One of my favorite features of St. Ignatius of Antioch church is our large bell tower. It is the tallest catholic church bell tower in the diocese of Cleveland, 240 feet tall. You can see the tower from miles away, and you can hear it ringing from miles away as well.
Every day, as you might have noticed the Church bells ring at 12 noon and at 6pm. In the old days, they would ring at 6am as well. 6, noon, and six, to mark the day’s beginning, middle, and end, but they are also rung for a religious significance, for they are known as the Angelus bells. Angelus is the word in the latin language for Angel.
There is also a prayer that goes along with the ringing of those angelus bells, called, The Angelus Prayer, which calls to mind one of the most important events in human history, again, the event we just read about in today’s Gospel.
The Angel of the Lord announced unto Mary, and she conceived a child by the power of the holy spirit.
Why is this important? Well, it had never happened before and it will never happen again. It was an event that Isaiah had foretold, as we heard in our first reading, that a virgin would conceive a child through the intervention of God, and that the child’s name would be Emmanuel, which means “God is with us”. It was something God had been planning for thousands and thousands of years—His plan to save us from our sins.
I’ve been praying the Angelus Prayer every day for many, many years, and I believe it is a very important prayer for us Christians. For Christians need reminders of who God is, what God has done, and what God calls us to. And the Angelus does just that. It reminds us that God has done this amazing thing for us and for our salvation. And it reminds us that we are respond to God like Mary did, saying to God, “may it be done to me according to your Word…may God’s will be done in my life…may I respond to God with faith, always, daily, many times a day.” And the Angelus reminds us who Jesus is. He is God made flesh. He’s not just an ordinary baby, he’s not just another worldly teacher, he’s God, and we owe him our love, our devotion, our worship.
[Morning Mass] In the O Antiphon Today, Christ is called the Clavis David, the Key of David who frees us from prison and from the shadow of death. By calling to mind what our great Lord has done for us, may our minds and hearts be freed from selfishness and fear, that we may glorify the Lord in all we say and do today, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
[School Mass] You will notice something different at Mass today, we will be ringing bells during mass. The bells at Mass are very similar to the Angelus bells. The first time they ring, they are a sign of the holy spirit descending upon the altar, just like the holy spirit descended upon mary. And the second and the third time they ring, they call our attention to the fact that Jesus is now present in our midst, bread and wine have really and truly become transformed into the body and blood of Jesus, our Lord.
As you prepare for Christmas break, remember the reason for Christmas, that mary said yes to God, and that God became human to save us from our sins. May you and your families be blessed this Christmas with profound faith, hope, love and the peace of the Christ-Child, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
- - - - - - - -
We raise up our prayers of petitions, as we await with longing the Advent of Christ the Lord.
That the witness of the Church may help all nations come to believe in the Lordship of Jesus.
That our president and all civil servants will carry out their duties with justice, honesty, and respect for the dignity of every human life. We pray to the Lord.
That Christ may banish disease, drive out hunger, ward off every affliction, and strengthen all who suffer persecution for the sake of the Gospel.
For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.
Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord.
No comments:
Post a Comment