My two cents' worth:
Each Catholic church building is a consecrated House of the Lord--it houses He Who created all, and sustains all. Thus, it is literally a "sacred space," which admittedly is not a concept Americans grasp easily.
In addition, the Mass is the summit of RC worship, the re-presentation of the Sacrifice of Calvary. The Mass, then is also "sacred time."
Finally, the applause is NOT for God's work--it is usually for man's work--a sermon, a retirement, or some honor, such as marriage.
While these events may well deserve the support of Catholics, it is not appropriate in that time, in that space.
People are assuming that the Pope opposes the liturgical changes that were proposed in the original draft just because it was sent back for further editing and revision. But for all we know the Pope may have sent it back because it was not strong enough and he wants to close some loopholes in the document. People have a tendency to be impatient and to assume things before they really know what's going on. In my mind, any change for the better is a good change, even if it's not strong enough yet. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step - and this is a step in the right direction.