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Jared Dees

Day 5: Annunciation Novena

Pray the Annunciation Novena

Learn more about this novena here: The Annunciation Novena.

Day 5 Reflection: From Fear to Trust

From Praying the Angelus (pp. 74-75).

We have such an interesting relationship with God’s will. Much of the time, we know what God wants us to do, but we’re afraid that it won’t make us happy. When we resist God’s will, we almost always have other plans in place that we are afraid to lose. We want things done our way. Pope Francis addressed this state of affairs in a 2013 Twitter post:

Mary “was greatly troubled at what was said” according to the Gospel of Luke; in fact, the angel had to comfort her: “Do not be afraid” (Lk 1:29–30). Her fear then turned to doubt: “How can this be?” she asked the angel, who reassured her that “nothing will be impossible for God” (Lk 1:34, 37).

When we have big decisions to make in life, we should expect to feel that fear at first. We should even expect, like Mary, to enter into periods of doubt about the possibility of God’s will for our lives will become a reality. Ultimately, like Mary, we can turn to God in loving trust when faced with difficult choices. We may not know what the future holds, but we can be confident that God’s love for us is much greater than we can understand.

Do you have any decisions that you are unsure of or afraid to act upon? You may know in your heart what you have to do. Pray for the courage to act. Decide, and place your trust in the Lord, just as Mary did.

The Annunciation Novena

O most holy Virgin Mary,
to whom God sent the Angel Gabriel
to announce that you should be the mother of his only-begotten Son,
pray for us who have recourse to you.

Holy, lovely Mary,
We give our all to you
What is past and present,
And the future, too.
Blessed be the holy and Immaculate Conception of the most blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God.

(State your intention here . . .)

V. The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.
R. 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

V. Behold the handmaid of the Lord.
R. Be it done to 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.

Day 4: Annunciation Novena

Pray the Annunciation Novena

Learn more about this novena here: The Annunciation Novena.

Day 4 Reflection: Becoming Handmaids

From Praying the Angelus (pp. 72-73).

When we meditate upon the Angelus, we put ourselves into the stories and prayers that we recite. We imagine ourselves as Mary as we speak her words: “Behold the handmaid of the Lord. . . . Be it done unto me according to your word” (Lk 1:38). This is the only phrase of the Angelus in which we recite an actual person’s words. Elsewhere, we tell parts of the Annunciation and Incarnation and pray with one another for Mary’s intercession.

It is fascinating that we take on Mary’s persona in our prayerful journey to become more like her. Each time we pray her ancient words, we make them new and unite our current thoughts, troubles, hopes, dreams, and worries to them.

Each time we declare ourselves to be God’s handmaids and proclaim our openness to his will, we invite his presence into our lives in a new and different  way—and we are called to serve him and those around us in a new and different way.

How is God calling you to be a handmaid today? Is it as a parent or a spouse? Are you to be a handmaid to your boss at work or to the customers you serve through your job? Are you to be a handmaid in your parish? Are you to be a handmaid to the strangers you see or meet today? Or are you to be a handmaid directly to the Lord? Consider who God is calling you to serve today, and make a special effort to serve with joy.

 

The Annunciation Novena

O most holy Virgin Mary,
to whom God sent the Angel Gabriel
to announce that you should be the mother of his only-begotten Son,
pray for us who have recourse to you.

Holy, lovely Mary,
We give our all to you
What is past and present,
And the future, too.
Blessed be the holy and Immaculate Conception of the most blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God.

(State your intention here . . .)

V. The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.
R. 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

V. Behold the handmaid of the Lord.
R. Be it done to 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.

Day 3: Annunciation Novena

Pray the Annunciation Novena

Learn more about this novena here: The Annunciation Novena.

Day 3 Reflection: Behold, Be Bold

From Praying the Angelus (pp. 69-70).

We don’t use the word “behold” very often in conversation; it is usually reserved for dramatic moments in movies or books. It is a word we might hear announcing something great and magnificent. “Behold” suggests something powerful and incredible and amazing.

You would never use this word to draw attention to yourself in regular conversation, right?

Well, Mary does, but in a unique way.

She doesn’t respond to the angel with an announcement of her greatness as the future Queen of Heaven. Instead she proclaims, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord” (see Lk 1:38).

Behold the handmaid? The very idea of beholding a humble servant is so counterintuitive. Yet Mary embraces her humility and expresses with great passion her willingness to serve God wholeheartedly. At this moment, her very soul is proclaiming the greatness not of her own gifts but of the Lord.

