Catholic Literature

  • The Latin Mass Explained by Msgr. George J. Moorman Forward By Msgr. Michael Schmitz
  • The Catholic Mass: Steps To Restore The Centrality of God In The Liturgy by Bishop Athanasius Schneider with Aurelio Porfiri
  • The Imitation of Christ By Thomas De Kempis
  • Padre Pio: The True Story by C. Bernard Ruffin
  • The Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of The Little Flower by St. Therese of Lisieux

Thursday, February 22, 2024

And by the Holy Spirit, He was incarnate of the Virgin Mary: and became man (Et incarnatus est de Spiritu Sancto ex Maria Virgine: et homo factus est)

ET INCARNATUS EST DE SPIRITU SANCTO EX MARIA VIRGINE: ET HOMO FACTUS EST


NARRARE


          As a recent practicing Catholic, I was incognizant of kneeling during consequential parts of the Liturgy. I would just automatically stand, sit, or kneel to synchronize myself with the rest of the faithful. This was a problem, because I was losing focus on my God. It is imperative to understand your actions throughout certain parts of the Mass to properly demonstrate humility, and veneration. Although I would get a bit frustrated, I was not too self-critical. I reminded myself, "I did not grow up as a full-fledged Catholic, much less ever heard of Latin." Learning the language was going to be a steady process. 

          Nonetheless, my studious nature prompted me to learn the phrase, "Et incarnatus est de Spiritu Sancto ex Maria Virgine: et homo factus est," from the "Nicene Creed," prayer proclaimed during Mass. Mainly, because every time these words would be pronounced, all the faithful would genuflect to almighty God. I did so too, but very suddenly. Until I learned this translated to, "And by the Holy Spirit, He was incarnate of the Virgin Mary: and became man." It was then; I genuflected to my Lord with complete admiration.  As stated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, "... out of reverence for the mystery that made our salvation possible (paragraph #461). Following this, I provided the etymological explanation for the contextual translation, and meaning behind this pure sentence as well. 


ETYMOLOGY

  • "Et" means "and" in Latin, as in English.

  • "Incarnatus" is the past participle form of the Latin verb "incarnare," which means "to be made flesh" or "to be incarnated." It's derived from the prefix "in-" meaning "into" and "caro" meaning "flesh."

  • "Est" is the third person singular present indicative form of the Latin verb "esse," which means "to be."

  • "De" means "from" or "by" in Latin.

  • "Spiritu Sancto" translates to "Holy Spirit" in English. "Spiritu" is the ablative singular form of "Spiritus," meaning "spirit," and "Sancto" is the ablative singular form of "Sanctus," meaning "holy."

  • "Ex" means "from" or "out of" in Latin.

  • "Maria Virgine" refers to "Mary, the Virgin." "Maria" is the ablative singular form of the name "Maria," and "Virgine" is the ablative singular form of "Virgo," meaning "virgin."

  • "Homo" means "man" in Latin.

  • "Factus est" is the third person singular perfect indicative form of the Latin verb "facere," which means "to make" or "to become."

Visual Representation of the Nicene Creed In The Traditional Latin Mass



Note: You will see everyone will kneel when everyone hears "Et Incarnatus est de Spiritu Sancto ex Maria Virgine: et homo factus est." 



ET INCARNATUS EST DE SPIRITU SANCTO EX MARIA VIRGINE: ET HOMO FACTUS EST

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