THE ANGELUS
The "Angelus" by Jean Francois Millet (1857)
This famous painting reminds us of church
bells ringing three times a day (morning, noon and evening) in France and
other countries, calling people to thoughts of God when the busy tasks of
the day were taking precedence in their lives.
Even without the bells, it is a wonderful
collection of prayers to stop and recite together, or alone, and to use for
meditation in today's no less busy world. Our family was reminded of
the beauty and importance of the Angelus by a Redemptorist priest visiting
our parish one year.
In his "Short History of the Angelus", Giuseppe
Luppino tells us of the origins of the Angelus. It grew from the practice
of reciting the Hail Mary three times in a row dating at least as
far back as the 12th century, and St Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) strongly
recommended it.
If you don't have a copy of the Angelus prayers,
here's one for you to print out and share with your family at mealtimes
or whenever you have time. All of the basics of Christ's birth, death
and resurrection are included for us to focus our meditation as we pray.
Family Angelus
Leader: The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.
Family: And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.
Leader: Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord
is with thee (you).
Blessed
art thou (you) among women,
And
blessed is the fruit of thy (your) womb, Jesus.
Family: Holy Mary Mother of God, pray for us
sinners,
now
and at the hour of our death. Amen
Leader: Behold the handmaid of the Lord.
Family: Be it one to me according to Thy (Your) word.
Leader: Hail Mary, full of grace, etc. .
. .
Family: Holy Mary, etc. . . .
Leader: And the Word was made flesh.
Famiily: And dwelt among us.
Leader: Hail Mary, etc. . . .
Family: Holy Mary, etc. . . .
Leader: Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
Family: That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Leader: Let us pray:
Family: Pour forth, we beseech You, O Lord,
Thy (Your) grace into our hearts,
that we to whom the Incarnation of Christ, Thy (Your) 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
If you experience any trouble with downloading the
audio, please write to us at: seekey@gvtc.com
FROM EASTER SUNDAY UNTIL PENTECOST
SUNDAY
WE PRAY THE REGINA COELI
(Queen of Heaven
)
Leader: Queen of heaven, rejoice.
Family: Alleluia.
Leader: For He whom thou didst deserve to bear
Family: Alleluia.
Leader: Hath risen as He said
Family: Alleluia.
Leader: Pray for us to God
Family: Alleluia.
Leader: Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, Alleluia.
Family: Because Our Lord is truly risen, Alleluia.
Leader: Let us pray
Leader and Family: O God, who by the resurrection of Thy Son, Our
Lord Jesus Christ, hast vouchsafed to make glad the whole world, grant,
we beseech Thee, that, through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, His
Mother, we may attain the joys of eternal life.
Through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.
NOTES ON THE PAINTING:
According to barbizon-france.com, this painting was
commissioned by an American, Thomas Appleton, in 1857 but he never had
possession of the picture and little was heard of it for two years. It
was initially titled "Prayer for the Potato Crop". By 1859 J. F.
Millet had changed it to "The Angelus". During that period he also
added the steeple we see in the far background, which fully carries out
the theme, so that we can almost imagine the bells tolling in the
distance.
Along the way, there were many owners of this masterpiece.
The painting was first shown to the public in 1865. Later, after
the Metropolitan Museum of Art displayed it, it went back to France and
eventually made its way to the Louvre.
Jean Francois Millet
This webpage copyright by Evelyn Sichi
2002