Latin has already been the language of the Church for centuries and already has a wealth of texts, songs and other traditions in the language. The same cannot be said for Aramaic or Greek.
A more accurate understanding of the mass was the turning point for me. We are present at the sacrifice of our Lord! This has been going on for centuries and we are just visitors at the event, so why should the mass change to suit our personal likes and dislikes that are shaped by our local culture when in a hundred years we will all be dead and the culture will change, but the mass will still continue? Why should the church bend to our wills instead of us conforming to the church?
But what specifically does Latin have to do with making me holy and helping me to become a saint and make it to heaven? I will inevitably translate it into English (my heart language).
So what is the point of first hearing Mass, hymns, or anything in Latin, other than to gain a sense of tradition and history, and to appreciate the ancientness of the Catholic Church compared to all other pretenders to the Christian faith?
Yes, conform me to the Church and not the other way around! But why should the Church be conformed to Latin? Merely because it is tradition?
Jesus Himself broke all tradition when He eliminated the need for the sacrifice of bulls and lambs and sacrificed Himself. By breaking this ancient tradition of animal sacrifice He fulfilled tradition.
He also alienated a large group of His own people, who refused to accept Him as the Lamb of God, and insisted that the ancient traditions must continue. Eventually the Church called a Council to deal with the issue of whether Christians must become Jews first, and the decision was made–no, we do not have to become Jews first. That decision by the Jerusalem Council still stands.
In the same way, the decision was made by the Church that the Mass can be offered in the vernacular. In all likelihood, that decision will stand in a hundred years after we are all dead, and for many hundreds of years after that. But even if it should change, that’s OK, because our Church is led by Jesus Christ, and He can impose whatever He chooses upon our Church. Who are we to question our Head?
If the Vatican, those who are called, ordained, and appointed to positions of leadership by Jesus Christ Himself, has pronounced that Mass in the vernacular is good and proper, then is it not possible that by doing so, they haven’t “broken” tradition, but have brought it closer to complete fulfillment?
It seems to me that by insisting upon a Latin Mass and no other, *in spite of the endorsement of our Holy Father that the OF Mass is the “Ordinary Form” *(or more accurately in American English, the “usual” form), it is we, mere laypeople, who are guilty of making the Church bend to our wills.
Our duty as laypeople is to trust and obey, not cast aspersions upon the decisions made by our apostles, led by Jesus Christ. Both forms of the Holy Mass, both vernacular and Latin, are acceptable and efficacious in conferring graces upon the believers.
We are privileged to have the choice of both forms-how wonderful of our Holy Mother Church to allow us to choose the form that best appeals to our human senses and meets the needs of our souls! If we do not live in an area that offers Mass in the form that we prefer, perhaps it is we who should make every effort to bring the form to our community, or even make a decided effort to move to a location that does offer the form that we prefer.
If we are not able to attend the Mass form that we prefer, in spite of all our best efforts, perhaps this is a cross sent to us from the Lord that we should seek to learn to carry with grace and no complaints, even as the Lord Jesus carried His cross.
) subjunctive in Latin using the exhortation frequently heard at Mass “Oremus.” Because my students (and I) had heard and known what this phrase meant already, it provided a key to learning that form of the Latin verb for all verbs.