Why would a church teach mass in Latin which most people don't understand?

Question

A website recommending this speaks of the Latin Liturgy. It recommends parents and teachers to teach their children grammatical constructions, syntax, definitions and so on.

As the Scriptures were written in Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic it probably will not help them to understand what the word of God actually says.

Surely Latin is a 'dead' language. So it seems to be a bit of a odd if instead of making God's word easier to understand we complicate it.

Jesus spoke in the language of the people around him, though he used parables to test the extent of their real interest.

When the Holy Spirit came upon the Apostles as tongues of fire upon their heads it enabled them to speak in the languages of those who had come up to Jerusalem from surrounding countries. The people marvelled because they could all understand.

How will children understand what God wants them to do and to be if it is in a foreign language?

The Holy City mentioned by someone is Jerusalem not Rome! Hebrew would be more appropriate there.

My point is that the Reformation was about bringing the word of God to the people who had been forbidden to read it (when eventually it was translated into English). William Tyndale was burnt for translating the Bible into English and trying to distribute it.

Larry R says that they learnt Latin - come on! the ordinary people coudn't even read and write English let alone understand Latin in those olden days.

Answer 1

Your question reminded me of the words of William Tyndale

“I defy the Pope and all his laws. If God spare my life, ere many years I will cause a boy that driveth the plough shall know more of the Scripture than thou doest.” Tyndale’s resolve had crystallized. He later wrote: “I had perceived by experience how that it was impossible to establish the lay people in any truth, except the scripture were plainly laid before their eyes in their mother tongue, that they might see the process, order, and meaning of the text.”

Answer 2

Utility, the Supreme Test of Spiritual Gifts

In 1 Corinthians 14 it is comparing the two gifts, Prophesy and Tongues. Which are the greater? It starts in 1 Corinthians 12 and chapters 13. First Corinthians 12:30,31 - Have everyone the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret? vs. 31) But seek earnestly the best gifts and yet show I unto you a more excellent way. In 1 Cor. 13:1 - Though I speak with the tongues of men and angels, and have not charity (love), I have become a sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. Read, read, read and God through the Holy Spirit will teach you in all truth. All of 1 Corinthians 14 teach on this very subject. You don't have to debate the Word of God, it is complete in all areas of life!
There is a difference between religion (man made process) and Life (The unadulterated Word of God), which Jesus became, THE WORD!

Answer 3

She is wrong. It sounds like you went to a Church where the do not believe in the validity of the Ordinary Form of the Mass; I assure you that there are not many people that believe this. Most traditional Catholics believe in the validity of the new Mass and accept the authority of the Pope, but just prefer the beauty of the Extraordinary Form of the Mass which is commonly called the Traditional Latin Mass.

Answer 4

Latin is very expressive, poetic language. It can convey meaning in a different way, with much more natural metaphor. This is the reason people learn Latin so they can enjoy Homeric verse etc. Latin would have been a close translation of the other languages too, as it existed in close chronological relation. More people are likely to understand Latin than Aramaic. Latin is also the language of the Holy See.

Latin is in no way magical, or the language of God or other such BS. It was just the most widely spoken historic language, in the same way as English is now. The propagation of Latin was a direct consequence of the expansion of the Roman Empire.



EDIT: BTW, The Holy See as in The Vatican.

Answer 5

The reason the Church used to do the Mass in Latin was that it felt that everyone should get the same mass, the same Gospel, without regard to race, language, or location. No "Separate but Equal" here... everone was to get the same Mass, no matter where (or for that matter when) on the globe they were. A Frenchman or a German who found himself in Austria, or Poland, or Italy or Ireland or Mexico could go into any church and see the same service, and participate by giving the same responses, that he would have had he been at home.

The "when" is significant. The Mass (or celebration of the Eucharist) should be a something that all Christians can be unified by... and by ALL that includes those that have died and gone before us. We live in a world where things (and people) are tossed away as soon as a newer model comes along... but there is a lot to be said for things that have stayed the same, withstanding the trends of the day, over the ages. The world is trendy and temporal, the Church is eternal and universal.

Just because the Mass was in Latin that does not mean that all teaching was to be done in Latin...children's classes would be and were taught in the local language, so that is a bit of a dishonest question on your part. The Mass is not a teaching tool, it is a celebration of the eucharist. Teaching is done in the local language, the Mass is done in Latin.

Also modern Americans are astonishingly ingorant when it comes to languages. In most nations today, and indeed through most of history, it is very common for people to be multi-lingual. In Europe (where there are whole nations that are smaller than some of the larger Texas cattle ranches) being multi-lingual is a necessity. The fact most Ameircan's brian freeze up at strange words like "queso" and "que pasa?" is a unusual by historical standards.

Lastly... and this may astonish you... in the old days when the Mass was in Latin PEOPLE LEARNED LATIN SO THEY COULD UNDERSTAND IT. Yes, there was a time when people used their brains for things other than X-Box and keeping track of who Paris Hilton was sleeping with!! Learning classical languages, like Latin and Greek was a sign of being educated. People did it so they could read the Ancient Classics in the original, and most educated people (Protestant and Catholic) knew at least one, if not both of the languages. President James Garfield for example, could write in Latin with one hand and in Greek with the other.

Answer 6

The latin mass was said in latin so it would be the same world wide, so were ever you were you could go to mass and understand it,
However today because it is in so many different languages so when you go abroad you wont understand it,
Also it divides the church by haveing all different languages,
Were i live there is a church were they stoped saying mass in latin and ENGLISH because the POLISH immigrants could not understand it ,,,so now its in polish and we cant understand it

Answer 7

I should think the parents had taught their children some of the latin if they are attending church together.

Dead Language ? Maybe - but in later years it would help in learning other foreigh languages - especially Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and French - latin based languages.

It would particularly save other peoples ear drums when people are abroad shouting their heads off in english , thinking they will make themselves undertstood - lol

Answer 8

I attend a Latin mass. Every word of the Mass is translated right there for you into English so children and adults understand every word that is being said.

In fact, most "Latin mass" Catholics know quite a bit of prayers and hymns in Latin because you learn it quickly attending daily and Sunday services.

As for learning about the faith....that's done primarily in English, i.e. with the catechism and instruction by the priest or in the schools.

Latin is the language of the Church precisely because it is not widely spoken or a "vernacular" or common language. This preserves its purity, and thus the purity of the liturgy and official Catholic documents (i.e. everything from the Vatican comes out in Latin).

Pax Vobiscum+
(Peace be with you all!)

Thanks, Father K. :-)

Answer 9

The Celebration of the Holy Eucharist is not about "us" nor what we understand nor what we like. It's not "entertainment" - it is WORSHIP. Directed toward God. In that it is for "us" - it's an exercise in which we, God's Holy People, are continually becoming "sanctified' - set apart from the world.

And it's not a dead language...it's alive and making a huge resurgence. The parishes that are having Traditional Latin Masses cannot begin to HOLD the number of people that are seeking a true Mass, a beautiful Mass, a worshipful Mass!

Ad maiorem Dei gloriam!!

Answer 10

Latin mass was traditionally used so believers could get mass in any country and understand the basics. It removed the vernacular.