8.88. Isn’t the New Mass just a simpler form of the same Catholic Mass? What’s wrong with saying it’s a memorial of the Last Supper?
The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the unbloody re-presentation of Calvary, instituted by Christ at the Last Supper, where He made the Apostles priests and gave them the power to offer His Body and Blood under the appearances of bread and wine. The Mass is not a mere memorial—it is a true sacrifice, in which Christ becomes really present and is offered to the Father for our sins.
But the Novus Ordo Missae, fabricated in 1969 by Annibale Bugnini and a panel including six Protestant ministers, removed the sacrificial language, emphasized a meal around a table, and introduced Lutheran concepts like the priest as a “presider” and the Mass as a “celebration of the community.” This is not a valid development—it is a rupture, a Protestantization, and a betrayal of the Catholic Faith.
Below is a comparison between the Catholic theology of the Tridentine Mass and the Lutheran/Novus Ordo view of the Lord’s Supper.
| Category | Tridentine Mass (Catholic Doctrine) | Lutheran / Novus Ordo “Mass” | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nature of the Mass | True, propitiatory sacrifice of Christ made present on the altar | Commemorative meal; symbolic memorial of the Last Supper | The **Council of Trent** anathematized the “memorial-only” view |
| Role of the Priest | Alters Christus offering sacrifice to God | “Presider” over community gathering | This shift mirrors **Luther’s rejection of the ordained priesthood** |
| Altar vs. Table | Altar of sacrifice facing God (ad orientem) | Table facing the people; emphasis on communal meal | Architectural and theological change to mirror Protestant services |
| Language of the Rite | “Holy Sacrifice,” “victim,” “altar,” “propitiation,” etc. | “Assembly,” “meal,” “celebration,” “presider” | The **Ottaviani Intervention** noted the destruction of sacrificial language |
| Real Presence | Emphasized clearly in words and posture (kneeling, genuflection) | Deemphasized; Communion in the hand while standing is common | Fosters loss of belief in Transubstantiation (as confirmed by surveys) |
| Direction of Worship | Toward God (ad orientem); vertical worship | Toward the people (versus populum); horizontal focus | Mirrors the Protestant idea of worship as communal expression |
| Offertory | Clear sacrificial language (“this immaculate victim”) | “Blessed are you…” Jewish-style blessings over bread and wine | The **Offertory was gutted** to remove sacrificial references |
| Canon / Eucharistic Prayer | Roman Canon only; sacred, unchanging | Multiple Eucharistic Prayers, many invented post-1969 | This violates liturgical tradition and undermines unity |
| Fruits | Reverence, conversions, vocations, belief in Real Presence | Loss of faith, empty churches, doctrinal confusion | “By their fruits you shall know them” (Matt. 7:16) |
Summary:
The Tridentine Mass is the true Catholic Mass—a real, propitiatory sacrifice in which Christ is offered to the Father for the forgiveness of sins. The Novus Ordo “Mass” is not a legitimate development. It is a Protestantized liturgy, fabricated by modernists, and stripped of the very elements that make the Mass Catholic.
The Council of Trent anathematized anyone who says that the Mass is a mere commemoration and not a true sacrifice (Session XXII, Canon 3).
What Luther began, Vatican II completed.