1,930 years, by a most generous estimate. ad orientem had a good run. It was time for something else.

Read the recent Weigel piece in which he quotes Fr. Lang. It's a good piece ... but he fails to persuade me ...

"Turning toward Christ, together", George Weigel, 1/31/07:

This is one of the primary purposes of the Eucharistic liturgy: it is meant to point “Christian existence toward Christ coming in glory.”

"It is more fitting that the whole congregation, including the celebrant, be directed towards the Lord, and that is expressed by turning towards the altar,” with the priest leading the congregation in the Eucharistic prayer as all face together toward Christ, whose coming is foreshadowed in his Eucharistic Presence.

Uh, excuse me, but everyone faces the altar with versus populum, too. Priest-and-people face Christ's Presence in the Eucharistic elements upon the altar. ad orientem adds no benefit vis-a-vis¹ the altar.

"a classic example of confounding theology and topography"

Eh, perhaps, but it isn't remedied by confounding theology and geography.

I'm as eschatological as the next Catholic. I'd love to be buried in the Mount of Olives. But do we expect literally that Christ will come charging down the Mount of Olives² through the Eastern Gate into Jerusalem?

And, if he does, can we hope to witness that ... from New Jersey?!

It makes just as much sense to look up (Acts 1:11; Luke 21:28) in expectation as to look east. We can't always act as if The Enlightenment never happened.

Orientation doesn't matter either way with modern people. We may as well keep things as they are and be consistent with, not only other Christian congregations but also with the culture at large. There's no spiritual advantage to being different here. In either case, it comes down the catechesis. Orientation needs to be explained to the faithful, regardless of whether it's ad orientem or versus populum.

¹ I made a conscious effort to write this without saying "vis-a-vis" but I couldn't do it. Es tut mir Leid.

² That goat from Daniel 8:5 invariably pops into my head, "crossing the whole earth without touching the ground," when I imagine Christ's Parousia. It's powerful and ludicrous at the same time.