The Angelus

The Angelus by Jean-Francois Millet

Welcome back, friends to another installment of “How I Pray”. I often find myself caught up in my day and either forget to make time to pray or ignore the time I’ve set aside allowing something else to take priority. One of the most beautiful things about our Church is that she understands this.  So, she has given us prayers and devotions traditionally prayed at predetermined times in our day such as the Liturgy of the Hours and today’s prayer: the Angelus.

The Angelus is a simple prayer commemorating the Incarnation.  Traditionally, this prayer is said at 6am, 12pm, and 6pm--though you can certainly pray it at other times.  It consists of three verses narrating the mystery of the Incarnation, each followed by the Hail Mary (see below).  

In my own life, I pray the Angelus at noon and have an alarm programmed on my cell phone to help me remember.  I started this practice two Advents ago to meditate on the Incarnation, prepare my heart for Christmas, and actively live my consecration to Mary.  I loved the simplicity of the words and how they focused my mind on the season. Through my prayer, I found myself focusing on Mary’s fiat and on how my own fiat should mirror hers.  When Christmas arrived, the verse “And the Word was made flesh/And dwelt among us” followed me through Mass as I prayed on our God’s greatest show of humility--his becoming man.

The spiritual growth I felt during that Advent inspired me to continue praying the Angelus through the coming year.  It’s a breath in the middle of my day. For one minute, I pause my work to meditate on the mystery of God made man. This prayer has continued to show me how to live true humility and the various ways God is asking me to say yes to Him in my own life.

 

V.  The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.

R.  And she conceived on the Holy Spirit.

Hail Mary

V.  Behold the handmaid of the Lord.

R.  Be it done unto me according to thy word.

Hail Mary

V.  And the Word was made Flesh

R.  And dwelt among us.

Hail Mary

V.  Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.

R.  That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

 

Let us pray,

Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts, that we to whom the Incarnation of Christ Thy Son was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection.  Through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen