Should we pray in Latin?

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hanspi02

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I really want to learn praying in Latin.
Do some of you pray in Latin?
 
There’s nothing wrong with praying in Latin, but you should understand that it’s not “better” than praying in any other language. It doesn’t somehow supercharge your prayers. But if you want to, go for it.
 
hanspi02 said:
I really want to learn praying in Latin.
Do some of you pray in Latin?
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Yes, I pray some of my prayers in Latin, mostly the rosary but others also. I typically just take it one prayer at a time and I also taught myself to say the responses at Mass in Latin. It is a beautiful language and I personally found it to be a great way to connect with the saints of the Church who also prayed in Latin.
 
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I pray in French and English, but if you want to pray in Latin, be my guest, there’s nothing wrong with that
 
Usually when I pray I pray:
  • Our Father.
  • Hail Mary.
  • Glory Be.
  • Apostles Creed.
    and after that I thank Jesus and Abba for my day. Is that way of praying okay?
 
I was worrying about vein repetitions. I try to pray in the morning and the evening and sometimes around noon
 
hanspi02 said:
I know but then I would have a language specially for praying.
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Well, prayer and canon law.

I like prayers in Latin that I know are the words prayed in the Church over the centuries. In other words, I think it is connection to the communion of the saints that makes it meaningful for me. If I could compose prayers in Latin for myself off of the top of my head, that wouldn’t be the same, because my connection is with the people who came before me and with the universal Church of today, rather than with the language itself.
 
Could? Yes. Should? Not really.

Some Latin Catholics derive spiritual benefit from praying in Latin, owing to the place that that language occupies in the Latin Church as the primary language of the Mass. A Catholic of another Rite wouldn’t really have that big of a connection to Latin and would not really feel anymore spiritual praying in it. Myself I sometimes pray in Aramaic, but usually I pray in Classical Arabic. Both are liturgical languages of my Maronite Church and I am fond of praying in them.

Bottom line- if it makes you feel closer to God, by all means pray in Latin. If you’re only doing so because you read on some website that Latin is the world’s holiest and most perfect language and that prayer in it is 100 times more effective or likely to be heard etc, etc… then no, you shouldn’t pray in Latin.
 
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anon72678967 said:
How do you know it’s not both end? How do you know that it’s not the case that praying in Ecclesial Latin has spiritual benefits, but so does praying in Aramaic, Arabic, Greek, Armenian, etc.?
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Spiritual benefit derived from praying in any liturgical language is a subjective experience, not an objective one. You derive spiritual benefit from Latin prayer because you choose to use a language you don’t usually use for anything else to pray, giving the activity an aura of sanctity and gravity. You do NOT derive spiritual benefit because Latin is inherently benefit/grace-providing. The notion is borderline idolatrous. Latin is a language, and no undue power should be ascribed to it or to prayers in it.
 
Latin isn’t a language especially for praying. The Roman Pagans spoke and prayed to their pagan gods in Latin

According to St Teresa of Avila, the prayer comes from the debt of your being is where God speaks to us best.

Interior prayer from the depth of your being can be so profound that words can’t describe it, whether in the vernacular or any other language.

If you’re focused on Latin as being necessary, go ahead, but it’s more of an identity attachment to the religion than inspiration from the Holy Spirit, who doesn’t care about what language you pray in.
 
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I like Latin myself as well as english. Learned the rosary, Agnus Dei, and a few others. For me it was the interest in the “way it was”. I don’t mind “the way it is” now, but I would like the NO to have “smells&bells” as a regular thing. (But not my will…)
Any language is fine, and what you are doing is fine as well. Doing it is the important part.
For those who are deaf, do they sign prayers? I have to admit I’ve never asked.
Dominus vobiscum
 
Salibi said:
notion is borderline idolatrous
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I’ve actually made that very Point. By the, I was at a Maronite liturgy here in South Carolina, and the words of consecration were just beautiful, and they were definitely not in Latin. I’m not sure with all these posts about the Latin language are lately. I feel like when you put Latin on a pedestal, and forget there are in fact other liturgical languages, that’s going to make a lot of Eastern Christians feel quite poorly. I feel like when you have that kind of attitude towards Latin, that makes it really hard to be ecumenical with the Eastern Orthodox
 
To answer the question as phrased. “Should we?”
My short answer is: If you would like to, yes, but not necessary.
Let me jump out on a limb here. When people immigrate to the USA, many like to keep their native language in their home. I do not see this as “defaming” good ol’Merican english. They keep their culture by speaking their language. When out-and-about, it’s english. If people want to pray in Latin, and/or have the service the same, great. Out-and-about, in the “regular world” here its english again. I don’t see a problem.
Dominus vobiscum
 
My thinking is that Fr. Amorth would agree that it doesn’t matter what language we use to pray to God.
 
hanspi02 said:
I know but then I would have a language specially for praying.
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I mean, you don’t really need a language specifically for prayer. You can pray just as well in whatever your primary language is. But as I said, if you want to, there’s certainly nothing wrong with it. Just remember that the content and sincerity of your prayers is what’s important, not whether they’re in Latin.
 
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