By Bob Sullivan
In my last column, we looked at why we still use Latin during Mass, by looking primarily at documents from Vatican II. Those documents explicitly state that at least some Latin is to be preserved in the New Mass. Today, we’ll look at some additional reasons.
The Catholic Church is universal, and using a common language is unifying. This may be one of the reasons Pope Leo XIV has chanted the Our Father, the Regina Caeli, and the Angelus in Latin since he was elected pope. Catholics from all over the world may not understand Italian, Spanish, or English, but many Catholics are familiar with prayers and hymns in Latin, and can recite or sing them with others.
For some people, Latin may be nostalgic, but the fact is, many of our chants, songs, and prayers date back to the early Church, linking us to the faith of our fathers. These expressions of faith, often preserved in the original Latin are not simply treasures to decorate our books and chapels, they are meant to be used.
Most of the prayers in the English language Mass come from the prayers, hymns, and homilies from centuries past, which were usually written in Latin. Meanings can be lost or distorted in translation. The Vatican approved several corrections into the Mass in 2010, making our English translation faithful to the original meaning. Without an official language, something as important as the Mass would have gone on to contain inaccurate translations of the original prayers.
Once the Catholic faith began to grow, the Church needed a language which could be read, understood, and/or spoken by people from many different nations and regions. St. Jerome translated the Bible into Latin in 405 A.D., which allowed for the readings at Mass to be consistent worldwide. Much of the world was illiterate until the last 500 years or so. Latin was chosen because those who could read, could read Latin, and many people could learn to sing, speak, or understand Latin even if they could not read it.
St. John XXIII wrote that Latin is preferred for three reasons: One, it is universal. It favors no one nation over others. Second, it is a dead language, which is actually a good thing. Precisely because it is a “dead language,” Latin does not change in meaning like living languages do.
And third for St. John XIII, Latin is not an ordinary language. It is elevated for use in the Catholic Church, which “has a dignity far surpassing that of every merely human society.”
It is also said that by using Latin in the official documents and language of the Church, the Church is better protected from heresies. As a dead language and because it is the official language of the Church, theologians and others can look back for centuries and see exactly what previous popes, Councils, theologians, saints, doctors of the Church, and Church fathers wrote.
This can sound harsh at first glance, but the Mass is not about us, nor is it meant for catechesis (instruction). So our personal preference for the language used is not crucial. Mass is primarily, and fundamentally, the worship of God. The Mass does not depend on the language, actions, or thoughts of the laity, nor does it depend on whether we understand everything the priest is saying or doing. The privilege of being present for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the most valuable gift we can receive after our baptism, but only because it is typically at Mass when we can most fully unite with Christ while we are still here on earth. It is where Christ becomes “present” to us in the fullest sense of the word.
What does the GIRM say?
It is a given that some Catholics appreciate the use of Latin and some do not. However, preferences are personal, and a person’s preferences tend to change over time. This is one of the reasons The General Instruction Of The Roman Missal (the GIRM) is published by the Church. The GIRM prevents the priest from imposing his personal tastes or preferences on the laity. Instead, he looks to the Church, which typically changes rather slowly, but with an enormous amount of prayer, thought, experience, input, wisdom, and above all, the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
In the GIRM, just as in the Vatican II documents discussed in the last column, the Church provides valuable instruction:
“Since the faithful from different countries come together ever more frequently, it is desirable that they know how to sing together at least some parts of the Ordinary of the Mass in Latin, especially the Profession of Faith and the Lord’s Prayer, according to the simpler settings.”
What does your body say?
There are some other benefits to learning a little Latin, as well as other languages. Medical studies show that learning even a small amount of a new language can improve cognitive skills such as problem-solving, focus, and memory. It can also delay or decrease cognitive decline. These studies show that learning and using a new language also has a beneficial physical impact on your brain. Using a different language is like an exercise routine for your brain, building more neurons and creating more density in your grey matter. It also improves communication between the four lobes of the human brain.
What does Jesus say?
“So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” Matthew 6:34
The opposite of worry is trust. Trust in God and His Church in all things, including the Church’s decision to retain the use of Latin.
