The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1909-06-12

The enquiries of our Ogden correspondent are
pertinent and timely Doubtless many of
readers have often thought over the strange word
ing of the Lords Prayer and the singular use of
the word prevent" in the prayer mentioned in
Z. NJ. RS letter. Well let us begin with her third
question. The word "Alleluia" is a conjunction of
two Hebrew words meaning praise We the Lord"
The prayer, Prevent, we beseech Thee o Lord,
actions and carry them forward by Thy gra-
cious assistance that every prayer and work of
may always begin from Thee and by Thee by
happily ended, through Jesus Christ our Lord"
was translated from the Latin one hundred and
sixty years ago. When the prayer was translated
the English word "prevent" -from the Latin Hprae-
vontus," the past participle of "praventio,' that
is to precede go before-meant to Participate"
The change in the meaning of English words
which have occurred, and are occurring almost
daily. proves the wisdom of the Catholic Church in
selecting the unalterable Latin tongue as her Of
fetal language. In two thousand years that Ian
guage has not changed, and the words occurring
in her ancient missas and liturgies stled or writ
ten thousand years ago, retain today the exact
meaning they then had. There can be no dispute
over the precise and true meaning of the words by
which the church, in her Ecumenical Councils and
the Sovereign Pontiffs in their Encycicals and
Briefs, made known to the world the doctrines of
the Church and her instructions on faith morals
and discipline
In formative and living language such as the
English, words like heresies, change their import
and significance. Take as instances the following
examples. Prevent, once meant to assist or antici
pate.
Baron once meant only strong man.
Parlor was originally a place for talking.
Abjuration was once simply "a swearing away."
Until comparatively recent times in England
it customary, in the case of doubt of a Grim
inas guilt, to permit him to go to the church and
swear to his innocence, after doing which he was
adjudged innocent
Poltroon is from two Latin words, and means
the thumb cut off," because in ancient times
runaway from battle had his thumbs amnutated
as mark of disgrace.
We ought not to attach any idea of crime n
the word villain, for originally it meant farm
er; or of idoatry to the word pagan for its rr;
nary meaning was towns-man or villager. or the
notion of stageplaying to 'histrionicn for Mb;s.
oria" in Greek means only recital; nor AGAIN
nay we attribute any idea of deceit tn the vord |
'hypocrite" for literally it only signifies acting
another mans part; nor affection" to the word |
regard" for the original is only to "look upon
teadfastly'; nor can Alteration" stand for ..wor.
hip, Tor the original meant only "salutation b
-sslng with the hand to the mouth" Absurd onoo
meant from the deaf" statement was 80 -
ime deemed to be absurd when it had M move
eevance to the subject matter under discussion
han the answer of deaf man to remark made -
i'm; SO war cannot be associated with so1d;ou
or soldier originally meant 'hireling.Y and 80
re might go on endlessly
We all know how Cardinal Newman sighed for
etter English translation of our Catholic Rih1o
Would it not be well if something were done -