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A Baltimore Catechism on Latin in the Liturgy
Fr. Christopher Smith is parochial vicar of St. Peter's Church in Beaufort, SC.
He recently developed the following Baltimore Catechism style Q&A on the
use of Latin specifically in the context of the modern Roman liturgy.
Questions and Answers about Latin in the Modern Roman Liturgy
Q. Didn’t Vatican II abolish Latin?
The first document of the Second Vatican Council, Sacrosanctum Concilium, states
“The use of the Latin language is to be preserved in the Latin rite” (para. 36). The
postconciliar document on sacred music, Musicam sacram, states, “Care must be
taken that the faithful may also be able to say or sing together in Latin those parts of
the Ordinary of the Mass which pertains them.” The liturgy document stated, “since
the use of the mother tongue, whether in the Mass, the administration of the
sacraments or other parts of the liturgy, frequently may be of great advantage to the
people, the limits of its employment may be extended. This will apply in the first
place to the readings and directives, and to some of the prayers and chants” (para.
36). The Council is clear that Latin is to be continued to be used in the liturgy, while
the vernacular is an option. Therefore, even if we have vernacular in the Mass, we
should still also have Latin in the Mass as well
Q. But isn’t going back to Latin a bad thing? Shouldn’t we be moving
forward?
The Mass is actually still in Latin; we just experience in many of our parishes the full
extent of permission to use English. The Church never abandoned the Latin,
although in many places parishes did not fulfill the express will of the Council
Fathers. There is no question of going back; we are actually just now beginning to
do what the Council asked.
Q. Isn’t Latin exclusive, though? Won’t it split us up as Catholics?
Latin belongs to all Catholics. The Catholic Church is a universal Church, open to
everyone. The use of a common language in worship is more inclusive, because it
does not assume that everyone has to worship according to any one language or
culture. Using only vernacular languages actually “ghettoizes” divine worship
according to national and ethnic boundaries. Latin transcends borders and
emphasizes the international and multicultural character of the Church.
Q. Isn’t the use of Latin just an historical anomaly that lasted way too long
anyway?
Almost all world religions have a sacred language for worship. Muslims always read
the Qu’ran in Arabic. Jews say all of their prayers in Hebrew. Hindus use Sanskrit
or Pali, which no one speaks colloquially. Until the nineteenth century, Hebrew was
virtually lost even among Jews. The Zionist movement made it a badge of religious
identity, and a century later, an entire country has what was once a dead language as
its official tongue and Jews throughout the world can all communicate in one
language. Dead languages do come back to life because of religious reasons.
Q. Doesn’t 1 Corinthians 14.14 not say, “If I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit
prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful”?
Saint Paul is not speaking on liturgical language, but makes reference to the
Corinthians who were trying to speak in tongues without having that gift, who were
essentially falsifying a gift of the Holy Spirit. Catholics should learn the basic prayers
of the Mass in Latin as part of their normal religious education, so it is not unknown.
That is why translations are provided, so that they can learn them.
Q. How can I get anything out of Mass if I can’t even understand every
word?
Remember that God is a mystery beyond our intelligence. In the Eastern tradition,
the mystery of God’s Otherness is expressed by a large part of the service being
done behind a wall of icons and a series of veils. The people still actively participate,
but they do so fully aware that the God they are worshipping is not immediately
accessible to them. In the West, the function of icons and veils is taken in part by
language. It emphasizes the mystery and the transcendence of a God who, despite
His closeness to us, is still always beyond our reach.
That said, people shouldn't underestimate just how much one can come to
understand the Latin prayers. By the faithful praying these same Latin prayers over
and over, Sunday after Sunday (often with the benefit of a Missal which also
translates those prayers) they do become very familiar with them and know,
intensely, that which they pray. In fact, because Latin is not our first language, it can
actually help us to be more conscientious about what we are praying as we focus
even more upon how that prayer translates and thereby more potentially ponder the
spiritual depths of its meaning.
Q. Are there any advantages to using both Latin and the vernacular in the
Mass?
