on Christ During the Mass

Very heavy focus on Christ

Less focused on Christ.

"Now the priest turns his back to God (symbolically eastward, truly present in the Tabernacle) to turn towards the people. He even turns his back to the altar to shake hands with the crowd, while the Eucharist is left alone on the altar."

Produces a Healthy Fear of the Lord?

Yes

"The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the LORD" (Prov. 9:10)

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; prudent are all who live by it." (Ps. 111:10)

"[A]s is proper, let us fear God who sees now what we have done and who punishes later what we do not repent now." (St. John Chrysostom, Doctor of the Church, c. 391 A.D.)

"Do not the words of St. Peter... 'Depart from me, O Lord, because I am a sinner', testify that when the reality of God breaks upon us we are struck with fear and reverence? Cardinal Newman has shown in a stunning sermon that the man who does not fear and revere has not known the reality of God." (Von Hildebrand) 

"Let us pass in review before ourselves the ancient patriarchs and their deep awe of God; how they trembled with holy fear when God was nigh, and looked upon all things as unspeakably hallowed over which He had so much as cast His shadow. Jacob, who was so familiar with Him in that he wrestled with Him [cf. Gen. 32:24: "This was an angel in human shape, as we learn from Osee 12.4. He is called God, ver. 28 and 30, because he represented the person of the Son of God."], and would not let Him go till He had blessed him, stands eminent among the saints of God for the gift and grace of fear. The very ritual of the old synagogue was steeped in fear and reverence. David, the man after God's own heart, was ever praying for an increase of holy fear. Our Blessed Lord Himself, says the apostle, in the days of His flesh, was heard because He feared. Mary and the apostles were filled, as none others ever were, with the beauty, the tenderness, and the excess of this heavenly fear. Hundreds of dying saints, around whose flesh and souls still clung the fair, white robe of their unforfeited baptismal whiteness, trembled in every limb as they pondered the possible judgments of Infinite Purity, beneath whose judicial eye they were about to stand. If they needed this degree of fear, what degree need we?" (Faber)

No

"The spirit of independence and of false liberty, which is nowadays so rife amongst us, is a great enemy to the fear of God; and one of the miseries of our age, is that there is little fear of God. Familiarity with God but too frequently usurps the place of that essential basis of the Christian life. The result is, that there is no progress in virtue, such people are a prey to illusion; and the sacraments, which previously worked so powerfully in their souls, are now well-nigh unproductive. The reason is, that the gift of fear has been superceded by a conceited self-complacency. Humility has no further sway; a secret and habitual pride has paralyzed the soul; and seeing that these people scout the very idea of their ever trembling before the great God of heaven, we may well ask them if they know who God is." (Dom Gueranger)

Produces a Healthy Fear of Hell?

Yes

"What can there be that is worse than hell? Yet nothing is more profitable than the fear of it! For the fear of hell gains for us the crown of the kingdom" (St. John Chrysostom, Doctor of the Church, c. 387 A.D.)

No

Prepares One For Death and the Fearful Judgment?

Yes

No

"The regular focus on the glory of the resurrection sounds nice, but it can leave one unprepared."

Encourages Prayers for the Holy Souls in Purgatory?

Yes

Generally much less

Note: It is important to keep in mind that the souls in purgatory suffer great pains, are unable to help themselves, and depend upon our prayers and good works.

"That purgatorial fire itself will be more difficult than any punishments that can be seen or imagined or felt in this life." (St. Caesar of Arles, c. 540 A.D.)

Note: For more information regarding purgatory, click here ('Purgatory Release Project' / Catholic Activities Section)

Importance of the Priest's Personality During Mass

Not important ["the priest puts his personality aside when acting 'in Persona Christi' (in the Person of Christ)]

Far more important. His personality may have a direct impact on whether parishioners decide to go back to his Masses. Even parishioners may tend to refer to Masses by the name of the priest who celebrates them (e.g. "Fr. Bob's Mass", "Fr. John's Mass", etc.)

Impression Given to Those Outside the Church

Consistent

Varies

"We do not advocate one thing at one time and change it at another; otherwise the faith would become a joke to those outside." (St. John of Damascus, Doctor of the Church)

Safeguarding of the Eucharist

Great

Poor (especially since It is so frequently handled by lay persons and since the lack of belief in the Real Presence is so widespread)

"[The] Church has a special duty to safeguard and strengthen the sacredness of the Eucharist." (Pope John Paul II)

Primary Role of Priest During Mass

'Alter Christus' (Another Christ)

Varies [May appear as a: President / Presider, Personality, Entertainer, Crowd Pleaser, etc.]

