In Defense of Preserving Readings in Latin

by Peter Kwasniewski
photo by Ron Lawson

we should stalwartly resist such a vernacularization of n the wake of the motu proprio Summorum the readings. Pontificum there has been considerable discussion of its provision for doing the readings of The Sacred Language of the Western Church the traditional Latin Mass in the vernacular. With the passing of ages, and even with considerable Although this permission is said to apply organic development in the various rites and uses of only to low Masses (in high Mass the readings must be the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the chanted in Latin), and although it Catholic Church never jettisoned the is only an option that need never be Changing the readings mother tongue of the Roman Rite. chosen, the very mention of the idea of the usus antiquior into Latin became a sacral and hieratic has prompted proponents of a modilanguage and served a role that has fied usus antiquior to suggest that the vernacular as a rule been compared with that of ancient in the future we should simply drop would be a major change Greek for the Greek Orthodox, of Latin readings altogether and replace in the manner in which this Hebrew for the Jews, of Quranic them with vernacular versions, in Arabic for the Moslems, and of Sankeeping with their understanding form of the Roman Rite is skrit for the Hindus. Such languages of the desire of the Second Vatican celebrated; it would mark a are not simply exchangeable with a Council to make the Mass more accessible to the people. rupture in the way the Mass vernacular, as if the two stand on the Needless to say, changing the has come down to Catholics same level, or as if any translation offered to the people could be said to readings of the usus antiquior into of the Latin rite for well convey the full meaning of the origithe vernacular as a rule would be nal religious text, which serves as a major change in the manner in over 1,500 years. a perennial gravitational center that which this form of the Roman Rite is keeps the forces of diverse cultures celebrated; it would mark a rupture and circumstances from assuming control. in the way the Mass has come down to Catholics of the Put differently, it is not equivalent to do the readLatin rite for well over 1,500 years. In this article, I ings in Latin and in the vernacular, because the former, would like to reflect on some of the many reasons why

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as perfected and fixed over time, is for us the very language of formal liturgy, while the latter is a diverse and ever-changing medium of ordinary communication. It is a rationalist fallacy to think that languages are all equal to one another, so that it is a matter of indifference whether readings are given in Latin or in a vernacular language. Every language is a bearer of cultural, aesthetic, and even political values; every language flows from, evokes, and reinforces a certain world, greater or smaller, older or younger. It is therefore not the same experience to give or to hear readings in Latin and to give or to hear them in English; for the one vehicle is universal, tied down to no particular people or nation or age, redolent of the ages of faith, suited to the sacred ambiance of the church, while the other, whatever its merits, has not the same qualities. The chanting ary, reading out the lections in the vernacular), it is the ministerial priest who comes to the fore and acts in propria persona. The priests acting in persona Christi, on the other hand, is symbolized by the use of Latin throughout the rest of the Mass, the formality, the unchanging prayers, the appointed readings in a tongue consecrated for worship, the Canon or Rule which brings the entire people to the foot of the Cross on Calvary and communicates to them none other than the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Himself, Who as true God and true man is at once the Sacrifice offered, the Priest Who offers It, and the God Who receives It. The integrity of the parts of the Massthat fact that many disparate elements come together in one great offering of worshipis strongly brought home to the worshiper by the use of this noble, ancient, and worshipful of the Epistle language. The whole is a flowtowards the people, the Gospel Seamless Garment of the Lord ing river, a seamless garment, a towards the (pagan) North, and Another argument in favor of landscape in which the various preserving Latin for the lections distinct objects are gathered the Preface towards the altar, at Massand by no means a negtogether into a natural unity of itself symbolizes the gradual and environment. Think of mountains ligible one, given the sanctifying total conversio ad Deum which function of the liturgycomes covered with pine treesone can from the experience of worshipis the entire purpose of Scripture see many individual items, but ers accustomed to the unity and the whole view is utterly one. and the Holy Sacrifice. coherence, formality and dignity There is no awkward transition of the traditional Roman Rite. or lack of transition from part Akin to the seamless garment of the Lord, this rite is to part; there is simply the flow of one great action of woven of ecclesiastical Latin from top to bottom. To Christ the High Priest, teaching, ruling, sanctifying. shift from Latin dialogues and orations to vernacular readings is experienced as a jarring disruption, an Symbolism of Solemn Readings awkward movement away from theocentric focus and One may not, of course, deny that the word of God is ceremonial formality. One steps outside of the realm the word of God regardless of what language it is in. of the liturgical action which is oriented towards the The point is rather a symbolic one, at least as regards adoration of God into a didactic mode directed to the the lections at Mass, and it should be readily apparpeople. There is a time and place for such instruction, ent that symbolism is not something incidental to the namely, the homily; and it is neither inappropriate nor liturgy but is rather a constitutive dimension of the surprising that in many places the readings are read in entire sacramental system. Put differently, how we do the vernacular from the pulpit prior to the homily. The the readings, how we treat the book and the handling inclusion of such vernacular readings is not considered of it and the chanting of it, is just as important, and in to be part of the liturgical action, and for good reason: it some ways more important, than the specific message is a moment of teaching the people, and is not directed delivered in any given set of readings. The special way to God per se. In the classical Roman rite, in contrast, Scriptures are treated at the Extraordinary Form is althe readings, whether spoken or chanted, are offered up ready a powerful formation of the soul of the believer. to God as a kind of verbal incense, a spiritual offerAmong the most moving and beautiful signs of the ing of the word to the Word before Whom we come in latreutic or adorational function of the readings in adoration. The words here are a prayer of praise and pethe usus antiquior are those times in the course of the tition. They teach us, indeed (how could they not?), but liturgical year when the priest, ministers, and faithful their function in the Eucharistic liturgy goes far beyond genuflect during the reading of the Gospel at a passage conveying a doctrinal message. that narrates some reality that cries out for the total At the time of the homily (and, where it is customresponse of the believer, in body and soul. Thus, on
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In Defense of Preserving Readings in Latin