Yes! With the readings, the homily and certain prayers in the vernacular, the faithful
can feel God calling to them in words that are familiar; the nearness of God is made
present by the immediate comprehension of certain prayers and rites. We can foster
a community spirit with a language which is used by some if not all of the
worshippers in our parish church. But the Latin reminds us that the Church is not just
our parish, and exists not just in one nation; that she is for all people and all times.
The Latin also reminds us that we cannot “own” God; that He is a mystery not to be
figured out, but to be adored.
Q. Is it wrong if I don’t feel the same when parts or the whole of Mass is in
Latin?
The Mass is not about us. It is about the worship of God. If it were about us, then
we would be adoring ourselves, and putting ourselves in the place of God. The
Mass is the re-presentation of the Sacrifice of Christ in obedience to His Father on
Calvary for the salvation of the world. It is not entertainment. Worship is not having
an attractive emotional experience that I design according to my likes and dislikes. It
is receiving the gifts of that Holy Sacrifice and uniting my whole being with the great
hymn of praise offered by the whole Church. Religion is not about us and our
feelings; it is about offering to God the praise which is His due. And He asks us to
praise Him according to the ritual forms as celebrated by His Church.
Q. How can I learn more about my Catholic faith and its rich liturgical
heritage?
In Matthew 13.52 we read, Every scribe who has become a disciple of the
Kingdom of Heaven is like the head of a household, who brings out of his treasure
things new and old. Veneration steeped in the Tradition should make us even more
aware of new and creative ways to live our faith. If we are open to studying our
Catholic faith, the documents of the Church, and cooperating with our priests in
living out the liturgical riches of our Church, we have so much to gain!
Q. If you could recommend one book for me to read about this, what would
it be?
Pope Benedict XVI’s Spirit of the Liturgy. Read that, and then ask Fr Keyes
whatever you want! It will change your life and also give you a clear sense of the
direction that the Church is really going. What an exciting time to be a Catholic!
Fr. Christopher Smith is parochial vicar of St. Peter's Church in Beaufort, SC.
He recently developed the following Baltimore Catechism style Q&A on the
use of Latin specifically in the context of the modern Roman liturgy.
Questions and Answers about Latin in the Modern Roman Liturgy
Q. Didn’t Vatican II abolish Latin?
The first document of the Second Vatican Council, Sacrosanctum Concilium, states
“The use of the Latin language is to be preserved in the Latin rite” (para. 36). The
postconciliar document on sacred music, Musicam sacram, states, “Care must be
taken that the faithful may also be able to say or sing together in Latin those parts of
the Ordinary of the Mass which pertains them.” The liturgy document stated, “since
the use of the mother tongue, whether in the Mass, the administration of the
sacraments or other parts of the liturgy, frequently may be of great advantage to the
people, the limits of its employment may be extended. This will apply in the first
place to the readings and directives, and to some of the prayers and chants” (para.
36). The Council is clear that Latin is to be continued to be used in the liturgy, while
the vernacular is an option. Therefore, even if we have vernacular in the Mass, we
should still also have Latin in the Mass as well
Q. But isn’t going back to Latin a bad thing? Shouldn’t we be moving
forward?
The Mass is actually still in Latin; we just experience in many of our parishes the full
extent of permission to use English. The Church never abandoned the Latin,
although in many places parishes did not fulfill the express will of the Council
Fathers. There is no question of going back; we are actually just now beginning to
do what the Council asked.
Q. Isn’t Latin exclusive, though? Won’t it split us up as Catholics?
Latin belongs to all Catholics. The Catholic Church is a universal Church, open to
everyone. The use of a common language in worship is more inclusive, because it
does not assume that everyone has to worship according to any one language or
culture. Using only vernacular languages actually “ghettoizes” divine worship
according to national and ethnic boundaries. Latin transcends borders and
emphasizes the international and multicultural character of the Church.
Q. Isn’t the use of Latin just an historical anomaly that lasted way too long
anyway?
