Word of the Day: Sanctity

Sanctity is of course an illusion in practice. At best, one thinks of it as 'the aura of sanctity' and not normally 'the state of sanctity'. The word itself is a late 14th century European construction, from what we might call 'Church Latin'. But it is descended from impeccable (note my choice of words here) antecedents.

The Latin sanctus means 'holy' in the sense of 'set aside' or 'set apart' from the influences of the material (substantial) and secular (chronological) universe. To give a more concrete analogy, the Latin-derived 'sanctuary' has its counterpart in the Greek-derived 'asylum'. This in turn comes from asülon, from a- => 'without' and süle = 'legal right of seizure'. An asylum is a place where the material and secular laws have no power, as also is a sanctuary.

'Sanctity' therefore is the state or situation of being set apart from the constraints and intrusions of the world. It is what we strive to attain when in meditation. Yet the paradox of being in the world but not of it is a tough one to try to break. Sometimes one feels like bait dangling in the ocean, wondering if one is to be devoured or retrieved, or just left to dangle there forever, world without end.

In closing, I'd like to share a poem I wrote three years ago. You can find it here.

Dead Language?

I was introduced to the rigours of Latin by a fierce and exacting taskmistress. My grandfather's younger sister had the sharpest mind of anyone I've ever met, a tongue to go with it, and the will to restrain both – a potent combination. She once said she was the only one who could stand up to him, and I believe it. They were very affectionate siblings the rest of the time.

But what amazed me was the abundance of life in the so-called 'dead' languages. From both her and my grandfather, I picked up a love of the arcane, in the form of Latin, Greek and unusual Biblical translations; she taught me what brutal honesty was about and he taught me what loving generosity was. And yet both of them were capable of blistering wrath, rare and doubly potent when unleashed. I loved them both – grandfather close up and my grandaunt from afar.

And I will always remember them as I remember this:

Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus,
Dominus Deus Sabaoth;
Pleni sunt caeli et terra gloria Tua.
Hosanna in excelsis!

Holy, holy, holy,
Lord God of Hosts;
The heavens and earth are filled with Your glory,
Hosanna in the highest!

Amen.