Yeah but why Latin?

Earlier this week I posted about why I preferred the Traditional Latin Mass to the Novus Ordo Mass. I shared that post with a friend who observed that I never said anything about the use of Latin! Duh!

But before I get into that, I do want to clarify one thing. The Novus Ordo (NO) Mass as it was initially conceived and communicated, was NOT, by and large, what many of us endured or became accustomed to in the 70s and 80s. One could say in modern parlance that the "roll out" of the new mass was not accomplished in a clear and orderly fashion, and there were undoubtedly those who took advantage of the vagueness and lack of clarity in the process. As a result, incredible abuses entered into the new mass that actually had nothing to do with its design or the intention of the Church. This is why, when I attend a properly reverent NO Mass, I am more at peace than the typical version of the Mass that is prevalent today. I still prefer the older rite for all the reasons listed in my last post.

So...why Latin? 

Latin is the language of the Church, as even Sacrosanctum Concilium (the document on the revision of the liturgy of the Church) affirms. It is the language that allowed the spread of Christianity throughout the Roman Empire and the rest of the world. St. Jerome translated the Latin Vulgate (the Bible) with precision and attention to historical context. Latin as the language of the Church unites people across time, local languages, dialects, and cultures. 

For me, praying in Latin lets me feel connected to those who have gone before, dipping into the stream of continual prayer for the last 2,000 years. This is the Mass that the great saints of history prayed - in Latin, no matter where on earth they hailed from or called home. 

I cannot claim to be fluent in Latin (spoken or otherwise), but the more I pray in Latin with the English translation, the deeper becomes my spiritual awareness of what is taking place, what I am praying. Not only that, but it is how I yearn to pray, even though I am not able to express myself in Latin. When I pray the Divine Office using the old breviary (another gift from God that fell into my hands, unsought), I am able to pray many of the commons (unchangeable parts and prayers) in Latin, while continuing to read the prayers and scripture readings in English. This works well for me, as I still have the connection of the Latin with the fuller understanding in English. 

And there's something else I'm trying to put into words... there's something more oriented toward God as the prayers are said in Latin. I suppose it's precisely because it isn't the language of the day - profane or secular. It is sacred; it is reserved for sacred liturgy, the human language that is used for talking to God in a specific way. This doesn't mean I don't pray (mentally or verbally) in my own native language, but that for public worship - the Sacrifice of the Mass or the Divine Office - this is the language that is in a way "reserved" for God.

I hope I've explained enough to share my heart on this. It's been a good exercise for me to put into words the ideas, feelings, and understandings that just "are" in my being. Let me know what you think about all this in the comments. 

Pax et bonum.