A secular perspective on the changes in the mass

[Probius]

I've thought a lot about the changes that took place in the mass since the end of the second Vatican council. I know there are a lot of theological changes that could be discussed, but I want to focus on the differences in the way the mass is experienced.

So, first, I think churches are designed to be sacred spaces and this is done by making the environment in the church different from that outside the church. That's what sacred means, it means set apart. The church is different from the rest of the world because it is set apart. A well-designed church feels like a different world than the world we live our chaotic every-day lives. It is a place of respite and quiet where a person can breathe and recuperate. This is done with the use of all five of the major senses. The stained-glass windows lower the lighting in the church and create a visual distinction between inside and outside the church. We can't see the world directly outside the church since the stained-glass windows block it out. The lowered lighting along with the incense smoke also creates an other-worldly appearance. The smell of the incense works on the sense of smell and takes us away from our worldly cares in the outside world. A well-designed church also uses stone to create an atmosphere in which the sounds of the bells and the chanting of hymns reverberate throughout the sacred space and sound angelic. We can also taste the incense on our tongues and the feel of the kneelers on our knees lets us know that we are not in our recliners at home binging on the latest whatever everyone is watching. The use of the Latin language should also be pointed out here since it is a language we never hear in our daily lives. By using all of the five senses, we are carried away to a place where meditation is not only possible but likely. Our minds become still and then I am reminded of the bible passage, "be still and know that I am your God."

So, that is the experience I get when I attend a traditional Latin Mass in a traditional church. When I walk into a Novus Ordo mass at a modern church, it is a completely different experience. The windows are clear and I can see into the parking lot. I'm wondering what errands I need to run when mass is over. I can see my car and I'm already thinking about the traffic I'll get into after the mass. The chapel is very big and there is this ambient noise of chatter. It feels like I'm in an office setting, much like the one I spend time in between 9 to 5 Monday to Friday. The priest uses the same vernacular common English language that is used in my every-day life. The smell of the incense dissipates so quickly that I can barely tell it's there. There is no reverberation of sounds in the chapel, instead the cheap sheetrock absorbs all of the sound. Instead of an angelic choir chanting lovely hymns in Latin, there is a cheap rock band playing common music. The world rejects this music because it has lyrics about God and it's just poor music, but it also doesn't work in the mass since it does nothing to create sacred space or to help me meditate. This music is lost between two worlds. The priest looks like he is going through the motions and the parishioners look like they are just waiting for the mass to end so they can go about the rest of their days.

I didn't anticipate discussing why this change might have happened, but once I began to think about this, I felt like I had to share at least one thought. There was this philosophical idea that the Church should be open to the world, that it should go out and meet the people of the world and minister to them. Whether that was a good idea or not is for another discussion. What is relevant for this discussion is that this philosophical idea was made manifest in not just the mass but also the actual construction of the buildings which hold the mass. Bishops and priests began to want clear windows because that opened the chapel to the world outside. They wanted the use of the vernacular because it made the mass more accessible to the world. They wanted common music because it was the music that the world understands. Everything was about opening the Church, and therefore the building, to the world. This could have been done by tackling issues that the world cares about, but instead it was done by destroying the sacred space which fed the souls of Catholics for centuries. It was a complete misunderstanding of what going out into the world to meet the people meant and it has created something which is entirely basic and common as opposed to different and mystical. The common has replaced the sacred.

[Maximilian]

So, first, I think churches are designed to be sacred spaces and this is done by making the environment in the church different from that outside the church. That's what sacred means, it means set apart. The church is different from the rest of the world because it is set apart. A well-designed church feels like a different world than the world we live our chaotic every-day lives. It is a place of respite and quiet where a person can breathe and recuperate. This is done with the use of all five of the major senses. The stained-glass windows lower the lighting in the church and create a visual distinction between inside and outside the church. We can't see the world directly outside the church since the stained-glass windows block it out. The lowered lighting along with the incense smoke also creates an other-worldly appearance. The smell of the incense works on the sense of smell and takes us away from our worldly cares in the outside world. A well-designed church also uses stone to create an atmosphere in which the sounds of the bells and the chanting of hymns reverberate throughout the sacred space and sound angelic. We can also taste the incense on our tongues and the feel of the kneelers on our knees lets us know that we are not in our recliners at home binging on the latest whatever everyone is watching. The use of the Latin language should also be pointed out here since it is a language we never hear in our daily lives. By using all of the five senses, we are carried away to a place where meditation is not only possible but likely. Our minds become still and then I am reminded of the bible passage, "be still and know that I am your God."

