” Ubi caritas et amor, Ubi caritas deus ibi est . ” Song from Taize ( VT 773 )
I appreciate many of the songs from Taize, but I think this is the one I sing the most. It is in Latin. I took four years of Latin in high school, and some of it has stayed with me. It means, ‘ where charity and love are found, God is there.’ .
I think when we learn something important in another language it stays in our brain. Each language has a different worldview, so I think translations are always less than perfect. The Old Testament was written in Hebrew, and the New Testament in Greek. Jesus spoke Hebrew and Aramaic ( like the difference between German and Pennsylvania Dutch ), and also Greek. So, my New International Version has gone through quite a few translations before it got to me in the early 1970’s. So, the Bible was written with a Western worldview. What does it have to say to Asia, Africa or Latin America ? What needed to be translated for the Gospel to be relevant in these other areas ?
What is God’s Word, if I do not know the original languages ? I guess I need to depend on the scholars and the present community of Jesus Christ. But, I will never get it quite right. We need each other, to be faithful.
Prayer Jubilate Deo ( sing joyfully to God ) Omnis terra ( to the God of the earth ) Servite, domino, ( Serve the Lord ) In laetitae ( in joy ) In laetitae ( in joy )AMEN
Fred
Chaos in the winds Scattering my troubled thoughts to land on soft clouds Monica Pieper Landoni 2022
