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To: Clemenza
As an outside observer, there is NOTHING SPIRITUAL about the LANGUAGE OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE!

You're right. But Church Latin isn't the language of the Roman Empire any more than English is the language of Germany. Latin was adopted by the Church but made a child all its own. In fact, there's a committee whose task it is to add words to the Latin dictionary to accomodate words like "internet" or "computer." Latin is very important to the Catholic Church because that is her history. Its why Hispanics will still talk Spanish with their family members even though they speak English here in America. We can never forget our heritage as Roman Catholics (emphasis of course on "Roman," as opposed to Greek Orthodox).

The definition of holiness is "to be set apart" or "seperate." What makes something holy in this world is its disconnect with the physical world while being present in the physical world. Its where we get the phrase "in it, not of it." With the use of Latin in the Sacred Liturgy for certain prayers, it emphasizes the disconnect between the holy Sacrifice of the Mass and anything else you will encounter in this world.
89 posted on 10/14/2005 11:31:50 AM PDT by mike182d ("Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?")
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To: mike182d

It smacks of "cultural Catholicism" of the type that turned me away from Rome in the search of something more Christ centered and spiritual, rather than cultural or tribal.


90 posted on 10/14/2005 11:34:59 AM PDT by Clemenza (Gentlemen, Behold!)
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