Bad Blog Latin?

Yes, I suppose Fr. Jim Tucker has a point:

At least once a week, usually more often, I cringe with pain upon reading horribly elementary Latin errors in the learned pages of good Catholics who are quite knowledgeable about other things. I'm particularly amazed by clergy who do this. As Latin is again becoming the badge of a good and thinking Catholic, people are a bit too hasty in throwing the language around.

... only because I plead guil-diddly-ilty to this myself. As my regular readers know, I like to use this blog to practice my rudimentary Latin skills from time to time, so I expect it to be bad, even though I am quite anal about trying to do it correctly. I don't want anybody to be embarrassed as a Catholic when I use Latin poorly. Rather, I want to try it out a bit in an open venue and be educated so that I don't continue to make the mistakes I make. I also appreciate those who engage me in Latin in the comments (I do read them! I don't often respond, though, but I will try!) And if any of my poorly constructed Latin causes you to cringe, then, by all means, let me know! I'm a student of the language, and I always want to be humble enough to learn from my mistakes.

You will also find me posting Scripture in Latin from time to time as well (particularly from the Nova Vulgata), because I love, appreciate, and enjoy the translation and rendering of the original Greek, which far surpasses English.

I announce a great joy!

My girlfriend, Christina, and I are now engaged to be married! On Saturday, I took her to a nice dinner on the waterfront in Carlsbad, CA (just south of Oceanside), and afterward, we went for a nice walk along the beach. After a while, we sat down on a bench overlooking the ocean, and I proposed!

We are looking forward to embracing the profound sacrament of matrimony and the ultimate gift of mutual love for God and for each other, which our Catechism describes as that which "becomes an image of the absolute and unfailing love with which God loves man." A magnificent vocation! Please pray for us and for our preparation for this sacrament.

We haven't decided upon an actual date for the marriage ceremony, but we are looking toward next summer. I would like to use this blog as a place to reflect upon the sacrament of matrimony and our marriage preparation as we get closer! For those of you who are married, this may probably be nothing new; but then I would appreciate reading your reflections as well!

I want to start by posting the great challenge of St. Paul to husbands from his letter to the Church at Ephesus (Ch. 5:25-32):

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. Even so husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no man ever hates his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body.

"For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." (Genesis 2:24)

This mystery is a profound one, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.

Marriage is indeed a profound mystery, and what more challenge is there than to love your wife even as Christ loved the Church!