This is the title of a once very popular song, composed in 1943. The words looked strange and were spelt strangely, but, somehow, they sounded right and made sense:
Mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey.
A kiddley divey too, wouldn’t you?
One of the song’s writers said it was inspired by an old nursery rhyme:
Cowzy tweet and sowzy tweet and liddle sharksy doisters.
With due respect, the way we used to sing and pray in Latin had some similarities. We didn’t necessarily understand many, if not most, of the words, but overall, we had a good sense of what we were all about!
It reminds me of a saying attributed to St. Francis of Assisi:
Preach the Gospel at all times. Use words if necessary.
In other words, everything we say (or preach or write) may not necessarily be fully or clearly understood, but, overall, it’s through the way we live our lives that we are successfully communicating!
I studied the Latin language for several years, and, later, I studied in Latin for several years. That included attending Latin lectures, reading Latin text books, writing Latin documents, and even defending a point of view in oral Latin.
But, no matter my fluency—or lack thereof—the language never could have the emotional impact, evocativeness, and nuanced meaning my native language could and did.
At times there were Latin words that didn’t entirely make sense to me, but usually I understood the overall message!
Very often many traditional religious words, sayings, rites, customs, and practices seem like that. We may not necessarily understand all the details, but, overall, we get the idea!
Some of the canonized saints were great philosophers, theologians, canonists, or founders of religious orders, but they were not singled out because of the sermons they preached, or the books they wrote, or the organizations they created.
They were distinguished because of the quality of the lives they lived and how they affected and impacted the lives of those that knew them.
Maybe some of their enterprises were good and successful—and maybe not. Maybe they lasted—and maybe not. No matter!
Maybe you have no idea what mairzy doats means, and maybe, in any case, you don’t care. It’s okay!
Maybe you know exactly what a kiddley divery too means, and you wouldn’t. So, what!
Certain words, songs, books, movies, sermons, classes, videos, programs, etc. may or may not be useful to one or another of us. We may even debate their merits with others.
But to allow the differences of opinion and diversity of interests to become barriers dividing us into conflicting groups is basically, as Mr. Spock would say, illogical.
It is an indisputable fact that each and every person is unique and no two people are ever or ever can be absolutely identical.
Therefore, every joining together with another involves compromise (not entirely doing things your way), compassion (enduring things together), and collaboration (achieving something, but not necessarily all that you would prefer).
Try to use nice words, but above all it’s being nice that counts!
25 September 2022