A Little Latin

Agnus Dei audio recording HERE

LATIN TEXT	PRONOUNCED	ENGLISH TRANSLATION
Agnus Dei	AH-nyoos DAY-ee	Lamb of God
qui tollis peccata mundi	kwee TOLE-lihs pay-CAH-tah MOON-dee	you take away the sin of the world
miserere nobis	mee-say-RAY-ray NO-beece	have mercy on us
dona nobis pacem	DOUGH-nah NO-beece PAH-chem	grant us peace

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The Catholic Church has spoken and sung in Latin since the liturgy was formed in the first centuries, becoming the official text of all Christianity, and down through the present time. Since 1963, (well, actually since the Protestant Reformation) liturgy has been spoken and sung in people’s everyday languages, as well.

You know Latin is ancient. There are fewer words in the Latin language than there are in the English language. Our current languages developed using many Latin roots, and words have become more specific in their meanings. So when you read an English translation of a Latin text, you get a specific approximation of the original prayer or scripture. But the original Latin contained many more concepts that have since been splintered off into other words. For instance, the word mundi is translated in the Lamb of God as world, but Whitaker’s Words Latin Translator tells you it might mean universe, heavens; world, or mankind.

So, knowing all those meanings, when we say, “qui tollis peccata mundi,” recognizing that Christ has power to “take away sin,” are we asking that he subtract the black marks on our personal scorecard? Or asking forgiveness for the scorecard of the whole world? The universe?

There’s a even another set of meanings of the word mundi, which refers to clothing and ornaments.

“The sins of the clothing”?!!

Well, think about it a minute. Think about English words whose root is mundi, such as mundane (ordinary), municipality (big city), and, for you Harry Potter fans, Muggle.

Saying,"qui tollis peccata mundi,” can we be asking for mercy as we realize that we are not always our best selves, letting stylish things and peer pressure lead us to do things that we would not otherwise do? That’s not so far-fetched. It happens all the time.

And what about the verb, tollis? It’s usually translated as “take away,” but there are other possible meanings, including lift, raise, destroy, remove.

Are we asking Christ to “take away” bad marks on a scorecard?

Or might we be asking that the consequences of mistakes be not as bad as they could be, but somehow “raised up,” seen in a kinder light, and perhaps even transformed by grace, good intentions, or kindness of others into something good?

A prayer for our times, isn’t it?

If you decide to give Latin a chance, whatever Italian, Spanish, or French you know will probably come in handy. These languages are direct descendants of Latin, and if a word sounds similar, it probably is. An interesting thing to remember, though, is that all during the centuries when these newer languages (and our own English) were developing, European culture was still singing and praying the original texts and phrases of liturgical chant in Latin. The Latin liturgy has been a continuing connection among all the people who said those ancient prayers. It has really never been broken.

We don’t sing Latin chant because it is old. We sing it because it is rich and meaningful.

If we come to know it well enough, we don’t sing it, anyway. It sings us, and we agree to be part of the song.

When you’re translating for yourself, in your own meditation and prayer, it’s not so much how accurate you are that matters, but how the connections enrich the meaning, making a difference in your understanding of God and of yourself.

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Agnus

lamb (sacrificial offering)

Dei

(of) God

qui

who

tollis

lift, raise, destroy, remove

peccata

sin, wrongdoing, mistake,miss the mark

mundi

universe, heavens; world, mankind; dress/clothing/ornament

miserere

pity, have compassion

nobis

we, ourselves

dona

present, grant

nobis

we, ourselves

pacem

peace, harmony

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PDF file suitable for inserting in bulletin. Permission granted to reproduce.