Almost all world religions have a sacred language for worship. Muslims always read
the Qu’ran in Arabic. Jews say all of their prayers in Hebrew. Hindus use Sanskrit
or Pali, which no one speaks colloquially. Until the nineteenth century, Hebrew was
virtually lost even among Jews. The Zionist movement made it a badge of religious
identity, and a century later, an entire country has what was once a dead language as
its official tongue and Jews throughout the world can all communicate in one
language. Dead languages do come back to life because of religious reasons.
Q. Doesn’t 1 Corinthians 14.14 not say, “If I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit
prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful”?
Saint Paul is not speaking on liturgical language, but makes reference to the
Corinthians who were trying to speak in tongues without having that gift, who were
essentially falsifying a gift of the Holy Spirit. Catholics should learn the basic prayers
of the Mass in Latin as part of their normal religious education, so it is not unknown.
That is why translations are provided, so that they can learn them.
Q. How can I get anything out of Mass if I can’t even understand every
word?
Remember that God is a mystery beyond our intelligence. In the Eastern tradition,
the mystery of God’s Otherness is expressed by a large part of the service being
done behind a wall of icons and a series of veils. The people still actively participate,
but they do so fully aware that the God they are worshipping is not immediately
accessible to them. In the West, the function of icons and veils is taken in part by
language. It emphasizes the mystery and the transcendence of a God who, despite
His closeness to us, is still always beyond our reach.
That said, people shouldn't underestimate just how much one can come to
understand the Latin prayers. By the faithful praying these same Latin prayers over
and over, Sunday after Sunday (often with the benefit of a Missal which also
translates those prayers) they do become very familiar with them and know,
intensely, that which they pray. In fact, because Latin is not our first language, it can
actually help us to be more conscientious about what we are praying as we focus
even more upon how that prayer translates and thereby more potentially ponder the
spiritual depths of its meaning.
Q. Are there any advantages to using both Latin and the vernacular in the
Mass?
Yes! With the readings, the homily and certain prayers in the vernacular, the faithful
can feel God calling to them in words that are familiar; the nearness of God is made
present by the immediate comprehension of certain prayers and rites. We can foster
a community spirit with a language which is used by some if not all of the
worshippers in our parish church. But the Latin reminds us that the Church is not just
our parish, and exists not just in one nation; that she is for all people and all times.
The Latin also reminds us that we cannot “own” God; that He is a mystery not to be
figured out, but to be adored.
Q. Is it wrong if I don’t feel the same when parts or the whole of Mass is in
Latin?
The Mass is not about us. It is about the worship of God. If it were about us, then
we would be adoring ourselves, and putting ourselves in the place of God. The
Mass is the re-presentation of the Sacrifice of Christ in obedience to His Father on
Calvary for the salvation of the world. It is not entertainment. Worship is not having
an attractive emotional experience that I design according to my likes and dislikes. It
is receiving the gifts of that Holy Sacrifice and uniting my whole being with the great
hymn of praise offered by the whole Church. Religion is not about us and our
feelings; it is about offering to God the praise which is His due. And He asks us to
praise Him according to the ritual forms as celebrated by His Church.
Q. How can I learn more about my Catholic faith and its rich liturgical
heritage?
In Matthew 13.52 we read, Every scribe who has become a disciple of the
Kingdom of Heaven is like the head of a household, who brings out of his treasure
things new and old. Veneration steeped in the Tradition should make us even more
aware of new and creative ways to live our faith. If we are open to studying our
Catholic faith, the documents of the Church, and cooperating with our priests in
living out the liturgical riches of our Church, we have so much to gain!
Q. If you could recommend one book for me to read about this, what would
it be?
Pope Benedict XVI’s Spirit of the Liturgy. Read that, and then ask Fr Keyes
whatever you want! It will change your life and also give you a clear sense of the
direction that the Church is really going. What an exciting time to be a Catholic!
| The Use of Latin in the Modern Liturgy |
Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Vatican II
Vatican Instruction on Sacred Music after Vatican II
Letter to the Bishops on the Minimum Repertoire of Plain Chant