[quote:2kazn44z]I don’t as I believe I’m at Mass to glorify God, that means I pray with a bowed head and keep in mind I’m a sinner.[/quote:2kazn44z]
The Mass has been described by the Church as being offered to God for the following four ends:

(1) To honor Him properly, and hence it is called Latreutical; (2) To thank Him for His favors, and hence it is called Eucharistical; (3) To appease Him, make Him due satisfaction for our sins, and to help the souls in Purgatory, and hence it is called Propitiatory; (4) To obtain all the graces necessary for us, and hence it is called Impetratory. (Catechism of Pope Pius X)

Hopefully under the Pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI we will see balance restored to the Western Liturgy. The following is simply my opinion and does not carry with it any degree of infallibility. However the Catholic Church in my opinion is the most balanced of any religious system. Why, well I obviously believe that God founded and guides the Church. In being the founder and guide, and giving it the promise to remain with it, God has prevented the Apostasy of the Entire Body of Christ. While from time to time one aspect or the other of belief is given a greater emphasis, and there is danger of humans ignoring the fullness of the Faith, God has preserved us from having the Church officially teach error.

Many “Liturgists” before and after the Second Vatican Council have tinkered with the Liturgy in order to put their own personal beliefs at the forefront of the Faith. Most of the problems in the Liturgy we see today are abuses of the Liturgy and not offically sanctioned by the proper authorities of the Church.

As for the Mass and our Faith, I stated earlier that it is balanced. Why? First because we do not, or should not place excess emphasis of one aspect of Faith and ignore the rest. We know we are sinners, but we also must have hope in the Passion and Death of Christ being the source of our Salvation. We know the God grants pardon of our sins through the waters of Baptism, and the absolution of His priests. We know that when we assist at Mass we are mystically at the foot of the cross, and Jesus makes availible to us the graces of that day on Calvary through His actions on our behalf at each Mass.

We are an “Easter People” but we do not ignore Holy Week and the Passion. Sinners, you betcha; Redemed by our Lord’s actions and our uniting ourselves to them, no doubt in my mind. Needful of paying attention to our Lord’s entire message, and not just “Claim Him” and become our own Pope, hard to do, but the way He set it up.