Many common expressions in the English language are due to the great Bard, William Shakespeare, whose words are known even to those who have not seen his plays. (As an aside, we may want to play a game of identifying such expressions)
But other common expressions are rooted in Catholic traditions, even though not always in a conscious or an appreciative way. For instance, you may have noticed how many non-Catholics invoke Mary when they are utterly awed or surprised (Great Mother of God!).
But it seems that “Hocus pocus” also has Catholic roots. Used by many magicians to create the right atmosphere of mystery, there is a strong theory that it originated from a mocking spoof on the Latin words of consecration used during the Eucharistic prayer: “hoc est enim Corpus meum”, which translates to the familiar “This is my body.” The idea that during consecration bread and wine become the actual body and blood of Christ is central to the Catholic Faith and yet considered nonsense by those who oppose our Faith. This, apparently, led to the expression and its demeaning tone, which implies that the consecration is all nonsense.
Maybe this bit of trivia is of interest to you and I will leave to scholars with more time in their hands the task of debating whether this is the actual origin of the expression.
What I would like to know from you is: what experience have you had in fielding the opinions of non-Catholics regarding the consecration? And how did you respond? How can you respond if and when your class mates or teachers will express their hocus pocus attitude?
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