What language in the mass do you prefer?

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Wait, you mean prior to Vatican II, the priest gave a homily in a foreign language? I just assumed it was only with the cantor or prayers or something.
 
English. Totally. My native tongue is just as beautiful as any other language on earth, and God is just as pleased. 🙂
 
ProVobis said:
I only wish the guys who cut my grass understand that I don’t want it cut so early in the morning. So far no luck. 😦
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Have you tried speaking to them in Latin? I’m hear it’s the “universal language.” 😃
 
I personally prefer it in English or French. It generally depends on my mood and what mass is the most convenient. For example on Saturdays, the French mass is at 4pm and 5:15 in English at a different parish. Sundays, the English mass is at 10:30 and French is at 11am.

On special occasions, at a certain specific events, the Montreal Diocese will offer a mass in English, French and Spanish or just English and French. Both are beautiful to experience because it really unite the various cultures in Montreal. I find when a mass is conducted in more than one language of the people, it really unites the people together. I love it and I wish it happened more often.

SG
 
TK421 said:
I like English.
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I too like English. Especaily since I had a stroke that robbed me of my cognitive abilities.

I used to enjoy Latin since I was somewhat familiar with it by singing in choirs. but that alas has all gone.

I have been to one Latin Mass a N.O. Mass where we sang Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis. But now the only language other than English I can attend is in Spanish. Must be because I live in Texas.

What benefits come from a Mass where you can understand very little? Is it supposed to work by osmosis?
 
Well if liturgical languages are included, Syriac. If not, then Italian. Both of them have an attractive rhyme to them that makes one feel like their prayer is conducive to a deep spirituality.
andrewstx said:
What benefits come from a Mass where you can understand very little? Is it supposed to work by osmosis?
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We do not pray for our own comprehension. Does the amount of grace you’re mediated through sacraments diminish if you understand them less? What good are the secret prayers of the priest if we cannot hear them? While I do think that comprehension should be a long term goal (i.e. catechism should be oriented towards making sure one understands the prayers of the liturgy) making prayer strictly about comprehension misses the point. Often, anyway, prayers in the liturgy are said so mechanically that people don’t “understand” its meaning anyway since its a string of sounds rather than meaningful words.

But just because something is more accessible does not mean it is more “good” - an altar rail, an iconostasis and a sanctuary veil are all physical obstacles in one sense, but that’s a bad mentality to approach them. Rather they are conduits to the holy sanctuary - in the same sense, so is a holy language. Instead of using a profane language, a particular one is reserved for the glorification and imploring of God. Perhaps every single word is not understood but if one understands the generality of it it means so much more to reserve an entire tongue just for worship. It seems abstract, mystical and a bit ideological but it bears its fruits to those who persevere.
 
I have heard Mass in various languages but prefer English as that is how I have heard most.

I do enjoy hymns in Latin though.
 
Questions such as this are meaningless unless the question is phrased to exclude the language in which the question is asked. Naturally there would be a bias toward one’s native language and even more so if that language is English in this case here. If CAF were strictly for German speakers only, one would expect the answers to be different. That said, MorEphrem makes some very astute observations as far as worship in general is concerned. I believe he is totally correct.
 
MorEphrem said:
Well if liturgical languages are included, Syriac. If not,
then Italian. Both of them have an attractive rhyme to them that makes one feel like their prayer is conducive to a deep spirituality.

We do not pray for our own comprehension. Does the amount of grace you’re mediated through sacraments diminish if you understand them less? What good are the secret prayers of the priest if we cannot hear them? While I do think that comprehension should be a long term goal (i.e. catechism should be oriented towards making sure one understands the prayers of the liturgy) making prayer strictly about comprehension misses the point. Often, anyway, prayers in the liturgy are said so mechanically that people don’t “understand” its meaning anyway since its a string of sounds rather than meaningful words.

But just because something is more accessible does not mean it is more “good” - an altar rail, an iconostasis and a sanctuary veil are all physical obstacles in one sense, but that’s a bad mentality to approach them. Rather they are conduits to the holy sanctuary - in the same sense, so is a holy language. Instead of using a profane language, a particular one is reserved for the glorification and imploring of God. Perhaps every single word is not understood but if one understands the generality of it it means so much more to reserve an entire tongue just for worship. It seems abstract, mystical and a bit ideological but it bears its fruits to those who persevere.
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I really see your meaning. In the EO church I belong to the priests words are often covered over by the choir. But “this is my body, and this is my blood” are always said audibly by the priest. But other than the Pascal greeting and words of welcome for the bishop the Divine Liturgy is always in English.
 
andrewstx said:
In the EO church I belong to the priests words are often covered over by the choir.
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In the Latin rite Masses, the Offertory prayers are seldom heard in both the EF and the OF, and the Offertory is one of the most important parts of the Mass. At that point, however, we go by the visuals.
 
Latin or Greek, but I’d love to experience liturgy in Church Slavonic
 
I too prefer the Holy Mass to be offered in Latin. It is desirable that a universal church has a universal language for its liturgy which is something the Muslims and orthodox Jews understand as they too have a universal language for their respective liturgies. I remember the days when you could travel around different countries on the holidays and as long as you had your Sunday Missal with you, you were perfectly at one with the congregation in whichever country you were in. We could all sing the Gloria,Credo, Sanctus and Angus Dei in Latin. Where I live now the Sunday Mass is in English, Mandarin, Malay, Tamil and Tagalog. Each community go to “their Mass” and if they miss the timing for “their Mass” they do not go to any other. I experienced a similar situation when I was working in the Arab Gulf States. A French priest came out twice a year to offer Holy Mass for the French community in their own language. The parish priest told me that they do not come to his church at any other time during the year, but only when “their French priest” came to visit. I cannot help feeling that something has been lost by giving up on a universal liturgical language. It had a unifying effect that has largely been lost as I gave examples of above.
 
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