There are some people who are objecting to the new and long overdue translation of the Mass in English. I don't get what their malfunction is. The changes are minor. If visible and invisible as opposed to seen and unseen unhinges you then YOU have a problem not the church. Besides, the Novus Ordo has changed over the years anyway. Tinkering and a myriad of options are built into the system so to speak. The people who were delighted when the Tridentine Mass was wrongly taken away had no problem with change then, so what's the problem now?
Some parishes, including the one I went to as a child, have "praise dancers." Most do not. On weekdays you can have a homily or not. At all times you can have the sign of peace or not. I confess that I'm always happy when the grip and grin sign is skipped. You can have the Confietor or not. You can have a beautiful, reverent Mass like the one on EWTN or my parish or you can have something so wild that band has to bring extra amplifiers and the ushers have to bring blankets and pillows for the ladies (have you noticed that's it's usually women who go in for this crap?), who get "slain in the spirit". The theologians say that both are valid. The NO is like a buffet and the menu can change.
When I was a child people shouted out their petitions for the prayers of the faithful. Now that's done by lectors or altar servers. When I was a child nobody held hands during the Our Father, now depending on your parish, people do. When I was a child we did not have altar girls. Now we do and woe to the person, including the poor priest, who objects to the altar girl's flirting with the boys that are left, flipping their hair or giggling all through Mass.
When I was a child it was expected that the priest would give his homily and get on with Mass. Now, it's not unheard of and apparently okay when priests use props to help with the homily. I read about a priest who brings a puppet with him and he's a big hit with his parishioners. I once knew a priest who cursed from the ambo to get our attention. His homiles were dramatic and fascinating and his occasional use of "damn" and "damnit" was considered hip and if the cardinal had a problem with it, he never said anything publicly.
There is a priest in Brazil whose Masses are like rock concerts and he packs 'em in every Sunday. This priest was praised by John. L. Allen and some folks hope his style of Masses are the future of the Church. I hope not. No matter what the liturgy committee folks at your parish say, the Novus Ordo was designed to move with the local zeitgeist. It does not stand pristine and untouched by the vagaries of fashion and it was never meant to. The people who are getting all pissy about the new improved translation need to grow up. It is not 1972 anymore. Thank God.
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