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WHY LATIN? For the great majority of those who go to a Latin Mass, it is not the language itself that matters most. To celebrate the Tridentine Mass of the sixteenth century is, by definition, to do so in Latin. Roman Catholic enthusiasts for the Latin Mass are, therefore, not unlike members of the Prayer Book Society in the Church of England (though they might not appreciate the comparison); the language is simply the necessary vehicle for the traditional liturgy. Have one, and you are obliged to have the other.
Yes, but is there value in the language of the liturgy for its own sake? Common Worship obviously thinks so, as witness by the inclusion of a traditional language version of the Order One Holy Communion. The Catholic Church would surely agree, as witnessed by the meticulous care being taken over an improved translation of the contemporary Mass (still not finalized).
The language of the Eucharist is important; it is an integral part of the offering to God; the quality of the language is part of the quality of the worship. No one, now, would seriously question the great value of being able to share the Eucharist in English, but have we not overlooked the real value and importance of using Latin, at least occasionally?
The great feature of Common Worship, as well as its informal supplements, is that it offers so much! Its merit is also its drawback: there is a prayer for every conceivable situation. Note in particular the alternative Collects, to cover the three-year lectionary: they fit beautifully; every Sunday has its own special prayer that helpfully complements the readings. That is the point: there are simply too many of them with too much information.
Should not the language of worship be a little less informative and a little more performative? The information (very roughly) is directed towards us – it is telling us something, not God who knows it already. The ‘performance’ is about what the language does: it carries, expresses, conveys, performs the adoration, contrition, thanksgiving and oblation.
Not all of the language of the Eucharist is directed towards us; but the English we now use is so wonderfully informative that this second and more important element is in danger of being forgotten. By contrast, Latin, with virtually no informative content to the average English speaker, is rich with performative power, having been the medium of worship in our churches for centuries past. The point is vividly made to the worshipper with no Latin at all: either it is performative, as prayer or thanksgiving, or it is nonsense; either it is worship directed to God, or it is completely pointless. Celebrating in Latin, however, is not quite as easy as finding a text and getting on with it. In our rural parish, as well as the special occasions with visiting choirs, we have been celebrating a Latin Eucharist on a regular basis for nearly five years now, and have developed a few pragmatic rules and expectations. Keep it simple, and hide nothing. The service book we have printed has a parallel translation of every Latin text that is used, so no one need fear anything unknown being slipped in by the priest. This may seem exaggerated, but one should not underestimate the visceral fear: as one person put it, ‘What did we fight the Reformation for?’
The central section, the Ministry of the Word, is always in English – Collect, Readings, Psalm, Gospel, (Homily), (Creed), Intercessions. Since this part self-evidently contains informative (and not just performative) language, it must be easily understandable. Of course there are texts that would be wonderful in Latin, but this is a rule that needs to be kept without exceptions.
Where options are possible, the texts used are the shorter; we do not use a long confession, for example, instead the simpler Kyrie form (Greek, of course). Like 1662, but unlike the modern English rites, we use few seasonal variations; the Latin text is therefore virtually the same all through the year. This helps those unfamiliar with the language; and has an unexpected merit of comfortable simplicity.
We say the Latin calmly and slowly. It has taken some time to reach a shared calm, for there is no doubt that most people are unusually anxious about a Latin service, worried whether they can pronounce the words properly, or whether the service is somehow illegal, or whether they might be picked out for mockery or abuse.
It is a fascinating ‘experiment’, and one that we must continue for some time to understand this use of an ancient language in liturgy. It arouses such strong passions, there is certainly something powerful involved.
So what are the merits? It reminds us that the Eucharist is an act of humble offering and worship to Almighty God; it is our ‘bounden duty and service’, not principally concerned with our own well-being and edification. It makes the liturgy more obviously directed to God.
In a Norman church it carries a particular power and resonance, but in some ways this is distracting. This is not the Tridentine Mass nor the Sarum Rite, but a simple Eucharist in a sacred language. Would any foreign language do? Not really, for Latin also has valuable ecumenical implications; it is part of a shared Western heritage.
We can all share these texts, not only with other Christians of our own day but with our brothers and sisters who went before us, for unlike the translations, these texts do not need constant alteration and updating.
Finally, it helps, even in a small church with a small congregation, to restore the sense of mystery and transcendence to what may have become too dull, ordinary and commonplace. Deo gratias. LATIN PRONUNCIATION There was a wonderful little book produced during the Second World War seeking to help Catholics with the difficulties of the Latin Mass. If you ever find it in a second-hand bookshop, grab it; it is a gem. LEGENDO a simple approach to the Latin of the Liturgy by V. G. Little, published in Liverpool in 1943.
He begins with a spirited defence, ‘The complaint that the use of the Latin language by the Church is an obstacle to the devotions of Everyman… Let us make no mistake about the origin of this century old complaint. Let us recognize it for what it is: a very subtle and dangerous weapon skilfully wielded by the enemy of Christian civilization. For the unity of the Church is so closely bound up with the unity of liturgical language that any attack against the latter is directly aimed at the former. One cannot insist too strongly on this truth.’ And again, ‘What Mass in the vernacular would mean we dare not contemplate. Apart from the loss of unity of language, visible sign of the unity of faith, how much of its inner spirit would be lost or wrongly interpreted.’
Themes he brings out from the Latin: unity and unchanging tradition, ‘it maintains our link with our Catholic past and proclaims to all the world our unbroken descent from the ancient Church’; ‘a new dignity is conferred on the mind’; ‘it forces you to rivet your attention on every word, and the fact of having to study it so closely reveals, little by little, depths of meaning which otherwise would be overlooked’; and best of all, his aphorism of encouragement, ‘It is by doing things that we learn how to do things.’
Before offering a simple primer, he gives these three transliterations to help with pronunciation: PATER NOSTER Pah-tair noss-tair kwee ays een chay-leess Sahnk-tee-fee-chay-toor nom-en too-oom Ahd-vay-nee-aht ray-n’yoom too-oom Fee-aht voll-oon-tahss too-ah see-koot een chay-lo ett een tair-rah Pah-nem noss-troom kot-ee-dee-ah-noom dah nob-eess hod-ee-ay Ett dee-meet-tay nob-eess day-bee-tah noss-trah see-koot ett noss dee-meet-tee-mooss day-bee-to-ree-booss noss-treess Ett nay noss een-doo-kahss een ten-taht-see-on-em sedd lee-bair-ah noss ah mah-lo AVE MARIA Ah-vay Mah-ree-ah, graht-see-ah play-nah, Dom-ee-nooss tay-koom Bay-nay-deek-tah too een moo-lee-air-ee-boos et bay-nay-deek-tooss frook-tooss ven-treess too-ee, Yay-sooss. Sahnk-tah Mah-ree-ah, mah-tair Day-ee, o-rah pro nob-eess peck-kah-to-ree-beess noonk et een o-rah morr-teess noss-tray GLORIA PATRI Glo-ree-ah Pah-tree et Fee-lee-o et Spee-ree-too-ee Sahnk-to see-koot air-aht een preen-chee-pee-o et noonk et same-pair et een say-koo-lah say-koo-lo-room. Ah-men
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