Restore Latin to the Mass
By Graham Glover - The Jagged Word.
It’s been roughly 500 years since Martin
Luther introduced the language of the people to the Mass – the Divine
Liturgy of the Church. 500 years since the historic language of the
Western Church was purged from the worship of God’s people. As a student
of history, I understand why Luther thought this was necessary. Indeed,
there is goodness in hearing and understanding the Liturgy in one’s
native tongue. But Luther’s experiment with language should end. It’s
time to restore Latin to the Mass of the Western Church. It’s time to
reintroduce the language of the Church to her people.
For those bristling at such a suggestion, I offer the following observations:
1) The Lutheran
Reformers did not seek to abolish the Mass. Our confessions, contained
in the Book of Concord, make this abundantly clear. These are the same
confessions that every ordained Lutheran pastor swear to uphold and
affirm. In other words, the Lutheran Church is a Liturgical Church and
our worship is properly called the Mass.
2) Concerning
matters of the faith, there was widespread ignorance among laity AND
clergy during the time of the Reformation (Cf. Luther penning his Small
and Large Catechisms). This, coupled with a literacy rate of ~20% (which
radically changed with the introduction of the printing press), meant
that the vast majority of those attending Mass had little knowledge of
what was being said (by priest or people). Again, it’s no wonder Luther
thought the vernacular was important.
3) While the Lutheran Church affirms sola scriptura,
it does not reject Tradition or the importance of ritual. Catholicity
is not adiaphara (optional/indifferent), especially with respect to
worship. And nothing affirms our catholicity like the Mass. It is, I
believe, THE defining characteristic of what Lutherans confess.
But why ditch the vernacular in our
worship and relearn – reintroduce – and re-embrace Latin in the Mass?
What possible benefits can come from such a change? I’m glad you’re
curious…
1) Despite that the
fact that the Lutheran Confessions affirm the Mass, many Lutheran
churches today reject it altogether and embrace a worship style that is
more akin to what one would find in a non-denominational church. Lex orandi, lex credendi
(the law of prayer is the law of belief) is absolutely true and those
who reject the Mass or think they should arrogantly rewrite it based on
what they think their congregation wants/needs, I believe, reject the
very substance of Lutheranism. Can you imagine a contemporary Latin
Mass? Neither can I. They are mutually exclusive, which is why the use
of Latin in our Mass will help restore our catholicity in matters of
worship, and affirm what our Confessions already do.
2) Our clergy and
our people are very educated on matters of faith these days, much more
than those prior to the Reformation. The Holy Scriptures, the Book of
Concord, the writings of the church fathers, etc., are almost all in our
native tongue. But with the expulsion of Latin, there is no longer a
common language of the Church catholic. I know, very few clergy and even
less laymen know Latin. But what a powerful educational tool the Church
could be if it took it upon herself to educate her people in this
language. As we relearn this language, some of our hymns, the assigned
readings, and the sermon, could remain in the vernacular, along with a
translation of the Latin in the hymnal or worship folder. But once again
Christians could have a language that unites every congregation around
the world – regardless of time or location.
3) Finally,
re-embracing Latin in our Mass will further solidify the Lutheran Church
as a communion that embraces the catholicity of the Christian faith.
This embrace, I believe, will allow us to refocus our efforts on ending
our schism with Rome. Sadly, most Lutherans have no desire for
reconciliation with those in fellowship with the Bishop of Rome.
However, this runs contrary to the intent of the Reformation and to the
spirit of the Augsburg Confession. But how can our communions be
reunited if our worship is so radically different? Let’s embrace the
language from whence we came and in it, find a new platform for dialogue
and reconciliation.
It’s time. For the sake of the church and our faith – restore Latin to the Mass.
Soli Deo Gloria
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