Lingua Latina

Latin isn’t dead. It’s just quiet. It’s like the great grandmother at the family party of western culture: she sits to the side and observes, while the young people do most of the talking. Because Latin taught them and their parents to speak, they say a lot of wise things, but they also mix in a fair bit of error. Latin’s long life has allowed her to filter out most of the foolishness of youth, and she saves her breath for things worth saying, so on the occasions when she does speak, as in the liturgy or the life of the Church, we should listen carefully. As befits the analogy though, some of the new generation find her annoying and out of touch, while others are unaware of her presence, and even think of her as already dead.