Role of Priest in Relation to Laity

Above the laity

Equal to or slightly above the laity. Often treated as one's "buddy".

Respect for the Awesome Power of the Priest

High

Often low to very low. In fact, many may not even realize the priest has any special power. He may be treated as a 'buddy' or just 'an average person'.

Real Presence in the Holy Eucharist Vs. God's Presence in the Community

Emphasis on Real Presence

Emphasis on presence in the community, often to the loss of belief in the Real Presence

Note: "The focus on Christ's presence in the community serves to reduce the apparent need for the priesthood and tends to shed doubt on the Real Presence. This is an extremely Protestant concept."

Clear That Sacrifice of the Mass Takes Away Our Sins?

Yes

Despite the fact that the purpose of the Mass is precisely to take away our sins, this truth is usually not apparent (and not emphasized) in the New Mass

Taste of the Supernatural

Very High

Very Low

Sober vs. Joyful

Sober

Joyful

"Was there joy at Calvary?"  

Signs of Respect for the Holy Eucharist

Many

"It was the consideration of all the reverence shown to the Blessed Sacrament coupled with the magnificent and solemn grandeur of the ceremonies of Holy Mass, that drew from Frederick the Great that noble and magnanimous saying: 'The Calvinists treat Almighty God as a servant; the Lutherans as an equal; the Catholics as a God." (Davies)

Few

"Every - I repeat, every traditional sign of reverence towards the Blessed Sacrament during the distribution of Holy Communion has been abolished. Imagine the reply a potential convert would have received had he approached a Catholic priest before Vatican II, and in most cases for some years after, and asked what special signs of reverence were used by Catholics to indicate that the Blessed Sacrament is God! The priest would have explained that communicants knelt reverently, received the Host on the tongue, only the consecrated hands of a priest could touch It, or touch the chalice, the corporal, pall, or the purificator which came into contact with the sacred species... From the moment of Consecration until after the Communion of the people the priest would keep the thumb and forefinger of both hands together, to ensure that the smallest particle of a Host was never dropped. He would then open them over the chalice while the server poured wine and water over them in a series of meticulously prescribed ablutions. Imagine, therefore, the reply of any priest you knew before Vatican II if you had suggested that all these signs of reverence should be abolished - and yet most of the priests who would have exploded with indignation at such a suggestion have accepted the changes without protest, if without enthusiasm." (Davies)

Careful Prescriptions in the Event a Host Falls to the Ground?

Yes, an elaborate, highly reverent procedure is employed

No. The procedure may be reduced simply to "picking It up reverently"

"[A]ll the former prescriptions in the case of the consecrated Host falling...are now reduced to a single, casual direction: 'reventur accipiatur'" (Cardinals Ottaviani and Bacci)  Such changes lessen respect for the Holy Eucharist, which is literally Christ's Body & Blood.

External Rite Generally Regarded as "the Best Humans Can Do" in Giving Honor to God?

Yes

"Our adoration ought to be proportionate (as possible) to what we are adoring" (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")

No

"Offering up the Sacrifice of the Mass is greatest thing we can do, and we should do it the best we can. It deserves every ounce of reverence which we can muster."

Mass Takes Us Away From Everyday Life, Brings us Closer to Christ?

Yes

"At church, we should forget the things of earth and everyday life and think of the eternal - it shouldn't be like other daily activities" 

No

"The innovators replace holy intimacy with Christ by an unbecoming familiarity. This new liturgy actually threatens to frustrate the confrontation with Christ, for it discourages reverence in the face of mystery, precludes awe, and all but extinguishes a sense of sacredness. What really matters, surely, is not whether the faithful feel at home at Mass, but whether they are drawn out of their ordinary lives into the world of Christ - whether their attitude is the response of ultimate reverence: whether they are imbued with the reality of Christ." (Von Hildebrand)

Tabernacle Located on Altar?

Yes

Usually not

"To separate the Tabernacle from the Altar is tantamount to separating two things which, of their very nature, must remain together." (Pope Pius XII)

Focal Point

Tabernacle

May be "presider's chair"

Makes the Importance of the Sunday Obligation Clear?

Yes

No

"As the Eucharist diminishes in importance, then so does Sunday obligation - we can have a community gathering anywhere, even at a sporting event!" 

"[I]f any grouping of people is so sacred, why come to Mass?" 

