I am a new viewer to EWTN and like it a very much. But, I do not understand why so much of The Daily Mass is in Latin. Nobody in the viewing audience understands Latin or wishes to learn it. The priests are just showing-off their Latin skills and do not care about the viewing audience. This situation reminds me of the middle ages where the Catholic Church only permitted Bibles printed in Latin. But I blame this situation of Latin used in the mass on EWTN and not the Catholic Church.

In the middle ages every educated person spoke Latin. The version of the bible used throughout Europe was the Latin Vulgate, and every one had to be handcopied until after the invention and widespread use of the printing press in the late 1400s. One of the reasons Catholic churches have such beautiful art is that for most people that was the only "language" they could "read". The homily would explain the readings of the Mass in the language of the people.

As for our globally televised Mass, the parts in Latin are the parts the Church has asked all Catholics to be familiar with, the unchanging or "ordinary" parts. When you travel, watch a papal Mass, or someone who doesn't speak English well tunes into the TV Mass, these will be the parts most likely to be known regardless of native language. "Dominus vobiscum" is at the same places in every Mass, and whether one is a native Spanish-speaker or Swahili-speaker, it will always mean the same, in English "The Lord be with you." With a little bit of effort, one can easily learn the little bit of Latin we use, since Catholics already know the English at those places in the Mass where Latin is used.

Here's what the Church says in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, the altar missal used by priests.

GIRM 41. All other things being equal, Gregorian chant holds pride of place because it is proper to the Roman Liturgy. Other types of sacred music, in particular polyphony, are in no way excluded, provided that they correspond to the spirit of the liturgical action and that they foster the participation of all the faithful.

Since faithful from different countries come together ever more frequently, it is fitting that they know how to sing together at least some parts of the Ordinary of the Mass in Latin, especially the Creed and the Lord's Prayer, set to the simpler melodies.

Besides beings "markers"

COPYRIGHT 2009

Click here to send this Question and Answer to a friend