I Love Christmas

AN EMOTIONAL HYMN

When I was in high school I sang in the church choir. Of course the songs we sang were religious in naure, and when Christmas time rolled around the hymns were selected to emphasize the season.
One of my favorites was O Magnum Mysterium, a four-part chant for the Solemnity of Christmas. It was all in Latin and very fitting for the occasion.
Tonight I listened to a recording of O Magnum Mysterium, and I began to sing along in my Low Alto part, which I still remember after all these years. I also understand Latin, and as I sang the words I really began to listen to them.
O magnum mysterium,
et admirabile sacramentum,
ut animalia viderent Dominum natum,
jacentem in praesepio!
O Beata Virgo, cujus viscera
meruerunt portare
Dominum Jesum Christum.

Suddenly I was overcome with emotion. The words in Latin just hit me with their beautiful meaning. As I said, I know what the Latin words mean, and in the original they seemed so wonderful, especially at this time of year.
I don't know if they would mean as much to my readers, but here I will offer my translation”

Oh Great Mystery,
And admirable Sacrament,
That the animals should see The Lord born
Lying in a manger.
Oh Blessed Virgin, whose insides (womb)
Should have merit to carry
The Lord Jesus Christ.

I can hardly write down this translation without my eyes welling up.
It is so beautiful, and so filled with the true meaning of Christmas!

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DallasCowboysFan · 61-69, M

That sounds like a beautiful song. I thought I had heard all the Christmas songs but I have missed that one.

I studied Latin for 2 years in Middle school and 4 semesters in college but I am still not fluent. I wish I had retained it.

BadPam · 61-69, F

Well i must say Latin helped to form the foundation of all the other languages i took, so I'm glad I learned it. In fact I taught basic Latin to some Franciscan friars at a local monastery.

DallasCowboysFan · 61-69, M

@BadPam: Latin is a beautiful language. The Romans created a wealth of literature that is still appreciated 2000 years later. Not just literature, but their culture, lifestyle and engineering still interest me.

BadPam · 61-69, F

@DallasCowboysFan: Many people are unaware of this, but it was largely thanks to the Medieval monks who painstakingly copied and preserved the great works of the Roman authors. The Church was very aware of the importance of these works, despite the erroneous notion that the Church wanted them destroyed as works of the devil!

DallasCowboysFan · 61-69, M

@BadPam: I want to know what is locked in the Vaults of the Vatican.

BadPam · 61-69, F

@DallasCowboysFan: I'm sure nothing Dan Brown-like. Documents, Papal edicts, various other writings from ancient times. I know there are people who claim there are "secrets" hidden in the Vatican, including the absurd accusation of a papal "shit list" of all non-Catholics in America. Yeah, I've heard that one. Oh please.
Actually most of those so-called "secret" documents are available to scholars. However, there is a time constraint on more recent documents. The writings of John Paul II, for instance, cannot be revealed until (I think) fifty years after his death. Hey, we do the same thing with the US Census--nothing secretive about that.

DallasCowboysFan · 61-69, M

I understand the time constraints...but I have wondered if they are concealing documents related to the personal behavior of previous Popes and Cardinals or inflammatory information related to the life of Christ or his disciples. Such as...Jesus being married to Mary Magdalene, teachings of the disciples or discussions related to Bible stories.

BadPam · 61-69, F

@DallasCowboysFan: The misbehaviors of former Popes are already well-documented. Case in point, Alexander VI, who was the father of Lucrezia Borgia. Nothing new in that.
People have been trying to marry off Jesus since the trend began in the 2970's to debunk certain beliefs. Although she was obviously close to Jesus, there is no indication that she was married to Him. Another theory is that Mary of Bethany was married to Jesus as well. It goes on and on. Also the absurd story that Mary Magdalene was a reformed prostitute--nowhere in the Bible does it say that. More about that in an upcoming story!

DallasCowboysFan · 61-69, M

I don't believe Mary of Magdalene was a prostitute. This was an era when they called all unmarried women virgins and anyone who had sex out of marriage or drew the wrath of their nosy neighbors was a wh*re. Perhaps she was just unpopular. The attitudes towards women then, are not unlike the ones that exist today in the Middle East. I think that part of the beliefs we have are related to the restricted translation abilities of the monks translating from Aramaic to Hebrew to Latin to English etc... Or it might be related to the bias of the monks that recorded the events.

But.....I guess that is why there are 50 different translations of the Bible in the bookstores. Personally, I like the one with pictures......lol.

BadPam · 61-69, F

@DallasCowboysFan: I have the comic book version of the Bible too. It's interesting, but even that is written with a Protestant slant.
No, Mary Magdalene was not a prostitute. According to the Bible, Jesus exorcised her of seven demons, which means either she was really possessed or had a mental disorder. In any case, she was forever grateful for the cure.
Translating the Bible from several languages can be a bit tricky. For a lark, I translated the Raising of Lazarus from the Latin Vulgate into English, and I tried to keep it as true to the Latin vernacular as possible. But I admit it was not easy.