Padre’s Points to Ponder – 12/26/25
Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
MERRY CHRISTMAS! Christ is born in Bethlehem, the King of Kings, Emmanuel, the Messiah, the Word of God “now in flesh appearing”. He is the cause of our joy and our hope, He is the source of faith and love.
During this Christmas season, as we have done in the past, I have asked the choir to lead us in the Latin Mass parts (the Gloria, Sanctus, Agnus Dei) as a way of elevating and setting apart this sacred season. A few of you have shared frustrations or displeasure, which means there are likely others who feel the same but do not voice their concerns. Some feel that when parts of the Mass are sung in Latin, they do not know what they are singing, and feel that their participation suffers. These concerns deserve to be met with patience and clarity. May I address why it is that we do this?
First, it is important to recall what it is we are doing when we gather for Mass. The liturgy isn’t a lecture or a conversation between the priest and the people; it is the most solemn act of worship we can possibly offer to God. Because of this, the language used, even in English, is much more elevated and poetic than normal speech. We speak of oblations, consubtantiality, incarnation…all with syntax aligned much more with a kingly court than a dining room table.
Latin is the mother tongue of the Universal Church, a common language that unites cultures, times, places, peoples. On a pilgrimage to Poland, when Latin in Mass was very new and uncomfortable to me, we went to Mass in the cathedral of Krakow. When the priest made the sign of the cross in Polish, I felt lost, confused, and even a bit “left out”. But when the choir began the most common Latin Gloria, from what’s called the Missa de Angelis (Mass of the Angels), my heart soared. “I know this!” and all the sudden, I’m praying with a church full of Polish people, together, praising God. I used my Magnificat to follow the readings and the other prayers of the Mass.
Be assured that I do not seek to “turn the clocks back” in terms of how we celebrate Mass as a parish. Rather, I want to actually fulfill what the Second Vatican Council called for in the renewal of the liturgy: “steps should be taken so that the faithful may also be able to say or to sing together in Latin those parts of the Ordinary of the Mass which pertain to them” (Sacrosanctum Concilium, §54). And repetition is one of the best ways to learn!
I invite you to enter in to the Latin prayers, like finding fine chinaware in a long-forgotten storage shed. It’s an elevation of our “special occasions” at Christmas and Easter, a way of solemnitizing these liturgical high-points of the year. The occasional use of Latin is not meant to replace English, nor to leave anyone behind. Rather, it stands alongside the vernacular as a reminder that something holy and timeless is taking place, something that unites us with brothers and sisters in faith across the whole world who pray these same words with us.
Praised be Jesus Christ, the Newborn King, now and forever!
Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, pray for us!
All you holy saints of God, pray of us!
Peace in Christ,
Fr. Michael Silloway
Pastor