A reflection on “ad orientem” celebration of the Liturgy by Rev. Know-it-all

I think this post on celebrating the Mass ad orientem (facing the East, where priest and people face the same direction during the Consecration – not “the priest has his back to the people”) by Reverend Know-it-all doesn’t need my embellishment.

I post it only with these comments: 1) At no time did the Second Vatican Council ask, hint, demand, or expect Mass to be celebrated facing the people; 2) Neither has the Holy See (AKA “Rome”, “the Vatican”, etc.) demanded celebration facing the people; and 3) There are a lot of things that have been tacked on to the liturgy in the United States and much of Europe that came out of the opinions of liturgists and were initially done out of dissent to the legitimate authority of the Holy See, such as celebrating Mass versus populum (facing the people).