A Little Latin Lesson

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Cor meum dabo, heart, I give my heart, Latin, poor, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

I am now convinced of the truth that one can find almost anything on the internet. I woke up this morning with a chant from a wisdom school in my head. I had learned and sung it first about ten years ago and then renewed my preference for it last month in Tucson. This morning, however, I could only bring back two of the three lines! I thought that if I waited and hummed it every once in awhile it would all come back. (That is a technique that is often successful.) After two hours of wakefulness, I only had one word of the short third, so I gave up and typed the first two lines into my Google search with a prompt of “third line…?” and presto! it appeared – not only the line but the whole chant with music and (dangerously) several different third line translations! To my relief, the one I wanted was there: Cor meum dabo. (It just now took me three tries to override the corrections of my computer which really wants to speak English instead of Latin!)

Much of my love of Latin came from respect for my high school teacher, Sister Thomas Aquinas, and the happy memories of the eight of us who persevered through four years of the subject because of her as well as for the subject, the basis for my love of language in general. But I digress…

Here is what I found: Ego sum pauper. Nihil habeo. Cor meum dabo. I am poor. I have nothing. I give my heart.

I’m thinking of making that my everyday morning offering – sung, of course. In Latin definitely. The magic of music can make a simple statement so much more, even when it is enough in itself. (Go to “Ego sum pauper” on the internet to hear the tune – and don’t bother with the amazing number of different things that pop up! Just trust the man who is conducting a choir or (hopefully) the second option that is just a flute in a kind of “follow the bouncing ball” without the ball.) If you need the phonetics to be able to sing it, let me know. I’m happy to oblige.

Gaude! Gaudete!

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gaudete, Incarnation, joy, Latin, rejoice, sing for joy, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Zephaniah

I often think of my high school Latin teacher. We – all eight of us – persevered through four years of Latin because of Sister Thomas Aquinas. We not only learned a great deal of Latin but were treated to at least 45 minutes each school day of rejoicing in the love of learning and sharing community. We were confident not only of the love Sister Thomas had for her subject but also the joy she took in us. And it was a great lesson in reciprocal feeding. We loved her and the language too.

Today is Gaudete Sunday in Christendom. One can hardly get through the lectionary readings without a feeling of joy and confidence entering our inner space at the command to rejoice (Gaudete!). Zephaniah, a seldom heard from voice in the Hebrew Scriptures, leads off with the call to rejoice and be glad with all your heart because God will rejoice over you with gladness and renew you in his love – even singing for joy because of you.  But it doesn’t stop there.  Paul tells the Philippians and us this morning to rejoice in the Lord always and have no anxiety at all because that will bring us the peace of God that surpasses all understanding.

I listened this morning to a vibrant young woman speak about what she called “the rejoice choice”* – choosing a way to be that is not tied to outcome or circumstance but rather to a deep conviction of God’s presence. What a great message for this Sunday when the celebration of the Incarnation is so near. Let us all remain in this stance of expectancy and rejoice!

*Catholic Women Preach – Elyse Galloway

In Persona Christi

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Catholic Church, human, John, jubilees, Latin, priest, service, the person of Christ, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

I hope I still remember my Latin studies enough to correctly spell what I learned was the role of the priest in my Church and now understand as applying to those who lead other Christian denominations as well. As a child (before I ever heard the designation) I knew that the priest was very special and that he was the one who stood “as the person of Christ” in our parish. We looked to him – to them, since in those days we had five – to teach by example what Christ taught and to be Christ-like in all things. We expected a lot of our priests but gave them honor, respect and admiration as a matter of course. We did not question their loyalty, their competence or their holiness.

Times have changed and we are more realistic now. We see priests (and doctors and teachers and other professionals) not as super-human images of God but rather just like the rest of us: some more talented than others, some with more charisma and ability to preach, some good business people and all in some way imperfect and fallible. That’s good, I think. It not only makes them more approachable; it also brings Jesus closer when we read Scripture texts like this morning’s gospel from John 17. He is praying to God for the disciples as he prepares to leave the earth, “the ones you gave me,” telling God essentially that he has done his best with them and given them everything he could so that they would carry on his mission. And so they did – but not perfectly, of course.

Last evening I was reading the short summaries of the life and ministry of priests in our diocese who are celebrating “jubilees” – anniversaries of 25, 40, 50 or 60 years of priesthood. This issue of our diocesan newspaper is an annual occurrence which I usually read, but this time I was struck by the breadth of the work that these men have accomplished in their lives – not just their leadership experiences in parishes but all of the “extra-curricular” things they have done and the extra education they have sought to enhance their capacities. More engaging was the final comment from each of them about the most significant thing about being a priest. To a person they did not speak of accomplishment but rather of their joy in the privilege of serving God and relating to people.