In artwork depicting the Annunciation, Mary is nearly always depicted with such a quiet, serene, and timid look on her face. This imagery falls short of capturing the boldness of Mary’s response to the angel. To the angel’s announcement in Luke 1:31 that “Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,” Mary responds with that same level of authority and graceful power to “behold” her as a humble yet awe-inspiring handmaid of the Lord.

Be bold in your commitment to humility in life. Like St. Paul, boast in your weakness and dependence on God (see 2 Cor 12:1–11). Only God can create goodness in the world through you.

All of us want to have complete control over some areas of our lives, areas we resist entrusting to God. Whether it is a career path, a relationship, or a bad habit in your life that you are holding on to, be bold in your commitment to deny yourself and turn that part of your life over to God. It will be scary at first, but with this commitment and trust in God comes a great gift of peace that can never be obtained on our own.

 

The Annunciation Novena

O most holy Virgin Mary,
to whom God sent the Angel Gabriel
to announce that you should be the mother of his only-begotten Son,
pray for us who have recourse to you.

Holy, lovely Mary,
We give our all to you
What is past and present,
And the future, too.
Blessed be the holy and Immaculate Conception of the most blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God.

(State your intention here . . .)

V. The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.
R. 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

V. Behold the handmaid of the Lord.
R. Be it done to 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.

Day 2: Annunciation Novena

Pray the Annunciation Novena

Learn more about this novena here: The Annunciation Novena.

Day 2 Reflection: Mary’s Creative Inspiration

From Praying the Angelus (pp. 67-68).

Artists, writers, actors, comedians, and other creative people will tell you that they do not know where inspiration comes from. They sit down and work. Sometimes inspiration strikes and something beautiful is created. Sometimes inspiration doesn’t arrive and the art they make is less satisfying.

Artists don’t have to be religious in order to come to the realization that inspiration has a spiritual, uncontrollable nature. Knowing they are not making the art all by themselves is what can make artists humble. Art is created in unity with something deeper, something subconscious and difficult to describe. The artist’s role is to humbly accept creativity and inspiration when it arrives and bring art into the world.

This is how the Holy Spirit, the giver of life, works in the world.

When we pray the Angelus, we affirm the Spirit’s power at work in the world. Mary did not create Jesus, but neither was she merely a vessel. The Spirit worked through Mary, and Mary was filled with the grace to accept her role in bringing Christ into the world.

Like Mary and like the artist, we, too, can accept the creative inspiration to bring something amazing into the world.

What act of creation is the Spirit working to create with and through you today? You do not have to be an artist or a writer to experience inspiration. What ideas and actions are you feeling compelled by but unsure if you should bring about right now? May we have courage, like Mary, to respond to God’s inspiration.

The Annunciation Novena

O most holy Virgin Mary,
to whom God sent the Angel Gabriel
to announce that you should be the mother of his only-begotten Son,
pray for us who have recourse to you.

Holy, lovely Mary,
We give our all to you
What is past and present,
And the future, too.
Blessed be the holy and Immaculate Conception of the most blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God.

(State your intention here . . .)

V. The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.
R. 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

V. Behold the handmaid of the Lord.
R. Be it done to 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.

Day 1: Annunciation Novena

Pray the Annunciation Novena

Learn more about this novena here: The Annunciation Novena.

Day 1 Reflection: The Declarative

From Praying the Angelus (pp. 63-64).

Look closely at the first chapter of the Gospel of Luke. The angel speaks in declarative sentences. A declarative sentence, you might recall from your English classes, differs from imperative sentences (commands), exclamatory sentences (strong feelings), and interrogative sentences (questions). A declarative sentence simply makes a definitive statement.

The angel doesn’t express strong feelings or ask questions. He doesn’t give commands. He makes definitive statements about God’s will and his work in the world. He has not come to Mary with a request. He has come to her bearing the good news of God’s work in her life and the life of her cousin Elizabeth. He declares unto Mary.

How does God communicate with us? Is he asking us questions? Is he giving us commands or making requests?

What if, instead, God communicates his will for us in the declarative? When you think of a God who declares his will rather than requesting our response, you start to understand the power of the Incarnation. God is here. He is with us. He is active and working in the world whether we are aware of it or not. May we have the courage to let his will be done to us according to his Word.

Are you open to God’s declaration of his will in the world, or are you resistant to the destiny he is making known? Pray for the courage to accept and welcome God’s will, to let his will be done in you.

The Annunciation Novena

O most holy Virgin Mary,
to whom God sent the Angel Gabriel
to announce that you should be the mother of his only-begotten Son,
pray for us who have recourse to you.

