Replies

When I saw the New Mass posted by NYer, it shocked me back into reality. It has now been nearly seven years since I heard it and plain forgot how it went. The only one we know these last seven years is the canonized Mass of St. Pius V,

Have any of you seen the reasons offered up by some Diocese priests? Twenty five of them got together and made a list of problems they found with the NO. Maybe you would like to take a peek.

I just offer it up for what it is worth.

................................

The Problem with the New Mass

Why in good conscience we cannot attend the New Mass (also known as the Mass of Paul VI, Novus Ordo and the New Liturgy) either in the vernacular or the Latin, whether facing the people or facing the tabernacle. Thus, for the same reasons, we adhere faithfully to the Traditional Mass (also known as the Tridentine Mass--the Mass for all time). The following are based on the sixty reasons set forth by 25 Diocesan priests of the Diocese of Campos, Brazil.

1. Because the New Mass is not an unequivocal Profession of Faith (which the Traditional Mass is), it is ambiguous and Protestant. Therefore since we pray as we believe, it follows that we cannot pray with the New Mass in Protestant fashion and still believe as Catholics!

2. Because the changes were not Just slight ones but actually "deal with a fundamental renovation.., a total change.., a new creation." (Msgr. A. Bugnini, coauthor of the New Mass.)

3. Because the new Mass leads us to think "that the truths..... can be changed or ignored without infidelity to that sacred deposit of doctrine to which the Catholic Faith is bound forever."

4. Because the New Mass represents "a striking departure from the Catholic theology of the Mass as formulated in session XXII of the council of Tent" which in fixing the "Canons" provided an "insurmountable barrier to any heresy against the integrity of the Mystery."

5. Because the difference between the two is not simply one of mere detail or just modification of ceremony, but "all that is of perennial value finds only a minor place (in the Mass), if it subsists at all."

6. Because "Recent reforms have amply demonstrated that fresh changes in the Liturgy could lead to nothing but complete bewilderment in the faithful, who already show signs of uneasiness and lessening of faith."

7. Because in times of confusion such as now, we are guided by the words of Our Lord: "By their fruits you shall know them." Fruits of the New Mass are 30% decrease in Sunday Mass in the U.S. (NY Times 5/24/75), 43% decrease in France (Cardinal Marty), 50% decrease in Holland (NY Times 1/5/76).

8. Because in less than seven years after the introduction of the New Mass, priests in the world decreased from 413,438 to 243,307 Almost a 50% decrease (Holy See Statistics).

9. Because the New Mass does not manifest Faith in the Real Presence of Our Lord--the traditional Mass manifests it unmistakably.

10. Because the New Mass confuses the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist with the MYSTICAL Presence among us (proximating Protestant doctrine).

11. Because the New Mass blurs what ought to be a sharp difference between the HIERARCHIC Priesthood of the people (as does Protestantism).

12. Because the New Mess favors the heretical theory that it is the FAITH cf the people and not THE WORDS OF THE PRIEST which makes Christ present in the Eucharist.

13. Because six Protestant ministers collaborated in making up the New Mass: (Georges, Jasper, Shepherd, Konnith, Smith and Thurian).

14. Because just as Luther did away with the Offertory-since it very clearly expressed the sacrificial propitiatory character of the Mass-so also the New Mass did away with it, reducing it to a simple Preparation of the Gifts.

15. Because enough Catholic theology has been removed that Protestants can, while keeping their antipathy for the true Roman Catholic Church use the text of the New Mass without difficulty. Protestant minister Thurian said that a fruit of the New Mass "will perhaps be that non-Catholic communities will be able to celebrate the Last Supper using the same prayers as the Catholic Church.

16. Because the narrative manner of the Consecration in the New Mass infers that it is only a meal and not a true sacrifice (Protestant thesis).

17. Because by grave omissions, the New Mass leads us to believe that it is only a meal

(Protestant doctrine) and not a sacrifice for the remission of sins (Catholic Doctrine).

IS. Because the changes such as: table instead of altar, facing the people instead of tabernacle, communion in the hand, etc., emphasize Protestant doctrines (e.g. Mass is only a meal, priest is only a president of the assembly, etc. ).

19. Because we are faced with a dilemma; either we become Protestantized by worshiping with the New Mass, or else we preserve our Catholic Faith by adhering faithfully to the Traditional Mass of All Times.

20. Because the New Mass was made in accordance with the protestant definition of the Mass:" The Lord's Supper or Mass is a sacred synasix or assembly of the people of God which gathers together under the presidency of the priest to celebrate the memorial of the Lord."(Par. 7 Intro.. to the New Missal, defining the New Mass, 4/6/69).

