Why a Reverent Novus Ordo Will Never Work

Can the divisions over the Traditional Latin Mass be resolved simply by making the Novus Ordo more reverent? Latin. Ad orientem worship. Gregorian chant. Incense. Communion rails. The Roman Canon. These can make the Novus Ordo look and feel much more like the traditional Roman Mass. This approach has often been called the “Reform of the Reform.” But does restoring these traditional elements actually address the fundamental differences between the two rites? In this video, I begin with my own experience of an extraordinarily reverent Novus Ordo in Paris—celebrated in Latin, with Gregorian chant and many of the elements Catholics associate with the traditional liturgy. From there, I examine the deeper question behind the Reform of the Reform: Are we merely restoring the externals of the traditional Mass, or are we trying to recover what those externals express about the nature of the Mass itself? And if the goal is ultimately to make the New Mass substantially like the Old Mass, a more fundamental question arises: Why not simply return to the Mass that was handed down to us? This video continues the themes explored in my *What Changed?* series, which examines how the Roman Mass was transformed in the years surrounding the Second Vatican Council. https://edwardschaeferdma.substack.co...