The Latin Mass

[mark46]

I am left recalling a tale from Star Trek. The issues are the same. A group of folks revered the US Constitution, repeating the language even though they had no understanding of the meaning. The group changed tremendously when they, rather than being united by ritual, they were united by the meaning of the words "We the people of the US....
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So, it is with us. We can choose to be united with smaller and smaller group of people who understand the Latin Mass, and who use the same words throughout the world.

Or we can make the follow though on the choice of Vatican II and let the fresh air of meaning and understanding into the Church.

The Mass is one of the most important gift that the Church has to use in bringing folk to her. The very least we must have is that those who are invited to taste and see actually have an opportunity understand what is happening.

Yes, I understand that folks can come into a cathedral and be inspired by chants in Latin (or Greek for that matter). Yes, they are inspired, as they are by great opera, painting or architecture.

For me, the choice is clear. I want everyone to clearly understand the Creed, and be touched by the Spirit, in their own language. And yes, we DO KNOW that Catholics and many other Christians throughout the world are saying the very confessions and prayers, in languages that they understand.
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As an aside, by using the vernacular, at least we have a chance of translating the words of the Our Father correctly, as our Orthodox brethren have taught us.

 

[MoreCoffee]

Here is the ordinary form of the mass celebrated in saint Peter's Rome.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdWZWDqhCdA

 

[MarkRohfrietsch]

the continuity is kinda amazing too
over in Germany, people are saying those same prayers, those same words right as you are
over in the Philippines, same prayers, same words
over in Mexico, same prayers, same words
over in Vermont, same prayers, same words
over in Dublin, same prayers, same words
100 years ago
same prayers, same words
250 years ago
same prayers, same words

Somewhere in the world at any given moment, these prayers are being offered and the Mass is being celebrated!

I think that's one of the most compelling things about it to me. Some tend to see Latin as a dead language that adds nothing to the experience, but to me it's more of a unifying factor.

yeah, because Latin is no longer national
like it is post national
church latin is just that, a language for the church

We have friends who are from Quebec. They guy is of french decent but was raised speaking English, his wife is English decent, but was raised speaking french. Prior to the Vatican II reforms of the vernacular Mass, the Catholic majority in Quebec attended Chruch together. Following the introduction of the vernacular Mass, French and English who were not bilingual attended separately.

They believe that this was not he cause, but that it certainly contributed to the political strife that there was (is) in Quebec. We certainly can not blame the Chruch as there were other places in the world that are Catholic and multilingual where there was no such unrest. Those were very dark times for Canada. I agree with my friends that if the Mass had not been translated, French and English would still have been interacting on a grass roots level instead of becoming, and one Author called it; "Two Solitudes".