A liturgy in which all five errors are committed is going to look and feel very different from one in which all five errors are completely avoided.

Five Ways to Ruin the Mass

by Jeffrey Tucker

It really is up to the pastors, musicians, and leaders in a parish to permit 

the voice of the liturgy to speak and sing without being impeded by these interventions, which really serve to distract from the beautiful miracle

 before our eyes.

We are getting ever closer to an improved liturgy in the English-speaking world. The new Missal gives us a more dignified language that more closely reflects the Latin standard. The hippy-dippy rupturism of the past is finally giving way to a more settled and solemn appreciation of the intrinsic majesty of the Roman rite.

A new generation of celebrants is moving past the politicized agendas of the past toward embracing the true spirit of the liturgy. Maybe it hasn’t happened in your parish but the trend is clear: better music, better vestments, better postures and rubrics.

And yet, we all know that things are not what they should be. It is an interesting experiment to travel and attend Sunday Mass at a random parish. You might find wonderful things. Or you might find something else entirely. Having experienced many of the latter, and talking with many other people about their experiences, I here list the top five ways in which the presentation of the liturgy can ruin the liturgical experience.

1. Improvisation of the Liturgical Texts ....

2. Politicized and Newsy Prayer of the Faithful ....

3. Extended and Chatty Sign of the Peace .....

4. Replacing Sung Propers with Something Else .....

5. Percussion .....

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

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