Epiphany and during its octave, The Sacrality of when the priest reads or chants the Act of Reading that the Magi fell down and One way in which the ancient worshiped the Christ-child, he, Mass sets apart the word of God and everyone with him, bends for special veneration and allows the knee in silent adoration. In the faithful to perceive its unique Lenten Masses the priest kneels character is by treating it in a at the Tract Adiuva nos; on the way that mere profane texts are second Passion Sunday, the Findnever treated, namely, by chanting of the Holy Cross, and the ing it in its entirety. Right away, Exaltation of the Holy Cross, at we are catapulted, as it were, into the Epistle (ut in nomine Jesu a different world, the world of omne genu flectatur); and on a God, in which His holy words, so number of other occasions, such beautiful and so beloved, must be as at the third Mass of Christmas, lovingly lingered over, savored when the Prologue of Saint John and reverenced, lifted up in a is read; at the end of the Gospel solemn sacrifice of song. One for Wednesday of the Fourth cannot overestimate the formative Week of Lent (Jn. 9:1-38); durpower of the chanted readings to ing the Alleluia before the Veni, communicate immediately to the Sancte Spiritus sequence; and at faithful that we are plunged into photo by Ron Lawson votive Masses of the Holy Spirit, the very midst of Gods holiness the Passion of the Lord, and Dewhen we encounter His word in liverance from Mortality. Scripture. This liturgical action of In the usus antiquior, exactly Sadly, in the revised Roman litreading puts us in contact with the parallel to the kneeling at the urgy, this passionate yet peaceful source of sanctification, and does gesture is reduced to Palm Sunday so in a way that deserves a treatEt incarnatus is the kneeling and Good Friday, at the moment ment no less noble than any part at Et Verbum caro factum est of the narration of the death of of the Ordinary (Kyrie, Gloria, our Lord. One might compare this of the Last Gospel. In these Credo, Sanctus, Agnus Dei) or reduction to the parallel reduction the Preface of the Mass receives. and many other instances, of the number of times the faithful How strange it would be to chant we see how the traditional genuflect at the Et incarnatus est. so many other prayers, written by In the 1962 Missale Romanum, the holy men but not equivalent to the Mass literally embodies our faithful kneel for that statement and infallible word of faith by bringing into play not revealed every time the Creed is recited or God, and yet to leave unchanted sung, in a poignant reminder that only mans mind or voice, but the very words of God Himself! If the Incarnation of the Son of God it is only the lover who sings, achis entire bodyas befits a is the center of all time and indeed cording to Saint Augustine, should religion founded on the Word of all reality; in the revised Misnot the lover of God sing most of sale Romanum, the rubrics call for all the words of God? made flesh. such kneeling at the Et incarnatus With this theological backest exclusively on Christmas and the Annunciation, and ground in mind, it is fair to say that the chanting of in practice, such kneeling is often omitted through lack the lections would suffer considerably if a sudden and of familiarity, or causes confusion when attempted. rash change were to be made in favor of vernacular In the usus antiquior, exactly parallel to the kneeling readings. The chanting tones for the various classes at the Et incarnatus is the kneeling at Et Verbum caro of readings are ancient, solemn, noble, and perfectly factum est of the Last Gospel. In these and many other fitted to the language. Although vernaculars can be instances, we see how the traditional Mass literally emsung by those capable of adapting the tones to the bodies our faith by bringing into play not only mans character of a particular language, the Church of the mind or voice, but his entire bodyas befits a religion Roman Rite had never done this historically, and so an founded on the Word made flesh. organic opportunity for developing vernacular chant