Very nice write-up. I meant to reply sooner. I remember reading an essay by John Updike in which he says something similar -- that you cannot attain recollection in a bright, white New England church with clear windows.

Yes, the sense of being set aside is so important, and so lacking in modern churches. Also true, as you say, is that the church should share a sense of both worlds -- it exists in this world and yet it also exists in the other world.

Modern churches, in contrast, lack any sense that they exist in another dimension. They don't even make any attempt, for the most part. A novus ordo pastor would look at you as if you had 2 heads if you told him that his building should have its primary existence in another world.

There was this philosophical idea that the Church should be open to the world, that it should go out and meet the people of the world and minister to them. Whether that was a good idea or not is for another discussion. What is relevant for this discussion is that this philosophical idea was made manifest in not just the mass but also the actual construction of the buildings which hold the mass. Bishops and priests began to want clear windows because that opened the chapel to the world outside. They wanted the use of the vernacular because it made the mass more accessible to the world. They wanted common music because it was the music that the world understands. Everything was about opening the Church, and therefore the building, to the world. This could have been done by tackling issues that the world cares about, but instead it was done by destroying the sacred space which fed the souls of Catholics for centuries.

Yes, excellent point. The modern buildings reflect the modern viewpoint. Pope John XXIII in his opening address to Vatican II said exactly those words, "Open the windows and let in fresh air." So the buildings reflect the zeitgeist and the zeitgeist reflects the buildings, as you have pointed out.

[Vetus Ordo]

There was this philosophical idea that the Church should be open to the world, that it should go out and meet the people of the world and minister to them. Whether that was a good idea or not is for another discussion. What is relevant for this discussion is that this philosophical idea was made manifest in not just the mass but also the actual construction of the buildings which hold the mass. Bishops and priests began to want clear windows because that opened the chapel to the world outside. They wanted the use of the vernacular because it made the mass more accessible to the world. They wanted common music because it was the music that the world understands. Everything was about opening the Church, and therefore the building, to the world. This could have been done by tackling issues that the world cares about, but instead it was done by destroying the sacred space which fed the souls of Catholics for centuries.

Yes, excellent point. The modern buildings reflect the modern viewpoint. Pope John XXIII in his opening address to Vatican II said exactly those words, "Open the windows and let in fresh air." So the buildings reflect the zeitgeist and the zeitgeist reflects the buildings, as you have pointed out.

Indeed.

There are few things today more damaging to the human psyche than the warehouses that pass off as churches. Even malls, for all their ills, can feel cozier.

[Daniel]

.

[Probius]

The typical Novus Ordo church does feel like a mall.

There was this philosophical idea that the Church should be open to the world, that it should go out and meet the people of the world and minister to them. Whether that was a good idea or not is for another discussion. What is relevant for this discussion is that this philosophical idea was made manifest in not just the mass but also the actual construction of the buildings which hold the mass. Bishops and priests began to want clear windows because that opened the chapel to the world outside. They wanted the use of the vernacular because it made the mass more accessible to the world. They wanted common music because it was the music that the world understands. Everything was about opening the Church, and therefore the building, to the world. This could have been done by tackling issues that the world cares about, but instead it was done by destroying the sacred space which fed the souls of Catholics for centuries.

Yes, excellent point. The modern buildings reflect the modern viewpoint. Pope John XXIII in his opening address to Vatican II said exactly those words, "Open the windows and let in fresh air." So the buildings reflect the zeitgeist and the zeitgeist reflects the buildings, as you have pointed out.

Indeed.

There are few things today more damaging to the human psyche than the warehouses that pass off as churches. Even malls, for all their ills, can feel cozier.