The Holy Father, the Vicar of Christ, the Supreme Pontiff, the Pope, when he is not traveling but is present in the Eternal City, Rome, on Sundays at 12 noon has the beautiful custom of giving a short (only a few minutes) homily which he concludes by praying the famous Marian prayer the Angelus. Upon the conclusion of this beautiful Marian prayer, the Holy Father imparts his papal blessing upon all! What a marvelous way to start off a new week—listening to a brief but inspiring message from the Vicar of Christ, praying to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and receiving the blessing of the Holy Father!
Let us talk today, in our Marian conversation together, about this wonderful prayer, so dear to the heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, that we call the Angelus! Well prayed with unction and devotion, undoubtedly this traditional Marian prayer will rain down blessings upon you, your family, and upon the whole world.
THE PHILIPPINES AND THE PRAYER OF THE ANGELUS. The Philippines is the country that has the most number of Catholics after Brazil and Mexico. The love for Mass, the Blessed Sacrament, and Eucharistic adoration are noteworthy hallmarks in this Catholic country. However, we would truly be remiss if we did not point out the great devotion that Filipino Catholics have for the Blessed Virgin Mary, whom they call with tender devotion Mamma Mary! Churches, homes, sanctuaries, work-centers, malls often are honored with some image of their Mamma Mary.
THE ANGELUS AT NOON IN THE PHILIPPINES. A striking and admirable practice done in many commercial centers in the Philippines is the practice of praying the Angelus publicly at noon. By this we mean that once the noonday hour strikes in these commercial centers, often called malls, all stops! Grocery stores, fabric centers, toy outlets, clothes stores, in a word, all the shopping, buying and ringing up is suspended at midday to pray the Angelus. Even radio stations cease for a moment to pray the Angelus so as to honor in a very special way Mamma Mary, the great Mother of God, the Mother of the Church, and our own Heavenly Mother. After this prayer is finished, which will not take more than three minutes, work resumes. What a marvelous way to commence the second half of the day—placing all in the hands of Mary, placing all under the mantle of Mary, placing all in the Heart of Mamma Mary!
HOW IS THE ANGELUS COMPOSED OR CONSTRUCTED? The structure of the Angelus is fairly simple. It is composed of three short Biblical phrases (how important it is for us to relish and love the Word of God, like Mary who meditated on the Word of God in her heart). After each of the Biblical phrases follows the praying of the Hail Mary. As mentioned above, all can be completed in less than three minutes—short in duration, but of infinite value!
CONTENT OR SUBSTANCE OF THE BIBLICAL PASSAGES. These short Biblical passages contain the two primary hinges of the history of our eternal salvation. That is to say, first the Angelus calls to mind in prayer the Incarnation of Jesus, the Son of God made man, through the consent and Fiat of Mary. Her Yes to God through the message of the Angel resulted in Jesus becoming Incarnate in her most pure womb.
PASCHAL MYSTERY. Second, the last part of the prayer calls to mind what we call the Paschal Mystery. In the Paschal Mystery we jump from the beginning of Jesus’ human existence through the Yes of Mary, to the end of His Public life which culminated in Jesus’ suffering, Passion, crucifixion, and death on the cross; then, three days later, His glorious Resurrection from the dead. Indeed, our salvation came about through the Passion, death, and Resurrection of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
MARY’S ESSENTIAL ROLE. Jesus is the Savior and Redeemer of the human race. All salvation comes about through Jesus, whose name means Savior. The Archangel revealed to Mary His name: You are to call Him Jesus. (Lk. 1:31) An angel revealed to Joseph in a dream, Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. His name will be Jesus because He will save His people from their sins. (Mt.1:21) However, the role of Mary is essential! Mary is the Mediatrix of all graces, meaning that all of the graces of God pass through the Blessed Virgin Mary. Furthermore, the Blessed Virgin Mary is also the Co-Redemptrix. By this title we mean that while Jesus is the only and universal Redeemer of all of the human race, it must be emphasized as of great importance that Jesus chose His Blessed Mother Mary as His close Helper, Advocate, Collaborator in the mystery of the salvation of the human race.
MARY PRESENT: FROM START TO FINISH! So it is in the Angelus that we recall in prayer the Incarnation of Jesus and our Redemption—that is to say, the two primary and essential moments in the history of our salvation. Indeed, Mary is present and instrumental in the Incarnation by her generous offering of herself to God: Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to your word. Mary is also present as Jesus suffers and dies on the cross, shedding all of His Precious Blood (that was given to Him through the Blessed Virgin Mary) during those three long hours on Calvary that first Good Friday! Valiantly, Mary stood at the foot of the cross (the Stabat Mater). In His Infinite Wisdom, in the mystery of the economy of salvation, Jesus wanted His Mother to play a very prominent role.
A DAILY REMINDER. For all of the reasons mentioned above, how very important it is for us to form the habit of praying the Angelus to Mamma Mary often. If we do this, we are constantly reminding ourselves of the great love that Jesus and Mary had, still have, and always will have for us in all times and in all places! Jesus came into the world to save our immortal souls, and this was done through the Yes of Mary. Jesus suffered and shed every drop of His Precious Blood on Calvary, and the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows, was present there standing at the foot of the cross. The daily praying of the Angelus raises our minds to a higher realm, gives us spiritual focus, reinforces and fortifies our spiritual life, and lifts us from the mundane to the sublime! All done in the brief span of three minutes!
WHY NOT THREE TIMES A DAY??? A thoughtful suggestion! Keep up with the noonday Angelus!!! Remember the beautiful Filipino custom! However, why not choose to pray this beautiful Marian prayer three times a day! When? Why not form the habit of praying the Angelus at 9:00 a.m., at the traditional 12:00 noon, and then at 6:00 p.m.? This triple Marian homage and reminder can help us to sanctify, bless, and anoint three key times during the course of our day: the morning, the afternoon, and the evening! At 9:00 a.m. we give our morning hours into the hands and heart of Mary. At 12:00 noon we renew the giving of ourselves to Jesus through Mary in the midday Angelus. Finally, as the sun is declining and the day is heading to an end, we place our lives under the mantle of Mary and in the loving Immaculate Heart of Mary.
POSITIVE FRUITS. Even though this triple practice will not take up more than nine minutes a day from our busy schedule, these short reminders will call to mind Jesus and Mary in our lives, the purpose of our existence, the two pillars of our faith—the Incarnation and the Paschal Mystery. Also, the Angelus will be a breath of fresh air, the breath of the Blessed Virgin Mary upon us, our activities, and our encounters. Indeed, in the thrice daily praying of the Angelus Mary will be our life, our sweetness, and our hope!
THE ANGELUS
V: The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary,
R: And she conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen
V. Behold the handmaid of the Lord.
R. Be it done unto to me according to thy word.
(Repeat the Hail Mary)
V. And the Word was made flesh,
R. And dwelt among us.
(Repeat the Hail Mary)
V. Pray for us O Holy Mother of God,
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
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.
