| Lex orandi of Novus Ordo Mass |
Lex credendi of Novus Ordo Mass |
Lex orandi of Catholic Mass |
Lex credendi of Catholic Mass |
| Communion received standing and in the hand |
The Holy Trinity is not truly but only symbolically present in His body, blood, soul and divinity. The Mass is just a meal, the Host being nothing more than bread. Arch-heretic Cranmer instituted communion in the hand for his Protestant service to emphasize, contrary to Catholic doctrine, that it is just a supper and that the consecrated bread and wine are merely symbols of God's presence. (source) Mother Teresa considered the widespread practice of Communion in the hand the greatest problem afflicting the world today. (source) Record low numbers of Catholics believe in the Real Presence. |
Communion received kneeling and on the tongue |
The Holy Trinity is truly and substantially present in His body, blood, soul and divinity under the veil of bread or wine. Only a priest's fingers are consecrated to touch the consecrated Host. |
| Priest facing the people (versus populum) |
The Mass is more about the congregation (anthropocentric) than God (theocentric). The priest has no special role; he's just a man like the rest of us. I used to think the congregation was necessary to effect Consecration, but this belongs to the priest alone; in fact, a priest can say Mass and consecrate without a congregation. |
Priest facing the tabernacle (ad orientem or "towards East") |
Priests, not laypeople, are the true and necessary sacerdotes (lit. "givers of the sacred"). A priest is an alter Christi ("another Christ"); he mediates between God and man. A proper understanding of the priesthood leads to more priestly vocations; this is why traditional seminaries and orders continue to grow (see these statistics and how the growth of traditional seminaries is overtaking the growth of diocesan ones in Europe) and why 40% of Italian weekly churchgoers would attend the Latin Mass every Sunday were it available (cf. "Vatican II Renewal: Myth or Reality"). |
| Tabernacle often placed in another room |
God is not the center of Mass. People are the center. This is idolatry. |
Tabernacle the center of the liturgical space |
God must be the center of our lives. |
| Gregorian chant rarely sung; profane music used instead; pipe organs rare |
The Mass should be entertaining. The Second Vatican Council's document on the liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium, said that Gregorian chant "should be given pride of place in liturgical services" (§116) and "the pipe organ is to be held in high esteem" (§120). |
Gregorian chant sung at most Masses |
We participate in Mass by our internal actions of prayer more so than our by our external actions. "Active participation" (actuosa participatio) originally meant singing Gregorian chant (source). |
| Communion under both species (bread and wine) |
We receive "more God" by communicating under both species. Meal aspect emphasized |
Communion under one species only |
God is 100% present under both species. |
| Sacrificial aspect de-emphasized |
The Mass is a community meal gathering. Pope Paul VI's 1969 General Instruction emphasizes "supper" (see this). |
Sacrificial nature of Mass emphasized |
The Mass is a sacrifice. |
| Prayers mentioning judgement, hell, sacrifice, or whatever else might offend modern man's sensibilities frequently left out of the New Mass. |
Everyone will go to heaven. Original sin de-emphasized Confession not necessary for receiving Communion There is salvation outside the Catholic Church. Religious indifferentism False ecumenism |
Prayers emphasize the four last things: death, judgment, heaven, hell |
The sacraments are necessary for salvation, and there is no salvation outside the Catholic Church. Missionary spirit |
| Priest says entire Mass in an audible voice |
The congregation co-consecrates with the priest. Read about the Council of Pistoia and Pope Pius VI's bull Auctorem Fidei condemning it. |
Priest says some parts of the Mass in silence; silence immediately before, during, and immediately after consecration | Some prayers of the Mass are proper to the priest only. We hear God best in silence, as did Elijah. |
| Priest can pick and choose Mass's prayers; Mass is creative; Roman Canon rarely said |
Catholics can pick and choose what they want to believe in. The Mass turns into a creation of man rather than a gift from God. "Heresy" means "choice" in Greek. |
Rubrics followed meticulously |
We must believe and do exactly what the Church tells us to believe and do. We must love God's commandments. Matt. 5,48: "Be you therefore perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect." |
| Altar girls |
The Church will ordain female priests in the future. |
Only men allowed in sanctuary |
Men must be manly spiritual leaders and not relegate their responsibility to women. |
| Kiss of peace |
All humans give each other God's peace. Naturalistic conception of peace |
Only the celebrant says "Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum" to the congregation. |
True peace only comes from Christ through His apostolic Church. |
| Latin rarely used | The Mass has become more profane, less dignified. If people used to speak to worldly kings in Latin as a sign of respect, how much more should we use dignified and sacred language when speaking to Christ the King at Mass? |
Latin entirely used (except for Kyrie) |
Baltimore Catechism says this about Latin:
Q. 566. Why does the Church use the Latin language instead of the national language of its children?See Fr. Nikolaus Gihr The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass "The Language Used in the Celebration of the Holy Mass" |