Tridentine Mass

This morning I attended the Tridentine Mass (the old Latin Mass) at Blessed Sacrament Church in Memphis. If you haven’t been to a Tridentine Mass, it’s a worthwhile thing to do (just make sure it’s approved by the Church, as the one at Blessed Sacrament is). While I think I’ll go back on occasion, I don’t think it’s something I’d do every Sunday.

I’ve heard people say it’s a more reverent Mass. I didn’t think it was necessarily so, but I noticed a big difference in the reverence that the people showed compared to most places I’ve been. Even the children were exceptionally well-behaved. They could sit still better than I could. The people to whom I talked were very nice as well. I wish people were like this at all Catholic churches, regardless of the Mass used.

This being said, there are parts of the Mass where I prefer the older way of doing things. I think having the priest face the same way as the people during the Liturgy of the Eucharist is a beautiful symbol of our movement together towards God. It makes a much better show of unity (or even “community”) that the “church-in-the-round” structure in some modern churches which serves only as a symbol of a community that is closed in on itself.

During the Tridentine Mass, we also knelt at some kneelers (a make-shift communion rail?) for communion. Given that this is the Lord himself whom we are receiving, I can’t understand why we aren’t kneeling at every Mass when we receive him. It would be a great way to reinforce the dogma of the Real Presence.

It’s my understanding that both of these things that I’ve mentioned can be done at a Novus Ordo without violating a single rubric. My question is: Why don’t we?