If John X. Catholic had been cryogenically frozen in 1962 and brought back to us today, what would he see at Mass? What would he think? What would be missing? What new additions would surprise him?
He might notice, depending on where you took him to Mass:
Lay people walking around in the sanctuary
No discernable sanctuary
Altar girls
No tabernacle in a visible spot behind the altar
No reredos
No altar rail
No organ loft (or no organ)
Guitars, basses, drums, woodwinds, bongos
No votive candles
No statues
Lay people distributing Communion
People taking the Host into their hands
No kneeling for Communion
A "Risen Jesus" instead of a crucifix
Applause
Hand-holding for prayers
People talking loudly to each after Mass in the church
No genuflections
and, most sadly,
NO REVERENCE.
In too many cases, if the average Catholic from 1962 could travel into the future to see our NOWCHURCH, they would be convinced that they were in a Protestant Church.
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