The Angelus

“Three times a day Our Lady wants us to sit upon her lap, morning, noon and evening, and say to her:

‘My Mother, I love You. Love me too, and give me a sip of the Will of God for my soul. Give me Your blessing also, that I might do all my actions under Your maternal gaze.’” This is an excerpt from the book The Virgin Mary in the Kingdom of the Divine Will by Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta detailing messages she has received from Our Lady herself. What a beautiful visual. Mary never ceases to prove that she simply just wants to be our mama. She wants us to come curl up in her lap and bring our lives to her, share our thoughts and hopes and fears and failures and successes and dreams with her.

I also love that she asks us to come to her 3 times a day like this- when reading this I immediately thought of the Angelus prayer. The Angelus prayer has roots back to the 13th century and is traditionally recited 3 times a day… 6am (sometimes 9am instead), noon, and 6pm. Religious communities that pray this often had bells that would sound at these times reminding folks to pray. I was recently reading about a diocesan elementary school that has a bell that rings at 9 and noon each day- all students stop whatever they’re doing, and then the Angelus is prayed over the PA system. In the article the school official made a beautiful point- she said, “Praying the Angelus interrupts whatever task you are in, just as the arrival of Christ in the Incarnation interrupts the world…Far from being a distraction, the welcome interruption of the Angelus teaches a life-long lesson: no activity is more important than prayer—not work, not study, not conversation, not even recess.” I loved that. The devotion gets its name from the angelic salutation of St. Gabriel to Mary. So not only is it kind of a neat prayer interruption, but it also reminds us to make our own “yesses” to God and submissions to God’s Will as we recall Mary’s “be it done to me according to thy word”. All that we have and all that we are promised in eternity is because of Mary’s “yes”.

If this is a devotion you feel called to add into your prayer life, but are overwhelmed at the thought of 3 times a day- start with just one time daily. Pick morning, noon, or evening and set an alarm and get used to building that into your day. Then once you’ve got it down, add in the second or third!

And now, take a second, quiet your mind, settle your body. Climb onto the lap of your Mother. Tell her whatever is on your heart. Tell her you love her and want to give this day to her. Thank her for her “yes” and ask her to help you with yours… and together we pray…

The Angelus

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary: 

And she conceived 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.

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.

Hail Mary...

And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.

Hail Mary...

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, 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. 

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Pray along with an audio version of this devotion here…