My wife told me that she once spoke to the priest in the confessional about how upset she was at the loss of the Latin Mass. The priest's response was, how about me?
Priests who want to say the Latin Mass deserve our sympathy and prayers, even more than do the lay people who miss the reverance and transcendence of the old Mass.
You are right on Joe - We tend to complain for ourselves and overlook these poor priests that are not offered an option in most seminaries. These priests have been emasculated as a result of the "spirit of V2" and its wrong.
I submit that the Novus Ordo mass, any one of the 30,000 versions, is just the outward ceremony of the new philosophy, new religion, new ideas all rooted in modernism. Thus it has weak roots, new traditions and changes with the wind. It emulates the new Catholic church which seems also to have an identity and confidence crisis. I understand and agree this didn't happen overnight. Most experts point to the beginning of the 20th century as the introduction of modernistic thinking, however it gave birth in the 1960's during and after v2.
As the old saying goes, a little lipstick is not going to make this pig look any prettier. It goes much deeper than the cosmetic. A little nip tuck on the NO mass won't change the underlying problem which is foundational and cultural. Pope Benedict knows this better than I ever will and he knows how to fix it. I just hope and pray he has the wisdom and fortitude to complete the mission as much as he can during his pontificate.
I look forward to the turn of the Tridentine Mass along with all the culture it carries for 1500 years.