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never occurred. In any event the Widespread Literacy very worst thing that could hapLastly, in this age of widespread pen would be the loss of chanted literacy and hunger for the sareadings right at a time when this cred, there is no really pressing magnificent custom is beginning need for the change from Latin to make a return thanks to the to vernacular. In the words of the solemn celebration of the usus Second Vatican Councils Conantiquior. stitution on the Sacred Liturgy In the Low Mass, by contrast, Sacrosanctum Concilium, there when the Epistle and Gospel are must be no innovations unless merely spoken, proper reverence the good of the Church genuinely for the Word of God is assured and certainly requires them by the priest reading it at the (SC 23). It is clear to all who altar, signifying two things: first, are involved in the movement to that this word of Scripture is recover the traditional worship derived from and ordered to the of the Roman Rite that the Latin primal Word of God, Jesus Christ language is a dearly loved and the High Priest, the Lawgiver, particularly beautiful sign of the the very life of the word; secunity of the Catholic Church and ond, that this word of Scripture the grandeur of our millennial Four Fathers of the Latin Church (detail) by Jacob Jordaens is so sacred that it is not treated history. As far as participatio like any other word (e.g., anactuosa is concerned, either the nouncements or homily), but is readings can be given in the It is therefore not the same reserved to the spiritual domain vernacular after they are read or symbolized by the altar of divine experience to give or to hear chanted in the Churchs mother sacrifice. This is a guarantee that tongue, as is done in many readings in Latin and to give the uniquely sacred character of places; or todays faithful can or to hear them in English; for follow along in their daily misthe text will be appreciated and respected. There is ample room sals or with a pamphlet prepared the one vehicle is universal, in the homily to apply the word for the occasion. tied down to no particular of God to the lives of the faithful, No one goes to the tradiso that there is no need to fear too people or nation or age, tional Mass in order to hear great a separation between the Scripture, since that is hardly redolent of the ages of faith, domain of the spiritual and the the main purpose of the Holy suited to the sacred ambiance Sacrifice; we go to worship God domain of life in the world. The word of Scripture should never of the church, while the other, and be nourished by His Word be severed from its homethe and His Flesh, and to this prowhatever its merits, has not Word, the font of life, the fire of found and specific purpose the the same qualities. love, the pleasing and acceptable modest but well-chosen Scripsacrifice of holiness. ture passages make a decisive That is why it is not only not confusing for the contribution. It is my conviction, and that of many of priest to chant or read the readings at the altar, but my fellow Catholics in the new liturgical movement, eminently fitting when the liturgy is not of a more that the use of the traditional Latin language makes a solemn character, with a greater diversity of hierarchisimilarly decisive contribution, one that deserves to cal ministers. The more solemn the liturgy, the more be understood, cherished, and preserved for all future appropriate it is to separate out the elements and give generations. each of them greater prominence. Thus, the chanting Dr. Peter A. Kwasniewski is Professor of of the Epistle towards the people, the Gospel towards Theology and Philosophy at Wyoming Catholic the (pagan) North, and the Preface towards the altar, College in Lander, Wyoming. He is also a itself symbolizes the gradual and total conversio ad composer of sacred music and directs the Deum which is the entire purpose of Scripture and the Colleges Choir and Schola. Holy Sacrifice.
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