I’ve wanted to do this for a while, but I’ve debated whether it would work better as a homily or as a column. You’ve probably figured out which option I chose as you read this. Those having spent a lot of time attending the Novus Ordo may have inculcated some habits that are incongruous with the Traditional Liturgy and devotions, so I’d just like to go through a few things I’ve noticed.
First is how we participate in the Mass, and we’ll start first with Low Mass. Participation in the Mass should first and foremost be interior. This is something that has generally been lost with the mindless parroting of responses in the Novus Ordo. Why do I say “mindless parroting”? Just think of how long it took for people to acclimate to the change from “and also with you” to “and with your spirit.” People were operating on autopilot for so long that they couldn’t cope with the transition.
Apart from a “Dialogue Mass,” a liturgical novelty that paved the way for the changes after Vatican II, at a Low Mass, the congregation does not verbally respond to the priest; that is the task of the Altar Servers. As it is, many of the prayers of the Mass that the congregation prays at a Novus Ordo (i.e. the Gloria, the Creed, the Sanctus, the Agnus Dei) are reserved to the priest alone in the Traditional Low Mass, meaning all that the congregation would get to say is the Kyrie and a few instances of “et cum spiritu tuo.”
No, the congregation has a far more important job than that, praying. It is the task of the congregation to offer up their interior prayer in union with the sacrifice that is taking place. Many older books contain prayers for the congregation to pray in order to unite themselves with the Mass and unite their intentions to the Sacrifice on the Altar.
This excerpt is from a prayerbook for the Souls in Purgatory and offers prayers for the person in the pew to pray during the Mass. Of course, this is just one option, and obviously, prayer can be personal as well, not just from a book.
Turning to the matter of posture, I’m just going to start with this image from the red missalette:
All Kneel at Low Mass Until the Gospel! In other words, the congregation does not sit during the Epistle; that is a posture reserved for High Mass.
That being said, some rubricians do say that it is permissible to sit for the Epistle at Low Mass, where it is the custom, so I’m not going to be as strict on this one, but there is one issue. Note the wording; it is permissible to sit for the Epistle, which means that if there are multiple readings before the Gospel, such as at an Ember day Mass (like those upcoming this week), it is not permissible to sit during the Lessons before the Epistle.
The only note I will include for High Mass is that you, as a member of the congregation, have the choice to join the choir in singing the Ordinary parts of the Mass or to pray as at Low Mass.
Let’s turn our attention to the Lord’s Prayer. The first and most obvious Novus Ordoism that needs attending is simply this: when prayed devotionally, the Lord’s Prayer ends with “Amen”.
When I say devotionally, I mean as part of devotional prayers such as the Rosary. Additionally, in a devotional context, it is always prayed with the leader saying the first part and the congregation saying the second. So if someone starts with “Our Father” or “Pater noster”, don’t join in immediately.
In a liturgical context, outside of Mass, it is almost always prayed silently, save for the last two lines, for example:
Many times, during a blessing, I will say, “Pater noster” as you see in the above image, then start praying the prayer silently, and everyone else takes this as an invitation to take over saying the prayer, so I have to stop, tell everyone to pray silently, and start over again.
To make life simple, in a traditional context, if someone starts the Lord’s Prayer, do not join in; if it’s said aloud, then you pray the second half; if it’s said silently, then the last two lines will be prayed as a verse and response.
The final item I’d like to look at today is the Kyrie eleison. The Mass is the only place you will find the verses repeated, and of course, they are prayed three times each. Anywhere else, in a blessing, at the start of a litany, in the Divine Office, each invocation is only prayed once, as you also see in the above image. So if someone says, “Kyrie eleison”, your response should be “Christe eleison”, not another Kyrie.
As a practical example, the above prayers would be said as follows:
Priest: Kyrie eleison
Response: Christe eleison
Priest: Kyrie eleison, Pater noster
Silence
Priest: Et ne nos inducas in tentationem.
Response: Sed libera nos a malo.
Etc.
Hopefully, that clears up a few matters with regard to traditional liturgical and devotional practices, which, as you can see, are often quite different from their Novus Ordo counterparts.
I see this the most at parishes that do both NO and VO. I mostly just grit my teeth and deal with it.