A Return to Latin

A few years ago I was experiencing some resistance in promoting Latin in the liturgy. The opposition demanded "Are we returning to Latin?" This was my answer.

Yes, we are returning to Latin.

Our Catholic religion and our Liturgy is a series of returns.

We return to the Cross.

We return to Jesus.

We return to confession.

We return to communion.

We return to prayer.

We return over and over to begin again. In the words of Saint Escriva, holiness consists in beginning again.

Everything new in human life is a renewal, an attempt at perfection which always includes an attempt to return to Paradise, to the original innocence. One turns into a saint, by returning, beginning again, going ever deeper, communicating (especially in receiving Holy Communion), always better, with the Lord--in His language (there was no English on Calvary!), in the language of our Holy Mother Church. Wouldn't it be nice to learn Her language, to get out of my smallness and embrace the whole world, with the intention of exercising a Catholic heart--immense--without borders of land, of race, of language, or of time, in every place forever. Our religion is thus because our God is thus--a boundless Heart: Cor Jesu. Of course, God's language is ultimately one, Love. He loves us in every language and we can express our love for Him in countless tongues and even without tongues. Nevertheless, we have a precious patrimony and efficacious instrument in right worship in the languages of the Cross, one of which is Latin.

P.S. On the same token I seek to embrace the Greek and Aramaic Catholic Masses while recognizing that our Tradition in the Roman Catholic Church is Latin.

P.S.S. There is great irony in Latin-America's neglect of Latin. This whole discussion was had in Spanish with Latinos. I have translated it for this article for the benefit of my readers.