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Views from the Choir Loft

Pentecost: Babel, Tongues, & Latin

Fr. David Friel · June 8, 2014

ANGUAGE is a major component of the feast of Pentecost. This is obvious from the readings appointed for both the Vigil Mass and the Mass during the Day. Within these Scripture selections, there is a message for us to learn about vernacular liturgy.

At the Vigil Mass, the first reading is taken from Genesis, chapter 11, where one finds the story of the Tower of Babel. The first line is striking: “The whole world spoke the same language, using the same words” (Genesis 11:1). The author seems mesmerized by the beautiful uniformity of this situation—a state of affairs that characterized the worship of the Roman Rite for many centuries. Later in the reading, on account of the people’s pride & rebellion, the Lord decides to “confuse their language, so that no one will understand the speech of another” (Genesis 11:7).

In the first reading from the Mass during the Day, the story of Pentecost day is recounted from Acts, chapter 2. Interestingly, in this case, the people become “confused” because “each one heard [the disciples] speaking in his own language” (Acts 2:6). By the power of the Holy Spirit and the gift of tongues, people of all nations were enabled to hear and understand the Gospel message that day.

Fifty years having passed since Sacrosanctum Concilium, it is difficult to understand how that document’s implementation happened the way it happened. This is the Vatican II Constitution that states: “the use of the Latin language is to be preserved in the Latin rites” (SC 36.1). Almost immediately after its release, however, the use of Latin in Catholic liturgy all but vanished.

I was impressed years ago by a bit of wisdom that I read in Letters to Malcolm, C.S. Lewis’ brief book on prayer:

“If you have a vernacular liturgy, you must have a changing liturgy: otherwise it will finally be vernacular only in name. The ideal of ‘timeless English’ is sheer nonsense. No living language can be timeless. You might as well ask for a motionless river.”

The Third Edition of the Roman Missal has made heroic strides towards a more “timeless English” for today’s worship in the Anglophone world, but Lewis’ point remains true. Shouldn’t liturgy be timeless? If so, then abundant use of vernacular languages will be a hindrance.

There is a special arrogance which asserts that “people can’t understand” the liturgy unless it is celebrated in the vernacular. Do we really “understand” the liturgy, even in the vernacular? This usage of “understand” seems to imply a sense of total control over the liturgy and a marked absence of mystery. At the same time, the insinuation that the faithful are incapable of grasping at least the ordinary in Latin is, to my mind, brash.

Some time ago, I published the story of how I came to love Latin liturgy, and this feast of Pentecost has brought those thoughts to the fore of my mind again. I never set out to love Latin; the conversion simply overtook me once I began to experience it. Do churchgoers of my generation—who, largely, have no experience of Latin in the liturgy at all—even recognize the gift that has been lost? Would they even understand the wonder & awe captured in the opening line of the Tower of Babel story?

As I stood in line last July, waiting for the opportunity to concelebrate Mass on Copacabana Beach, I remember wondering to myself what language Pope Francis would choose for offering the closing Mass of World Youth Day. On other occasions, I have been to Masses with similarly international congregations during which (presumably in order to make everyone feel welcome) the organizers arranged for twelve intercessions to be spoken each in a different language by a person in native dress. On these occasions, my natural response has invariably been to recall that the Church, in her long wisdom, has an answer for such occasions. Why is it taboo, verboten, anathema in so many places to make use of Latin, which is so highly praised & respected by the Second Vatican Council?

From the Tower of Babel, we can learn an appreciation for worldwide linguistic uniformity. Considering the story of Pentecost, we can gain admiration for a common language that people of diverse backgrounds can comprehend. Is it too much of a jump to recognize the value of Latin liturgy?

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Latin, Liturgy of the Second Vatican Council, Roman Missal Third Edition, Sacrosanctum Concilium Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel is a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and serves as Director of Liturgy at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary. —(Read full biography).

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President’s Corner

    Luis Martínez Must Go!
    Sevilla Cathedral (entry dated 13 December 1564): The chapter orders Luis Martínez, a cathedral chaplain, to stay away from the choirbook-stand when the rest of the singers gather around it to sing polyphony—the reason being that “he throws the others out of tune.” [Excerpt from “The Life of Father Francisco Guerrero.”]
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Urgent! • We Desperately Need Funds!
    A few days ago, the president of Corpus Christi Watershed posted this urgent appeal for funds. Please help us make sure we’re never forced to place our content behind a paywall. We feel it’s crucial that 100% of our content remains free to everyone. We’re a tiny 501(c)3 public charity, entirely dependent upon the generosity of small donors. We have no endowment and no major donors. We run no advertisements and have no savings. We beg you to consider donating $4.00 per month. Thank you!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Booklet of Eucharistic Hymns” (16 pages)
    I was asked to create a booklet for my parish to use during our CORPUS CHRISTI PROCESSION on 22 June 2025. Would you be willing to look over the DRAFT BOOKLET (16 pages) I came up with? I tried to include a variety of hymns: some have a refrain; some are in major, others in minor; some are metered, others are plainsong; some are in Spanish, some are in Latin, but most are in English. Normally, we’d use the Brébeuf Hymnal—but we can’t risk having our congregation carry those heavy books all over the city to various churches.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
    Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Hybrid” Chant Notation?
    Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

It should be borne in mind that there is no preference expressed in the liturgical legislation for either “versus populum” or “ad orientem.” Since both positions enjoy the favor of law, the legislation may not be invoked to say that one position or the other accords more closely with the mind of the Church.

— ‘Congregation for Divine Worship (Vatican City), 10 April 2000’

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