Open Journal of Modern Linguistics, 2020, 10, 390-403 https://www.scirp.org/journal/ojml ISSN Online: 2164-2834 ISSN Print: 2164-2818 Language and Symbolic Arts: Religious Adornments, Arts and Meaning in the Catholic Church Liturgy Josephine Marie A. Eke Department of General Studies, Plateau State University, Bokkos, Nigeria How to cite this paper: Eke, J. M. A. Abstract (2020). Language and Symbolic Arts: Reli- gious Adornments, Arts and Meaning in Language is a means, a tool or method, of verbal or non-verbal communica- the Catholic Church Liturgy. Open Journal tion between humans using some forms of signs, and symbols such as letters of Modern Linguistics, 10, 390-403. of the alphabets in written form to make words used in speech that convey https://doi.org/10.4236/ojml.2020.104023 meanings. The use of these words is done following the rules of grammar. Received: July 21, 2020 Every culture/race or people have their own language and symbols and the Accepted: August 25, 2020 way they communicate. Language enables one to express feelings, thoughts, Published: August 28, 2020 ideas and shared experiences. Symbols have mystical quality that conveys a Copyright © 2020 by author(s) and sense of the sacred and gives nourishment to the physical. Through working Scientific Research Publishing Inc. with symbols the inner energy is harnessed or put in use; one thinks deeper This work is licensed under the Creative than the ordinary. Unless these symbols are understood they make no mean- Commons Attribution International License (CC BY 4.0). ing and therefore have no effect on the individual. Therefore religious arts http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ and symbols are creative images designed to aid and inspire the individual to Open Access reflect in the spiritual. The Catholic Church is one Religious Institution that uses a lot of symbols and art in religious worship or liturgy. The Liturgy is the religious way of life which is centered in the Mass or Eucharistic celebration. Its religious arts-places, objects, arts, (icons, pictures), and adornments are dressing or vestments, vessels, and decorations (flowers, vestments seasons and colours). This article tries to explain briefly what language means. It also attempts to expose to the reader the uses of some of the symbols, arts and adornment in the Catholic Church, noting their possible meaning and how they affect the life of the faithful for spiritual enhancement or growth. Keywords Language, Catholic Church Liturgy, Symbolic Arts, Adornments DOI: 10.4236/ojml.2020.104023 Aug. 28, 2020 390 Open Journal of Modern Linguistics J. M. A. Eke 1. Introduction 1.1. Language Language is a sole medium of communication between two persons, through which they can share their views, ideas, opinions and emotions with one anoth- er. It is aimed at making sense of complex and abstract thought without any confusion through clarity of expression. As a system of communication, differ- ent languages are used by people residing in different areas or belonging to a different community. Since communication is the process through which lan- guage is expressed in order to give the message, language therefore must be in- telligible and productive. Language can be verbal communication (spoken or written) or non-verbal (use of symbols, sign language and body language). Ac- cording to Goldstein (2008), language can be defined as a system of communica- tion using sounds or symbols that enable us to express our feelings, thoughts, ideas, and experiences. 1.2. The Catholic Church and Liturgy The Catholic Church also referred to as Roman Catholic Church, has its litur- gical language which is however pragmatic. The liturgy is always within a partic- ular kind of language whose unity seems assured, among other things. It is lan- guage specific to the ritual of the community. Zimmerman (1998: p. 52) stated that liturgy exploits the event of the Paschal Mystery, but at the same time enables innovation for the here and now celebrating community. This liturgical language is full of symbolic modes of expression, and keywords that relate to key experiences of a people, narrative or storytelling, and the modes of address that flow from these (Power, 1990: p. 70). Power added that symbolic language is rooted in bodily expression, that what people feel, express and experience in bo- dily modes constitute a primary perception and sense of reality. The Catholic li- turgy as expressed in The Catechism of the Catholic Church, (CCC) (2008, art 1382: p. 307)—the Mass is at the same time, a sacrifice, a memorial and a re-enactment of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, and the sacred banquet of communion with the Lord’s body and blood. The Catholic liturgical language components or symbols include gestures, postures, movements (body language), places, objects, arts (icons, pictures), music (songs chants), adornment and de- corative elements (flowers, vestments, seasons and colours), as well as spoken statements (homily, readings). From the vestibule (sacristy) where the Priest dresses to the conclusion of the Mass, a lot of actions and things are used and these have their meaning. 