Holy, lovely Mary,
We give our all to you
What is past and present,
And the future, too.
Blessed be the holy and Immaculate Conception of the most blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God.

(State your intention here . . .)

V. The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.
R. 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

V. Behold the handmaid of the Lord.
R. Be it done to 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.

Why ND Vision Prays the Angelus with Hundreds of Teenagers Every Summer

vision_smNotre Dame Vision engages high school and college students, as well as professional youth, campus and music ministers, in a robust exploration of God’s call and our response. Vision conducts summer conferences, initiatives for pastoral leadership formation, and academic endeavors for theological enrichment.

Teens at ND Vision Praying the Angelus

Teens at ND Vision Praying the Angelus

Read this entire article, by ND Vision Director Leonard DeLorenzo, at the ChurchLife Journal website

Making faith appealing to young people seems to require efforts to excite the senses and incite emotion.

While such strategies of evangelization may have their place, praying the Angelus once daily with hundreds of high school students and another 70 college students during the summer at Notre Dame Vision witnessed to the possibilities for renewing the Church through simple practices of the ancient faith.

The prayer was a part of their daily routine and, because of that, they opened the teenagers to the possibilities for how everything else they did during their time together was connected to the remembrance of the Incarnation in the middle of our day. They trusted in the practice first of all, while also trusting that the practice would lead to understanding.

The practice of praying the Angelus invites us to discover the ways in which the activities, encounters, and general busyness of our daily existence harmonize with God’s action for us and with us.

At the same time, this simple daily practice will, over time, prompt the one who prays to recognize where there is disharmony between her daily life and the love of God that Jesus Christ poured into the world.

This is the great hope for all those who gather at Notre Dame Vision each summer, just as it is the great hope of the Church for the world: to receive the incarnate gift of God’s love and to allow one’s own bodily existence to move in harmony with this gift.

With the Angelus—as with all Catholic devotions—the practice initiates one into a way of life that, over time, allows for transformation and understanding.

As juxtaposed with approaches to evangelization that prioritize affective conversions, emotional attachments, or the hook of entertainment, small commitments to particular practices like praying the Angelus build up a communion-of-beginners and trust in the slow formative effects of specific bodily actions.

ND Vision and the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame is has a wonderful at called “3D Catholic,” which can be downloaded here. “3D” stands for three devotions: prayer (Angelus), fasting (no meat on Fridays), and almsgiving (corporal works of mercy).

This brief testimony was adapted from Leonard DeLorenzo’s article, “Daily Prayer, the Incarnation, and the Discipline of Harmony” DeLorenzo is the director of ND Vision and the author of the book, Witness.

Why Dorothy Day Prayed the Angelus with the Catholic Worker Communities

dorothy-dayServant of God Dorothy Day (1897–1980) was a pacifist, social commentator, journalist, convert to Catholicism, and cofounder of the Catholic Worker movement. Day cofounded the Catholic Worker movement in 1933 with Peter Maurin to live and spread the vision of Catholic social teaching.

The following excerpt was taken from Reflections during Advent by Dorothy Day, which originally appeared in the Ave Maria, November 26, 1966. In the reflection for the First Week of Advent, she describes the importance of Marian devotion in her life. 

Every day at the Catholic Worker Farm when we gather for meals we say the Angelus before asking God’s blessing on us and the food we eat. And it rejoices me to hear all the men, who are in the majority, saying, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done unto me according to Thy Word,” and repeating together that marvelous and yet terrible prayer:

“Pour forth we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts, that we to whom the incarnation of Christ was made known by the message of an angel, may by His passion and cross be brought to the glory of His resurrection.”

This incarnation came about by Mary’s consent, she “through whom we have received the author of life.”

So Advent must begin with Mary, who presents us with the infant Christ. “The flesh of Jesus is the flesh of Mary,” St. Augustine wrote. “The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.”

When I go to the crib this year I will think, as I always do, that we are not dependent on the governments of this world for our safety, but “the government will be upon His shoulder.” This baby cradled in a manger, this boy talking to the doctors in the temple, this youth working with St. Joseph as carpenter, this teacher walking the roads of Palestine, “Do whatever He tells you,” Mary told us.

Why Jared Dees Prays the Angelus

Why Pray the Angelus

My new book, Praying the Angelus: Find Joy, Peace, and Purpose in Everyday Life, is now officially on sale. Find it on Amazon or wherever books are sold.

Here’s what I find to be most interesting about Catholic devotions like the Rosary, novenas, and the Angelus: they are passed on from one person to another.

This may not be some profound revelation. Maybe it is obvious to you, but the implications are extremely important.

The way you pray today was influenced by others. Your prayer life was inspired by the prayer lives of others. You heard about a devotion or someone invited you to do it yourself and now whether years or days later, you have made it your own.

The Angelus has changed my life. I won’t presume to know if it will change your life, but I think it will. I can’t tell you how God will touch your life through this prayer, but I can say this: God has deeply touched my heart through the daily practice of this prayer and I think he can do the same for you if you take some small time out of your day to try it.

So, this is no article on “Why YOU should pray the Angelus.” Frankly, I don’t know what God has in store for you through this devotion.

What I will do is share why I pray the Angelus. I hope it convinces you to give it a try too.

(To read a much deeper history and background to the prayer and to reflect on the words of the devotion with many short meditations, I hope you will check out the book, Praying the Angelus.)

I pray the Angelus because someone invited me to do it.

In all honesty, this is the simplest answer. I pray the Angelus because of an invitation from Fr. Terry.

Before that invitation, I had barely known about the prayer. Only a century earlier, nearly every Catholic would have prayed the Angelus every single day. Still churches ring bells calling us to pray the Angelus, yet so few of us today heed the call.

The fix to that problem is very, very simple. All it takes is an invitation.

Fr. Terry invited me and my 3rd grace catechesis class to pray the Angelus one Advent season and so we did. I made it a part of my daily routine. Then I invited my wife to pray it with me. Later we included our kids in the devotion. We’ve prayed it with friends and family.

Now, I extend that invitation to you.

(Visit TheAngelusPrayer.com for more information and to get the text for the prayer.)

I pray the Angelus because it unites our family together.

When I first started praying the Angelus, I tried to make it my own personal devotion. Big mistake.

I was (I am embarrassed to say) afraid to share the devotion from my wife. I didn’t think she would want to pray something so Catholic and so routine with me (which, of course, was absurd). I can’t tell you how grateful I am to have gotten over that fear of sharing this prayer with her. It has become an important part of our morning and evening routines at home.

I always used to wonder how Catholic married couples prayed with each other. Here is a very simple devotion for couples to share together.

Later on, we started praying it with our kids too. To be honest, it is the first Catholic devotion that we are able to get about a 100% participation. We have tried–unsuccessfully like many families–to establish a Sunday evening Rosary routine. The beads often distract everyone from really paying attention. The Angelus, however, is short and it doesn’t take long for the kids to memorize their parts.

(Side note: During Easter, Catholics pray the Regina Caeli instead of the Angelus. You should see the joy on children’s faces when proclaiming “Alleluia!” during this Easter devotion.)

Now our kids are praying it at school each day and recently, for the first time, they started asking if they could lead the prayer instead of me. I was one very proud father!

I pray the Angelus because it reminds me why I am here.

As a devotion that we practice at specific times each day ( 6:00 a.m, noon, 6:00 p.m.), I always have something I feel is important going on when it comes time to pray. I always want to push through something I’m writing or doing. I can always try to justify in some way why I could just put off the prayer until later later.

That’s the beauty of this devotion. You have to stop whatever you are doing and pray. That puts into context what you are doing with your time. You realize that everything we have, especially our time, is a gift from God. You realize that he visits us in unexpected ways (like the angel and Mary) and that he dwells among us wherever we are.

We cannot hide anything from God. There is nothing that we do with our time that isn’t fully his gift. He wants to be present in everything we do. The Angelus is a daily reminder of that. I stop, pray, and realize that even in the article, book, worksheet, workshop, or email I’m writing, he is here. He is present and I am here to serve him alone.

I pray the Angelus because the words stick with me throughout the day.

One of the biggest hurdles I needed to get over in adding this devotion to my life, was a shallow understanding of memorized prayers as a Catholic.

As someone who spent a lot of time in Protestant churches growing up, I always felt that spontaneous prayer said with emotion was superior to those rote, memorized prayers that we said as Catholics.

Boy was I wrong.

The prayers we pray repeatedly, like the Angelus, program our minds for a spiritual purpose. By praying these words again and again, they start to echo in our minds throughout our day.

By praying the Angelus, for example, I started to:

  • recognize the “Angelus moments” in my day where I had the unexpected opportunity to be a servant (handmaid) to others.
  • accept each new challenge or obstacle in my days as an opportunity to repeat Mary’s words: “be it done unto me according to thy word.”
  • to realize that the Word was present everywhere I went and not just in sacred spaces.

The words stick with you when you pray them constantly. They open your eyes to seeing the world very differently.