Continuity With the Past

Great

Poor

"A developed doctrine which reverses the course of development which as preceded it is no true development but a corruption" (Cardinal Newman) 

"[The changes are significant] and 'deal with a fundamental renovation... a total change ... a new creation" (Msgr. Bugnini, 'architect' of the New Mass)

Protection Against Errors

Great

Little

"...the ideological seductions of fashionable errors. These are cracks through which the Evil One can easily penetrate and change the human mind." (Pope Paul VI, 1972 A.D.)

"Today, division and schism are officially acknowledged to exist not only outside the Church, but within her as well. The Church's unity is not only threatened, but has already been tragically compromised. Errors against the Faith are not merely insinuated, but are - as has been likewise acknowledged - now forcibly imposed through liturgical abuses and aberrations." (Cardinals Ottaviani & Bacci) 

Ability to Penetrate More Deeply Into the Mass as Time Goes By?

Yes

Not easily

"The old Mass didn't change, but it was always new and fresh. Precisely because it was the same, you could penetrate it more deeply as time went by" 

Manipulation of the Liturgy by Priests

Very uncommon

Not infrequent

"[N]o other person, even if he be a priest, may add, remove, or change anything in the liturgy on his own authority." (Second Vatican Council)

Community at the Expense of the Individual?

No

Yes

"We are part of a community, be we are individual members who are going to be judged individually"

Comparability to Heavenly Worship

Comparable

"All the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They prostrated themselves before the throne, worshiped God, and exclaimed: 'Amen. Blessing and glory, wisdom and thanksgiving, honor, power, and might be to our God forever and ever. Amen.'" (Rv. 7:11-12)

"Is there a greater happiness than to imitate on earth the choir of angels?" (St. Basil the Great, Doctor of the Church)

"The whole sanctuary and the space before the altar is filled with the heavenly Powers come to honor Him who is present upon the altar." (St. John Chrysostom, Doctor of the Church)

Much less comparable

"Togetherness with our brothers and sisters vs. worship of the all holy God - What sounds more like what is going on in heaven? Are the angels talking amongst themselves, shaking hands, high fiving?"

Widespread Criticism of the Rite of Mass by orthodox Prelates

Unheard of

Has occurred

Even Pope Paul VI of the Second Vatican Council has had to admit that the "smoke of Satan" had entered the Church. (Note: Although he was not referring directly to the Mass, it is clear that the Mass changes have had a major role in the problems.)

Placing a Single Council Over the Admonitions of Many Popes

Never

Frequent

"Can. 1372 A person who makes recourse against an act of the Roman Pontiff to an Ecumenical Council or the College of Bishops is to be punished with a censure." (1983 Code of Canon Law)

Apparent Concern For the Will of God Over One's Personal Desires

High

Much lower

Note: People seem to believe that whatever their will is happens to be God's will as well.

Mindfulness of the Almighty God During Mass

Very mindful

Much less mindful

Note: In fact, Christ - God Incarnate - although really present in the Holy Eucharist seems to be totally forgotten about by most laity during the 'sign of peace'.

Laity Placing Selves on Equal Level With Priest

Never

Frequent

Note: "People nowdays tend to see Mass is an action of the community rather than an action of the priest acting in persona Christi - and they then try to place themselves on equal level with priest."

Priest Put on Equal Footing With Laity?

No

Often, apparently, yes

Note: Parishioners often usurp priestly duties (e.g. lay readers, 'lay ministers'), they treat the priest as a mere 'buddy', and some have even had the nerve to recite the priest's prayers of consecration with him, as if they 'co-consecrated'!

Clear That Sacrament Depends Upon Priest's Powers?

Yes

No (in fact, the laity have even joined in the consecration with the priest)

Rite of Mass Encourages Conversion of Protestants?

Yes

No 

"The concessions to Protestantism not only do not make converts, but makes them believe they were right all along!" 

Conformance to Protestant Practices

No

Yes, in many ways

"Not only is there conformance to many Protestant practices, but they are even using the same arguments that the 'Reformers' did!"

Message Sent to Protestants and Other Non-Believers

"We worship God, truly present in the Holy Eucharist and acknowledge our sinfulness and dependence on Him."

"We are a 'resurrection people'. We have human dignity!"

Necessitates an Apparent Rejection of Previous Rites?

No

Yes

"Rites which the Church has appointed, and with reason - for the Church's authority is from Christ - being long used, cannot be disused without harm to our souls." (Cardinal Newman)

Clear That the Consecration of the Bread & Wine is More Important Than the Coming Together of the People?

