The Secret Code of “Thee”

In 1965, the good sisters in my Catholic school taught children to pray, “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.” About ten years later, Catholic liturgical musicians were singing a rendition of the Hail Mary with the lyrics, “Hail Mary … the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women” (Carey Landry). Likewise, other prayers switched to modern wording, and Catholics adjusted to praying and singing in language that mirrored their conversational speech. “Thee” and “thou” all but disappeared, as archaic and unrelatable.

Twentieth Century Informality

Informality became vogue during the twentieth century. From clothing styles to music to social interactions, people relaxed the conventions that were required in previous generations. Whereas in 1950s television sitcoms, even small boys wore a suit and tie if company was coming for dinner, by 1980 a tee shirt and blue jeans were acceptable dinner attire. Big band music gave way to guitar ballads. In 1930, colleagues or neighbors called each other by “Mr.” or “Miss” until they were well acquainted. Decades later, it would appear stuffy and strange not to be on a first name basis right away

This relaxed approach to life found its way into our prayers and liturgy as well. The wording in hymnals and prayer books changed from calling the Lord “Thee” to addressing him as “You.” Within a dozen years, Catholics’ experience at Mass transformed dramatically. In 1960, the priest stood with his back to the congregation, facing the altar and leading them in the sacrifice of the Mass. Latin was the language of worship, the pipe organ played sacred hymns, and the faithful received holy Communion at the altar rail.

By 1972, the altar had turned around, and seemingly, so had many other elements of the liturgy. The Communion line processed down the aisle, guitars accompanied folk-style hymns, and Latin was heard only during Holy Week, if then. For a while, at the Catholic high school that I attended, all manner of items might make their way into the offertory procession. Teachers wanted to make the liturgy relevant to the young people, so at one school Mass a science book and a football were carried down the aisle along with the bread and wine for the Eucharist. In college, I remember hearing the youth choir sing Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young’s “Teach Your Children” as the entrance hymn.

Back to Basics

Evolution is sometimes accompanied by mutations, and we might call the offertory procession football and the pop tune during liturgy just that, mutations. Including these items at Mass was a random twist in the name of modernization. In time, liturgists came back to basics, and bread and wine resumed their proper place as the focus of the offertory procession.

Other aspects of modernization in Catholic worship have also been modified to regain their original meaning or purpose. In many parishes, the guitar Mass and pop songs are replaced by piano or organ and liturgically correct music selections. The word “consubstantial” has emerged to clarify the nature of the Father and the Son. Even the colloquial, “And also with you,” has yielded to the traditional, “And with your spirit.”

Some Catholics are beginning to use “Thee” and “Thou” in prayers again, referring not only to our Lord but also to our Blessed Mother. While this may seem another example of mitigating the insistence on modernity that began in the late twentieth century, there is another explanation and a surprising rationale for referring to our Lord and his angels and saints with the pronouns “thee,” “thou,” and “thy.”

Why Jesus Should Be “Thee”

In his edifying book, An Introduction to Prayer, Bishop Robert Barron tells why Jesus should be “Thee” to us. Until the nineteenth century, the “thee” pronouns were used when addressing family members, close acquaintances, and people who were younger or of lower socioeconomic rank than oneself. In this way, English was like Latin, German, and Spanish, which still use different second person pronouns depending on the relationship to the speaker. “Thee” is the familiar term, while “you” is reserved for those less familiar or of higher rank. Centuries ago, when the pronouns “thee” and “you” had their respective meanings and usage, Christian religious leaders chose the familiar pronouns, “thee,” “thou,” “thy,” and “thine,” for use in our conversations with God. The intent was for Christians to feel the intimate love of God as they prayed to the God who is Love itself.

Code Words in the Family of God

While efforts to modernize were meant to bring Christians into a closer relationship with God, abandoning the “thee” pronouns does the opposite in the literal sense. Talking to God as “Thee” is acknowledging ourselves as his family. We can imagine him saying to us, “I love thee,” and know he means it as our loving Father. “Thee” and “thou” are code words connotating a familial relationship to those who understand the origins of published prayers and hymns.

Of course, it may seem stilted and artificial suddenly to switch over and use only the “Thee” pronouns in personal prayer. Sometimes, we speak to God in colloquial language, using the expressions that we use with our loved ones. In these cases, using “You” to address God is organic; it comes from a natural feeling of intimacy.

With recited prayers, however, I no longer change “Thee” to “You.” With confidence we can address our Lord as “Thee,” and know it expresses our desire for closeness with him. We pray to the Father, “Hallowed be Thy name,” and we pray to Mary, “The Lord is with thee.” How much more contrite might we feel when we tell our Lord that we detest our sins, “Because I have offended Thee.” “Thee” is the family member, the intimate friend, deserving of all our love. In these expressions, we can hear the archaic language as it was first intended, and think of it as a secret code for the family of God.