The absence of 'tu'

I noticed this morning that there is a missing word from my French vocabulary. I remember learning it at school and thinking how strange it was. 

Here there is no simple ‘you’. There is ‘vous’ for most people and for groups of people, the ‘y’all’ type sentences as my Greek tutor in Durham used to say. There is also ‘tu’ which is the intimate ‘you’ used of those to whom you are close, children, spouses and close friends.

As I chatted with the verbose nuns this morning I noticed that, even though I call them ‘my sister’ and they call me ‘my father’ (hmmmm!) they are ‘vous’ to me and I am ‘vous’ to them. A world without ‘tu’ is a lonely place, and I don’t think this is just because yesterday was the feast day of ‘Martyr Valentinus the Presbyter and those with him at Rome’. 

This place, however, is not completely without ‘tu’. For in French you pray to the ‘Tu’ in Heaven.

There is something profound and precious here which we would do well to ponder in this day whether with friends or alone… for there is one closer than a brother who calls us to (or should that be ‘tu’) Him today.

Notre Père qui es aux cieux,

que ton Nom soit sanctifié,

que ton règne vienne,

que ta volonté soit faite

sur la terre comme au ciel.

Donne-nous aujourd'hui notre pain de ce jour.

Pardonne-nous nos offenses,

comme nous pardonnons aussi à ceux qui nous ont offensés.

Et ne nous soumets pas à la tentation,

mais délivre-nous du mal.

Car c’est à Toi qu’appartiennent

le règne, la puissance et la gloire,

pour les siècles des siècles.

Amen.