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?
