If it looks Protestant and sounds Protestant......

.....then, logic dictates, it must be Protestant.

I mean, of course, the Ordinary Form of Mass, the Novus Ordo.

This post has been prompted by several comments, made privately, from recent converts who have found themselves in the 'double somersault' position, namely, the first somersault in converting to the Catholic Faith and the second in discovering the Tridentine Latin Mass.

And then comes the process of attempting to reconcile the one with the other - a hard and often painful period of doubt and concern.

And to a certain degree it applies also to Novus Ordo Catholics who, again, 'discover' the Old Rite and then come up against the same problems as their converted brethren.

Now, I stress that, what follows are my own views and I accept that some may be offended by them but, I return to the post heading: "If it looks Protestant and sounds Protestant, then it must be Protestant".

The liturgical case of OF vs EF has been made many times but I would like to focus on the physical, actual signs of Protestantisation in the new Mass.

The elements that make the distinction between old and new as clear as white is from black.

Catholic or Protestant? Hard to tell in today's world

TEN SIGNS OF PROTESTANTISM IN THE NOVUS ORDO:

Again, I pre-qualify what follows by stating that we have many good priests who celebrate both forms. I believe that to be an acceptable but dangerous thing inasmuch that, in many respects, the two represent very different spiritual processes. 
We also have many indifferent priests who only celebrate the Ordinary Form, and that, indeed, is an extremely dangerous thing.

1. The Catholic altar has been replaced by the Protestant table

2. The Faithful stand to receive the Body and Blood of Christ in the hand

3. Holy Communion is given in both forms

4. Unifying Latin has disappeared to be replaced with the vernacular

5. The Priestly vestments have morphed into the style of the Protestant pastors

6. Females as altar servers

7. Religious statues, flowers on the altar, candle offerings - all are disappearing in the new order

8. Holy water fonts are, often dry and neglected

9. Sacred music has been replaced by guitars and tambourines

10. Altar servers wear albs

Now, please comment by all means but do not tell me that, in your parish, the water font is full to overflowing.
My points are generalisations and you will always find parishes where the Novus Ordo is celebrated reverently and largely in Latin.

But, every time that I attend an OF Mass (infrequently, admittedly) I see all that is listed above taking place.

That list, of course, is not exclusive. You could add the disappearance of bells, thuribles, dancing and so on to the list (and please feel free to do so in the comment box).

So, on the one hand we have the Mass that organically expanded until, in the 16th century, it was (broadly) ratified and has remained the same ever since, throughout the world, and, on the other, the Mass that was committee designed in the 1960s and 70s, that is subject to constant variations and changes according to the whim of the celebrant and that is allegedly in the vernacular but, in Britain today, is just as likely to be in Tagalog or Polish or Mandarin.

I know which Mass has Catholic Doctrine in its DNA.

I know which Mass I will attend to fulfil my Sunday obligation.


Picture: Infallible Catholic blog