1.3. Symbols and Arts Symbols and arts are images in action. In this write up symbolic arts, call to consciousness awakening, of the interior being, the spirit of the human person. In scripture you hear the prophet Samuel say “speak Lord your servant is listen- ing” (1 Sam. 3: 10). Prophet Jeremiah goes to the Potter’s house to watch him DOI: 10.4236/ojml.2020.104023 391 Open Journal of Modern Linguistics J. M. A. Eke make the pot (Jer. 18: 1-6). It is imagery that speaks, so are symbols. Signs, sym- bols and Arts are able to communicate in a way that is out of the ordinary. They are inanimate (non-verbal) that awaken the conscience and give message/meaning in an extra ordinary manner. Langer (1980: p. 28) corroborated that symbols are recognized key to mental life “symbols and meaning make man’s world far more than sensation”. The Catholic Church is rich with symbolic expressions: every aspect of Liturgy is loaded with signs and symbols. In Liturgy symbols are actions and signs whose meaning comes from the inspired word of God. “They carry many layers of meaning available to the unlearned and challenging to the theologian” (Bosch, 2001: Essay 5). They are pregnant images, living words, and hope-filled thrusts. “Art is a freely given superabundance of the human being’s inner riches” (CCC, 2008, art 2501: p. 523). However, the emotional attitude or response to the non- verbal codes remains largely difficult to evaluate or appreciate except the indi- vidual expresses it. If there is no impact, there will not be any behavior modifica- tion or spiritual impact. “Christian symbols are not vague intellectual image to be grasped by the mind alone” (Byrne in Leaver (1998: p. 72)). Symbols in the Catholic Church are often permanent; one does not need to invent them weekly. When they are used well the community is enriched in their worship. 1.4. Arts and Adornment Art in the Catholic Church would therefore include everything from drawings, paintings, vessels used, clothes, adornment, flowers, building of various edifices and crafts from various cultural backgrounds, of “fine” art, music, art enlightens the mind and heart as well as beautifies. It has other functions as well: it edu- cates; that is teaches a lesson that can be stated in rational language. Therefore, a picture for example of the Divine Mercy of Jesus with a caption “Jesus I Trust in Thee” is didactic if the caption tells one what to think about and sets the mind in motion. Art illustrates and can illustrate a truth. When you go on pilgrimage to Holy sites like Rome, Jerusalem etcetera you are overwhelmed by a lot of great Christian art, illustrating Bible stories so that one can understand them and vi- sualize them better. Art can also inspire. The beauty of form and content can lift hearts and minds to higher, more, pure and lofty things. The highest forms of art do this by touching our emotions. This is the essence of Art and symbols in the Catholic Church. Dwight (blog March 23, 2018) noted that Art is like worship. They are creative images to aid spiritual growth. Through the emotional en- counter one is engaged with Truth at a deeper than discursive level. This expe- riential level with Truth incarnated is often in a way that is beyond analysis and explanation. It is at the deepest level of one’s humanity, and it enlightens one or shades light to the darkness in the self. This brings about transformation or spi- ritual enhancement. Some of the Religious Art and Symbols in the Catholic Church that will be discussed are: places, objects, arts (icons, pictures), adorn- ment, decorative elements (flowers, vestments, seasons and colours) with their DOI: 10.4236/ojml.2020.104023 392 Open Journal of Modern Linguistics J. M. A. Eke meaning. Listed items that make up the various groups in the article will be looked at under their main headings. 2. Art and Symbols: Places, Objects, Arts The New Jerusalem Bible (1990) which has been used for biblical references has many examples supporting various arts and symbols in the Church. 2.1. Altar This is a place of sacrifice. The altar and all the instruments of the Eucharist stand as symbols of God’s forgiveness and his continuing redemption and sanc- tification. The Lord God ordered Abraham to offer Isaac his only son to him. Abraham had the boy bound up and placed on the altar ready to kill him. He raised his hand up to stab Isaac to death but was halted by an Angel (Gen 22: 1-19).