The Second Vatican Council (1962-65) ushered in not so much a series of changes in the Catholic Church as it brought about a major revolution. While it is beyond the pervue of this article to address every facet of the Council, we will try to touch upon what we see as some of the more salient results. I would commend to my reader the voluminous trilogy by Michael Davies: Cranmer's Godly Order, Pope John's Council, and Pope Paul's New Mass for a most thorough history of the changes that have taken place within the Church and that ultimately led to the tragic consequences of Vatican II, along with the struggle to preserve the changeless Mass of all time.
I would start out by making some observations regarding the Novus Ordo Mass that was the result of the Second Vatican Council. One thing that always bothered me when Holy Communion was given was the unanimous receiving of the Host in the hands of the communicants, and that virtually always being distributed by laymen, not the priest. I thought, how could I, or any other sinner, dare to abuse our Lord by handling His sacred Person myself? It is the priest, set apart through the sacrament of Holy Orders, who is the only acceptable person deemed worthy by our Lord to consecrate and distribute His sacred Body and Blood. Reception of the Host is to be on the tongue. This practice dates back explicitly to Pope Pius V (1566-1572). As Davies points out, Pius' Bull Quo Primum Tempore in 1570 "did not legislate on the manner in which Mass should be celebrated but gave legal sanction to the manner in which the Mass was being celebrated. The primary characteristic of liturgical development until Vatican II was that legislation codified development, not that development was initiated by legislation" (Pope Paul's New Mass). What this says is that from the night our Lord first instituted the Blessed Sacrament, the Mass had been conducted the same way, passed on by the apostles, to the time of Pius V. It was his pontificate that simply set out and codified that liturgical form of the Mass of all time. The Second Vatican Council had no authority to alter the decrees of two hundred and sixty previous papacies back to Saint Peter himself.
With the loss of the sense of the Sacred in the Mass that resulted after Vatican II, it is no surprise that the sense of one's sinfulness was largely lost as well. Enter the forgotten Sacrament of Penance. With most parishes numbering in the hundereds of families is it not a bit surprising to see only perhaps a dozen penitents in line for confession each week? Is Rome readying itself for an enormous canonization ceremony with all of these saints in our very midst? Well, you know who you are; point made I believe.
Lastly, but certainly not least, is the loss of a spirit of prayer. When the loss of the sacred is combined with a loss of our sense of sin, surely then prayerlessness will follow. As but one example, how many parishes still hold regular Rosaries before Mass or during the week? For those who believe the Rosary is just a superstitious practice for old ladies may we remind our readers that the fifteen traditional mysteries are the prayers of the gospel! From the Annunciation to the Nativity, from the Agony in the Garden to the Crucifixion, from the Resurrection to our Lord's Ascension and Descent of the Holy Ghost, these are facts recorded in the Bible. Our Lady's Assumption and Coronation are events that can be deduced from other parts of scripture such as the Apocalypse chapter 12. Such prayer will surely be heard by our Lord on behalf of His Mother and ours'.
We could go on to discuss the grave crisis in vocations, the closing of seminaries, and the emptying of the pews and churches by those who have grown up in the wake of the Second Vatican Council. When the divine liturgy that was established by the Good God Himself, He who does not change, was jettisoned as the direct result of Vatican II for a "protestantized" communion service, we have the desolation of the Traditional Roman Catholic Church. The Altar was torn down for a table facing the congregation, thereby destroying the very sacrificial nature of the Mass: a sacrifice, which is what our Lord became for us, requires an Altar not a table for a meal which suited our Protestant friends just fine thank you. May I go further and claim there is no difference today between a Novus Ordo Mass and an episcopal communion service, or any other protestant communion service for that matter.
To close may I strongly encourage my Catholic friends, if there is any possible way, to seek out and attend a Traditional Tidentine Mass. You owe it to yourself to discover the rich historical legacy of the Church. If you are looking for something more deep, profound, and intimate with the Good God I can guarantee you will not be disappointed and you will never go back to what you were before.
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