What is 'Active Participation' in the Mass?

Pope Leo recently made comments about the Novus Ordo Mass at one of his general audiences, saying that the changes that have been made to the Mass make it more accessible to the faithful and allow for a more active participation. But what really constitutes active participation in the Mass? Is it really enough to say that the faithful are involved when they sing along with hymns and have more verbal participation? Mass is a time for us to commune with God and assist the priest with our prayers, so being actively involved does not necessarily mean more interaction with the priest and verbal participation. It means following along with what is going on in the Mass and offering our prayers in union with the priest so that we can prepare ourselves to receive Christ in the Eucharist and go out into the world to preach the Gospel.

Before Vatican II, the Traditional Latin Mass offered more focus on God by having the priest face east toward the tabernacle instead of toward the people and also invited the people to more introspective and contemplative prayer by having the Eucharistic Prayer said quietly by the priest on behalf of the people while they added their own prayers. As the priest, he has the privilege of offering this sacrifice by virtue of his ordination and the faithful are not to be treated as equals or made to have more participation just so that they feel included. This is also why the Eucharistic Prayer is meant to be a quiet prayer between the priest and God and the faithful are meant to support the priest with their own prayers and contemplate what is going on at the altar. This type of participation in the Mass is active and accessible to the faithful, if they open themselves up to it and apply themselves. In fact, it can lead to an even more fruitful experience than a lot of verbal participation and singing hymns.

The Mass was not meant to be something interactive that has entertainment value. It is where we go to encounter Jesus in the Eucharist and ask Him for His intercession for ourselves and the world. Likewise, the priest is not there to entertain us and interact with us as friends would on a day out. He is there to offer a sacrifice to God on our behalf, and we are there to assist him as we are able and are intended to, by offering our prayers in union with his but not as if we are on the same level. When we go to Mass, we should truly strive to offer our prayers in silence and unite ourselves to what is happening on the altar in order to draw graces from the sacrifice and really equip ourselves to leave prepared to bring Christ to others.