De Profúndis: Pange lingua gloriosi

Initium sancti EvangélII secúndum Joánnem...

In principio erat Verbum et Verbum erat apud Deum et Deus erat Verbum 2 hoc erat in principio apud Deum 3 omnia per ipsum facta sunt et sine ipso factum est nihil quod factum est 4 in ipso vita erat et vita erat lux hominum 5 et lux in tenebris lucet et tenebrae eam non conprehenderunt

6 fuit homo missus a Deo cui nomen erat Iohannes 7 hic venit in testimonium ut testimonium perhiberet de lumine ut omnes crederent per illum 8 non erat ille lux sed ut testimonium perhiberet de lumine 9 erat lux vera quae inluminat omnem hominem venientem in mundum 10 in mundo erat et mundus per ipsum factus est et mundus eum non cognovit

11 in propria venit et sui eum non receperunt 12 quotquot autem receperunt eum dedit eis potestatem filios Dei fieri his qui credunt in nomine eius 13 qui non ex sanguinibus neque ex voluntate carnis neque ex voluntate viri sed ex Deo nati sunt 14 ET VERBUM CARO FACTUM EST et habitavit in nobis et vidimus gloriam eius gloriam quasi unigeniti a Patre plenum gratiae et veritatis

+ Prayer Requests and Intentions + Updated 5 Nov.

+ Blessed Mother Mary Ever-Virgin; Holy Archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Rafael; the communion of all Saints, and all holy men and women: pray for us... +

-For our Holy Father, H.H. Pope Benedict XVI
-For our Bishops and Priests, and all religious
-For our Holy Mother Church, the Bride of Christ, for Her defense from the Enemy
-For an end to all abortions and for a renewed culture of life
-For an increase in vocations, particularly to the Holy Priesthood
-For all our prayers, hear us.

-For all the faithful departed, especially Ramon and Willie, my grandfathers. Requiescant in pace.

12 September 2008

Pange lingua gloriosi

Pange lingua gloriosi. Sing, my tongue, the Savior's glory.

My most recent rumination may come across to some as odd, but I truly believe that it has much to do with what this blog is all about, which is seeking Christ in the depths of our existence. I will begin, as I often do, with a question.

What is language? There are manifold responses to this question, one of which, for my purposes, I will say is that language is truly a gift from God. Indeed, I think it is a stunning manifestation of the bewildering intellect of our Creator. What a beautiful treasure, that which we utter with our tongues! I have only come to appreciate this more and more as I undertake my studies of language and as I reflect upon the many doors that this pursuit has opened for me.

I feel that I can write volumes about this topic; truly I think it would take a lifetime or many lifetimes to delve into its profundity.

A language is a particularly magnificent faculty. We share our language with many others who, with no effort whatsoever, acquire its rules, its syntax, and its lexicon over the course of their youth. There are relatively few rules but many words, and we can fabricate utterances of limitless variety and degrees of expression with these modest tools.

What a moving experience to witness an orator deliver an eloquent address! What a profound stirring we feel in our heart upon reading the great works of literature. Likewise, what bliss to be moved to tears by the simple words of those who we love and who love us. Or to be reminded of the words of promise of the Lord, who Himself has been declared "the Word".

Undoubtedly there is something intangibly divine about our capacity to communicate, whether by word, by gesture, or even by music, the universal language. The most adept orator, the most fervent liturgist, and the most skilled playwright refine the art of language to strike a chord in a place deep in the heart of man that nothing else can touch.

Perhaps the Lord confounded the tongues of the builders at Babel not to sow division or confusion amidst mankind, but to teach a crucial lesson: that it is not by empty actions or purely material aspirations that we climb towards our Creator, but by the works of the spirit and of the tongue, by which we reach out to our fellow man in Christian love and approach the true face of God.