In coming to the realization that our Church is just as flawed as other institutions in society and living through scandal that is not only demoralizing but unthinkable for those who were taught to consider priesthood as imaging Christ in ways that none of us could achieve – especially if we were girls – it has been a rocky road of late. I have been blessed to know many exemplary priests in my life, all of whom have their faults and failings but whose purpose is clear and steadfast: they are here to serve God. I was reminded of that and of my responsibility to support and respect them as partners on the journey that we share. The truth is that we are all called to stand in persona Christi and there are no pedestals reserved for any group along the path to God, just an occasional word of thanks for service rendered. And that is a good thing for us all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gaudete!

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Advent, attentive, be happy, celebrate, gaudete, John the Baptist, Latin, Luke, prepare, rejoice, The Lord is near, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

In Luke’s gospel there is a moment (or some unspecified period of time) when people thought John the Baptist might be the Messiah for whom they had been longing. He was a strong preacher whose call of “Repent!” was gaining traction. This morning’s gospel shows how exacting John’s message was and how individualized to each group of people. Three times in response to his rather stark (some would say withering) comments to listeners whom he had just called a “brood of vipers” he was asked: What should we do? To the crowds he said, Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none and whoever has food should do likewise. To the tax collectors he said, Stop collecting more than is prescribed. And finally, when the soldiers asked the same question, he said, Do not practice extortion, do not falsely accuse anyone, and be satisfied with your wages. (LK 3:10-18) If taken literally – which I would wager was John’s intent – those would have been tall orders for the people of his day. I had a new respect for John this morning because he saw each group as needing a specific change of heart and his message was appropriate to each group who was listening.

Today is Gaudete Sunday, one of those days in the liturgical year when I am grateful for Sister Thomas Aquinas, my high school Latin teacher. Because of her, I know that gaudete is the plural imperative of the verb to rejoice. We are half-way through the waiting period of Advent (another Latin term meaning to come toward). So if I were asked this morning, “What should we do?” I would respond to everyone that we should Be happy! Celebrate! Rejoice! because the Lord is near to bursting forth once again in the fullness of hope in our hearts. But each of us must determine how that rejoicing will help us prepare. Do we need to be attentive to a relationship or might we find a service organization that needs our help? Maybe our prayer life needs more of our time in order to bring us to the realization of a deeper happiness. Whatever the way to express our anticipation of the Christ event so that Christmas will see us full of celebratory joy, today is the day to consider the possibilities. So Gaudete, everyone! The Lord is near indeed.

“Coming To”

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Advent, be alert, be watchful, come to, Corinthians, grace, Jesus, Latin, Mark, Paul, preparation, prepare, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, wake up

Today is the first day of the season of Advent, a time of preparation for the great feast of Christmas when we celebrate the incarnation – the birth in flesh – of Jesus, the Christ. Paul is quite encouraging this morning in his greeting to the Corinthians as he writes (in part), Grace to you and peace! You are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revelation of Jesus Christ…He will keep you firm to the end…God is faithful. (1Cor 1:3-9) Paul had already met Christ in a flash of insight, a personal revelation that turned his life around. If it could happen to him, a former persecutor of Christians, it could probably happen to anyone although he was also convinced that Christ was coming back soon for the whole world. Accordingly, he could be speaking to us today.

Jesus was a bit more challenging in his words. “Be watchful! Be alert!” he says. “You do not know when the time will come. May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping.” (MK 13:33-37) Jesus was telling a story about a master who went on a trip and left his servants in charge. In all similar parables, servants were strongly advised to be ready to greet the master upon his return. Just as in the first instance, we could be the audience for this message.

In the first reading, Paul is confident of a good outcome because of God’s fidelity. In the gospel the challenge of fidelity is ours. I learned in my youth as a Girl Scout to be prepared and I have always loved this season as a chance to settle into the quiet of winter and reflect on what it might mean each year to welcome Jesus more deeply into my life. This morning as I thought about the word – Advent – that characterizes this time of waiting and preparation as well as the stance of expectation, I played with the Latin – one of my favorite subjects in high school because of my stellar teacher, Sister Thomas Aquinas. The preposition ad gives the verb “to come” a nuance that focuses us on the arrival, i.e; to come to = to arrive. What I experienced this morning was another sense of to come to which was what Jesus was talking about this morning. “Wake up!” he was saying. “Recognize what’s going on here! Prepare your heart because I’m already here. It’s time to notice your potential for transformation. It’s time to come to!“