EUCHARISTIC PRAYER IN LATIN
by Fr. J. Michael Venditti
(An announcement which Fr. Venditti read to his congregation at a Mass
where he celebrated the Eucharistic prayers in Latin.)
Before I talk about today's Gospel lesson, I want to say a few words about
the use of the Latin language in the celebration of Mass.
As you know, one of the liturgical reforms called for by the Fathers of
the Second Vatican Council was to give to local bishops the authority to
allow the celebration of Mass in what is called the "vernacular" language,
meaning the spoken language of the people. But the fact that almost every
Mass you attend today is in the vernacular has led many people to believe
that it was the intention of the Council to eliminate the use of Latin
altogether; and some have even adjusted their spirituality of the Mass to
include the peculiar notion that they cannot participate fully in the
celebration unless it is in a language they can understand. But this was
not the intention of the Council. While the Second Vatican Council did
allow for the use of the vernacular tongue, in no way does it require it,
and, in fact, lays great stress on preserving the use of Latin in the
liturgy, as evidenced by the decree from Vatican II's Constitution on the
Liturgy, which reads, "All the faithful should be able to sing or say in
Latin the parts of the Mass which concern them" (SC, Art. 54). Later,
after the Council, the Church, in it's instruction concerning sacred
music, would remind bishops that, while they may allow the use of the
vernacular in public worship, they are to take special care to see that
the use of Latin does not disappear completely, either by the celebration
of some Masses completely in Latin, or by celebrating parts of the Mass in
Latin and other parts, particularly the readings, in the vernacular. Now,
some people will argue that, if people want the old Mass, they can drive
over to the Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament in Raritan and have the old
Mass, and that the rest of us shouldn't have to hear it. But I'm not
talking here about the old Mass. When Pope Paul VI composed the Mass we
use today, he did so in the Latin language, and gave it to the Church in
the Latin language. The differences between the old Mass and the new Mass
have nothing to do with language.
Other people will sometimes object that they are not able to fully
participate in the Mass if the Mass, or parts of the Mass, are not in
their own language. But this betrays a real defect in their understanding
of the Mass and the way they approach the whole subject of participation.
If these objections were correct, then we would have to assume that no
one, prior to the Second Vatican Council, participated fully in the Mass
(and some people would probably maintain that). We would also have to
maintain that someone traveling in another country, and unable to hear
Mass in his own language, could not participate fully in the Mass; and
this is simply ridiculous. Liturgical participation, as the Church
understands it, has little to do with physical activity and the
pronunciation of words; it has to do with prayer. To maintain that I
cannot participate in the Mass unless I understand every word is to reduce
the notion of participation to a mere function.
On Feb. 24th, 1980, our present Holy Father, Pope John Paul, wrote a
letter to the bishops of the Church regarding "The Mystery and Worship of
the Eucharist." In part of that letter he reminds the bishops of why the
Council of Trent chose to maintain the use of Latin in the liturgy even
though it has long ceased to be a living language. He said that the use
of Latin, in his own words, "in all the world was an expression of the
unity of the Church and through it's dignified character elicited a
profound sense of the Eucharistic Mystery" (Dominicae Cenae, Art. 10). In
other words, what the use of Latin does is give us a sense of the Church
throughout the world as a single family, undivided by language and
culture; that we are not so much members of a parish community or a
diocesan family, but members of the one Church of Christ which is united
in the one celebration of the Eucharist. For this reason in particular,
says the Holy Father, "The Roman Church has special obligations towards
Latin, the splendid language of ancient Rome, and she must manifest them
whenever the occasion presents itself" (Ibid.). And even the new
catechism, in addressing the subject, points out that while it is
important for the liturgy to allow for the expression of different
cultures throughout the world, it is always crucial to remember that the
liturgy of the Church is not submissive to culture, but rather it
generates and shapes it (Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, Art. 1207).
These, among others, are the reasons that I will sometimes offer the
Eucharistic Prayer of the Mass in Latin, as I will do today. Clearly it's
not something that should be done every Sunday, and I would not do that.
But it's my hope that by offering the Eucharistic Prayer in Latin we will
come to deepen our appreciation for the Eucharist as a Mystery of Faith,
and be drawn ever more closely in unity with the whole Church throughout
the world which, in union with the Vicar of Christ, and in the words of
St. Paul, is "his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every
way" (Eph. 1:23).
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