21. Because beautiful, familiar Catholic hymns which have inspired people for centuries, have been thrown out and replaced with new hymns strongly Protestant in sentiment, along with new and old Protestant (Reformation hymns at that, headlining Martin Luther), which further deepens the already distinct impression that one is no longer attending a Catholic function.

22. Because the New Mass contains ambiguities favoring heresy, which is more dangerous than if it were clearly heretical since a half-heresy resembles the truth!

23. Because the New Mass follows the format of Cranmer's heretical Anglican Mass, and the methods of the English heretics.

24. Because Holy Mother Church canonized English martyrs who were killed because they refused to participate at a Mass such as the New Mass!

25. Because Protestants who once converted to Catholicism are scandalized to see that the New Mass is the same as the one they attended as Protestants. One of them, Julian Green asks "Why did we convert?

26. Because statistics show a great decrease in conversion to Catholicism following use of the New Mass, Conversions, which were up to 100,000 a year in the U.S. have decreased to less than 10,000!

27. Because the nature of the New Mass is such as to facilitate profanations of the Holy Eucharist, which occur with a frequency unheard of with the Traditional Mass.

28. Because the New Mass, despite appearances conveys a New faith, not the Catholic faith, it is modernism and follows exactly the tactics of modernism, using vague terminology in order to insinuate and advance error.

29. Because by introducing optional variations, the New Mass undermines the unity of the liturgy, with each priest liable to deviate as he fancies under the guise of creativity, Disorder inevitably results, accompanied by lack of respect and irreverence.

30. Because many good priests do not accept the Mass, and affirm that they are unable to celebrate it in good conscience.

31. Because the New Mass has eliminated such things as: genuflection (only three remain) purification of the priests's fingers in the chalice, preservation from all profane contact of the priest's fingers after Consecration, sacred altar stone and relics, three altar cloths. (reduced to one), all of which "only serve to emphasize how outrageously faith in the dogma of the real Presence is implicitly repudiated."

32. Because the Traditional Mass, enriched and matured by centuries of sacred Tradition, was codified (not invented) by a Pope who was a Saint, Plus V; whereas the New Mass was artificially fabricated.

33. Because the abolition of the Traditional Mass recalls the prophesy of Daniel 8:12 "And he was given power against the perpetual sacrifice because of the sins of the people" and the observation of St. Alphonsus de Liguori that because the Mass is the best and most beautiful thing which exists in the church here below, the devil has always tried by means of heretics to deprive us of it.

34. Because in places where the Traditional Mass is preserved, the faith and fervor of the people are greater, whereas the opposite is true where the New Mass reigns. (Report on the Mass; Diocese of Campos, Buenos Aires #69. 8/81).

35. Because along with the New Mass goes also a new catechism, a new morality, new prayers, new ideas, a new calender-in one word, a New Church,a complete revolution from the old. "The liturgical reform.., do not be deceived, this is where the revolution begins." (Msgr. Dwyer, Archbishop of Birmingham, spokesman of Episcopal Synod. )

36. Because the New Mass attempts to transform the Catholic Church into a new, ecumenical church embracing all Ideologies and all religions -- a goal long dreamt of by the enemies of the Catholic Church.

37. Because the altar and tabernacle are now separated marking a division between Christ in His priest-and-sacrifice-on-the-altar, from Christ in His Real Presence in the tabernacle, "two things which of their very nature must remain together." (Pius XII).

38. Because the New Mass no longer constitutes a vertical worship from man to God, but instead a horizontal worship between man and man.

39. Because the traditional Latin Mass of Pope St., Plus V has not, nor can it ever be legally abrogated; it therefore remains a true rite of the Catholic Church forever, by which Catholics may fulfill their Sunday obligation.

40. Because "in none of the three new Eucharistic Prayers (of the New Mass) is there any reference to the state of suffering of those who have died, in none the possibility of a particular memento, thus undermining faith in the redemption nature of the Sacrifice."

41. Because as stated in Vatican Council I, the Holy Ghost was not promised to the successors of Peter, that by his revelation they might make a new doctrine, but His assistance they might inviolably keep and faithfully expound the revelation or deposit of faith delivered through the Apostles." (D.S.3070)

42. Because heresy, or whatever clearly favors heresy, cannot be matter for disobedience Obedience is at the service of faith and not faith at the service of obedience! In this foregoing case then, "one must obey God before men." (Acts of the Apostles 5:29).