Great way to explain the Latin Mass

[stpurl]

I swear I must know you Peeps. . .I also sang the Boar’s Head carol, can play Bach on the pipe organ, and have to look up how to do spreadsheets EVERY.SINGLE.TIME. However, I do know and love Latin.

Can you knit?

 

[CapitalistCatholic]

I didn’t mean to make you feel that way. Latin could be easier if you knew other romance languages like French or Italian. For example: Pater Noster = Papa(Father) Notre(As in Notre Dame(Our Lady)).

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

I think to me the question is what is so magical about Latin that isn’t equally magical about other languages. Is it just because it’s old? So is Greek. So is Hebrew. But I don’t hear of people clamoring for a Greek language Mss.

I understand tradition and certainly Latin is part of that. But so was fasting from midnight before communion once part of our tradition and people who may do that now do it as an individual devotion rather than thinking other people should do the same.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

Latin is a static language. It’s no longer used, so it doesn’t evolve. People still speak Greek and Hebrew and those languages have evolved. Latin is also an official language of the Church. It’s true that I’m probably not going to read Quamquam pluries in Latin because it would take me longer to stumble through it than reading the English translation, but it’s still nice to understand what Quamquam pluries or Tantum ergo means. Sometimes the translated poetic versions of Latin prayers arent quite saying the same aa the original, so it’s good to know that. Also if you’re over a certain age, you heard church Latin from your parents or grands.

I’d be happy to learn Hebrew, it would come in handy for visits to Israel, but the Catholic Church doesn’t push anybody to learn languages the way the Jewish people I know send their kids off to Hebrew school.

 

[Zach]

I had a year of Latin academically. I didn’t find it all that difficult. This was 30 years ago and I didn’t retain anywhere near all I learned, though enough to understand much of what is being said in TLM. I should say enough to read what is being said. It’s easier for me to understand it by reading than hearing. I tried learning some Greek on my own. It’s much harder than Latin. Maybe if I was in a classroom with a good teacher it might be easier to learn. I never tried Hebrew or Aramaic.

 

[Salibi]

An admirable goal. But surely you don’t believe everyone cares about that?

 

[Tis_Bearself]

The main reason one might want to know some Biblical Greek is to help with apologetics when we get those Bible passages that don’t translate well to English. I realize that is not everyone’s interest either, but this is an apologetics forum and there are quite a few people on here who have some knowledge of Koine Greek. Koine Greek was likely also a language Jesus spoke at least enough to talk with people who didn’t speak Aramaic, such as Pilate.

From a language standpoint though it wouldn’t really matter to me if someone didn’t wish to study Greek IF they had at least some knowledge of other languages besides English. It’s embarrassing how so few people native to USA speak anything other than English, when you can go around Europe and find all kinds of people speaking one or two languages including some English because it’s what they need to know to get by. I went to Germany to a festival and the guy parking the cars spoke decent English and then proceeded to apologize to me for his “bad English”. I told him he spoke English better than half the people I meet in USA, which was true. I’m sure if a German person came to USA he would find very few people who could speak even a little German unless he was in some German cultural pocket or maybe went to the offices of a German corporation that would have a lot of people from Germany working there.

It wouldn’t kill Americans to at least try to stretch their languages comfort zone a bit.

 

[Peeps]

I don’t know how to use it.

I think it’s something (a secret code or some kind of password?) I’m supposed to use in restaurants and coffee shops, but since I don’t use a tablet and seldom/never carry my laptop with me, I guess I don’t need to know how to use wi’fi.

 

[Peeps]

No.

I took five years of German in junior high and high school, and still know some of the vocabulary, but I would never be able to follow a discussion or translate a speech or a piece of written material.

In spite of a huge population of Hispanic people in our city, and many new businesses, I still don’t know any Spanish, either.

Hey, I just thought of something–no wonder the Lord never called me to any kind of foreign missionary work! No aptitude for it.

 

[Peeps]

I’ve always considered “Math” to be the language that God speaks.

After all, the universe is (somewhat) explained at the most elementary level with math. The Bible says that the world is held together by that which we don’t see (atoms), and those atoms are explained with Math.

Much of what we do is possible because of Math. The design of houses and machines (cars) is done with Math. Much of hospital work (especially lab science) is possible because of Math. Even the entertainment industry is visible because of Math.

And Math is the same all around the world and throughout the universe. Whole groups of people who don’t know each other’s spoken word language can communicate through Math and understand Math equations.

And…most of us don’t understand diddly about Math–so it makes us feel as though we are in the Presence of God! And we all know that only God understands it in its entirety. (Some people, especially on test days, or who can’t solve a research problem, would joke that Math is not the domain of God, but the domain of…well, they’re wrong!)

So Mass in Math–that, to me, would be closest to God’s language and the most mystical, high-level language of all.

 

[Salibi]

I’m not an American and I’ve honestly had my fair fill of languages. I speak four.

Knowing Standard Arabic, I also find it easy to learn and understand two other Semitic languages, Aramaic and Hebrew. But I get where you’re coming from about the need to know more than one language. I’ve had several of the same encounters you’ve mentioned with American tourists who complimented my English.

 

[YourNameHere]

James spoke of words and deeds.
One without the other does not work.
If one cannot understand the words, how can one pursue to carry out those words through deeds.
Through the Holy Spirit, people of many different languages were able to understand what Jesus’ Apostles were saying. Each heard them in their own language. Not just in Latin.
For those who wish to celebrate Mass in Latin, I say enjoy.
But I prefer to understand the words of the Mass. I do not speak Latin. I like hearing the Mass celebrated in my native language. Thanks be to God!

 

[ProVobis]

He can’t understand why a person who can play a Bach Prelude and Fugue on the pipe organ,

I love them all and love to hear organists play them. I tried a few Little Preludes and Fugues myself. Non-vocal Bach music is very universal.