I pray the Angelus because it keeps me humble.

Surprised by an angel, Mary had to change whatever plans she had in place before the Annunciation. She was a humble servant of the Lord open to his will becoming a reality in her life. Through her “yes,” the Word was made flesh and God dwelt among us, taking human form. We turn to her in prayer because we desperately need the grace from God to be made worthy of Christ’s promises.

How can you pray the Angelus and not become a humble servant like Mary–Mary and all of the saints?

Think about that word “Behold!” from the second stanza of the prayer. It is a word that should announce something or someone grand and majestic, yet the word is used to point not to a queen but to a handmaid, a servant. This is because through this dedication to humble service, we are open to God’s grace in our lives.

The Regina Caeli takes its name from the opening lines of the prayer, “Queen of heaven, rejoice! Alleluia!”

How did Mary become queen? She first was a handmaid.

It was a true Cinderella story and one that we can follow too.

Why Will You Pray the Angelus?

This is my invitation: pray the Angelus with me.

Unite with me and thousands, if not millions, who pray the Angelus each day. Find out why God is calling you to make this devotion your own and something to be shared among friends and family.

If this devotion is new to you, then check out the resources at TheAngelusPrayer.com.

Or, I hope you will enjoy reading and praying with the book, Praying the Angelus. It offers an introduction to the prayer and a guide to making it your own. The meditations will help you reflect on each phrase of the prayer and, I hope, go deeper into your encounter with Christ.

The Angelus

V. The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.
R. 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

V. Behold the handmaid of the Lord.
R. Be it done to 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.

The Angelus and Lent

Praying the Angelus by Jared Dees

The following meditation is an excerpt from Praying the Angelus: Find Joy, Peace, and Purpose in Everyday Life which is on sale now during this first week of Lent. Consider making the Angelus one of your Lenten prayer commitments this year! 

We pray the Regina Caeli during Easter since it celebrates the Resurrection, but we pray the Angelus during all the other liturgical seasons. While we might say that it is especially relevant during Advent due to its focus on the Annunciation and the Incarnation, it does contain a perfect tie-in with the season of Lent.

The Angelus closes with a testimony to the Passion and Cross of Christ. After focusing on the beginning of Jesus’ time here on earth, we remember his end. The mystery of the Incarnation cannot be isolated from the Passion and Death of our Lord, for it is not through the Incarnation alone that we find salvation but through Christ’s saving work in the Paschal Mystery.

His complete self-sacrifice leads us into grace. His humiliation opens the path to glory.

The Paschal Mystery is a traditional topic for Lenten meditation. We remember that our God loved us so much that he died for us. We remind ourselves that the true path to glory is the path of the Cross.

We give of ourselves and give up all attachments so that we can grow closer to Christ. Through this humility come joy and the glory of the Resurrection.

The Angelus makes for a wonderful Lenten devotion because it promotes detachment (“Be it done unto me”) and selfless serving of others (“Behold the handmaid of the Lord”) and keeps our minds on the Paschal Mystery (“[may we] by his Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of his Resurrection”).

Angelus Meditation

Think about what you gave up during the most recent (or current) season of Lent. Relate that sacrifice to the words of the Angelus.

How did you live out (or are you living out) the words we pray during the Angelus by making that sacrifice during Lent?

What You Leave Behind

As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen.

He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him.

Matthew 4:18-20

When Jesus calls the first disciples, they are busy fisherman. Like others at this time in history, a career was something you learned through apprenticeships. It was likely that they had been fishermen their entire lives.

Yet, the moment they meet Jesus, they are willing to drop everything and follow him. They left their nets behind.

In the Angelus we echo the words of Mary and pray,

“Behold, the handmaid of the Lord.
Be it done unto me according to thy word.”

Repeating these words time after time, day after day begins to have an impact on our minds and hearts. We will begin, over time, to seek out opportunities to let God’s will be done in our lives. We will recognize our identity as humble servants of the Lord.

Like the disciples and like Mary, who left behind her plans to be an ordinary wife and mother with Joseph, we will be given the opportunity to leave behind a life we came to expect. We will leave behind what we feel is comfortable.

What we gain is complete dependence on the Lord who uses our gifts, skills, and desires to fulfill his will.

The disciples, who were fisherman, became fishers of men.

Mary, who was to be wife and mother, becomes the Mother of God.

You are to be something important, but God is calling you to be something important for him.

This may be scary, but our declaration of openness to God’s word is followed by the recognition of God’s presence:

“The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.”

God is with us today calling us to follow him.

What is he calling you to leave behind?