Yes

No

Ease of Distinguishing the Body & Blood of the Lord in the Holy Eucharist

Much Easier

Note: The words, the sounds, the incense, the reverent silence, the behavior of the priest, the respect shown for the Holy Eucharist, etc. all help contribute to the ability of persons to distinguish the Body & Blood of the Lord in the Holy Eucharist.

Much more difficult

Note: Many things in the Novus Ordo Mass (instead of helping to foster belief in the Real Presence) may serve to foster doubt. Not only is there less respect shown for the Eucharist, which is often demoted (handled by laity, not surrounded with appropriate dignity, etc.), but the very words used in the Mass itself may tend to cast doubt on the doctrine of the Real Presence (e.g. saying "Christ will come again" right after Christ is truly made present on the altar). The consequences of these changes are very serious and cannot be overemphasized. As Scripture says:

"Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord. A person should examine himself, and so eat the bread and drink the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are ill and infirm, and a considerable number are dying." (St. Paul, 1 Cor. 11:27-30) 

Since we are required to distinguish the Body and Blood of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, under penalty of eating and drinking judgment on ourselves, we should make this easier rather than harder (which the Novus Ordo Mass does). Sadly, the fruit of this New Mass, as surveys show, is that about 70% of Catholics nowadays do not believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist.

Produces Awe?

Yes

No

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

"The basic error of most of the innovations is to imagine that the new liturgy brings the holy sacrifice of the Mass nearer to the faithful, that shorn of its rituals the Mass now enters the substance of our lives. For the question is whether we better meet Christ in the Mass by soaring up to Him, or by dragging Him down to our workaday world. The innovators would replace holy intimacy with Christ by an unbecoming familiarity. The new liturgy actually threatens to frustrate the confrontation with Christ. It discourages reverence in the face of mystery, precludes awe, and all but extinguishes a sense of sacredness." (Von Hildebrand)

Relative Importance of the Real Presence / Instruction / Socializing (as apparent)

The Real Presence is clearly the most important. Socializing is for outside of Mass

Often the Real Presence takes second or third place to instruction and socializing.

"The King of kings becomes truly present at Mass - this is more important than anything! Instruction can occur elsewhere, but this can't! Socializing can occur elsewhere, but this can't!" 

Emphasis on God's Mercy / Judgment

Balanced

Heavily favors mercy

"Of forgiveness be not overconfident, adding sin upon sin. Say not: 'Great is his mercy; my many sins he will forgive.' For mercy and anger alike are with him; upon the wicked alights his wrath. Delay not your conversion to the LORD, put it not off from day to day; For suddenly his wrath flames forth; at the time of vengeance, you will be destroyed." (Sirach 5:5-9)

"Great as his mercy is his punishment; he judges men, each according to his deeds." (Sirach 16:12) 

Clear Distinction Between Sacred & Profane?

Yes

No

"Much less a clear distinction between the sacred and profane, there is nowdays not even a sense that there is a difference." 

Disciplined Laity?

Yes

No

Laity Instinctively Know Right From Wrong?

Yes

Often not

Peer Pressure to Adopt Particular Behaviors / Gestures?

No

Yes (e.g. Communion in the hand, Communion under both species, hand-holding, etc.)

"We can unite ourselves with this army of saints and the countless host of good and faithful Catholics who for more than a millennium have received Communion in the traditional manner. Alternatively, we can join those Catholics who have 'come of age', who are 'mature' and 'adult', who stand before the priest, hold out their hands and say: 'A Conciliar Catholic does not kneel before his God, a Conciliar Catholic stands before his God.' The truth of the matter may well be that a 'Conciliar Catholic' has no God but himself." (Davies)

'Blind Leading the Blind'

No

Not infrequently the laity are led by poorly catechized lay persons (e.g. lay ministers, ushers, members of parish councils, other attendees at Mass, etc.), who may not even believe in the Real Presence

Note: Despite the fact that souls are at stake, Catholics nowadays often don't know any better and go along with whatever seems fashionable (or they go with whatever the majority does). Not only that, but those who "conscientiously object" to abuses are often considered "rigid", "uncharitable", "disobedient", "rebellious", "not nice", etc. As Jesus warns:

"If a blind person leads a blind person, both will fall into a pit." (Our Lord Jesus Christ, Mt. 15:14)

"Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit?" (Our Lord Jesus Christ, Lk. 6:39)