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You say this: "Consider that between the time of St. Pius X and Paul VI human knowlege, human development, literacy, and technology had increased exponentially. Civilization went from the horse and buggy to the jet age, from gas lights to universal electricity, from relative isolation to access to the world via radio, telephone and television....and the world shrinks even more as we type to one another through these modems."

This is the essence of Modernism--to believe our age is qualitatively different, that because we advance by means of technology, our wisdom also advances. But this is not the case--as a cursory glance at modern history itself would suggest. The idea that the same Church which survived the Roman Empire, the Crusades, the French Revolution, the First and Second World Wars, must now--in keeping with the times--suddenly revolutionize its doctrines and practices--is quintessentially foolish, as we now are coming to see. We are not a different "race of people", as you suggest, merely because we fly faster and can access the internet. We still suffer the effects of original sin. We still lust after forbidden fruit, we still feel envy and jealousy, we still steal and deceive.

Moreover, the assumption that the present approach of emphasizing the Word during Mass is, as you say, "more intellectual" is errant nonsense as anyone familiar with Patristics or with the Scholastic movement would testify. The change in emphasis was made primarily to attract Protestants, not to appeal to our Catholic intellects. The preconciliar Church itself, in fact, had always insisted on the marriage of reason and faith, and it had always affirmed the need for adjustment and change--but never for revolution. What you are claiming, therefore, is the modern sin of Pride--the idea that because we live in the present time, we are somehow a lot smarter than those who went before--and it is no wonder contemporary fruits are so bitter--pederasty, apostasy, widespread abandonment of the faith, none of which is evidence of wisdom or high intelligence.

This is the essence of Modernism--to believe our age is qualitatively different, that because we advance by means of technology, our wisdom also advances.

I did not suggest that our wisdom advanced. I suggested that our response might be more pronounced, were the church to adopt a less achronistic approach. You are removing the Holy Spirit from the equation every time you rely on the political explanation. Are not Protestants part of God's plan. Is it a bad thing to want to attract them to the sacraments? Was Ecclesia Dei really about politics? Could it have not been a sincere desire to retain unity in the church and bring about correction and amendment on the sinner? You always like to thicken the plot. Faith in God's church and in Jesus need not be so complicated.