Wednesday Prayer - The Angelus

Praying the Angelus

For centuries, Catholics have prayed the Angelus as a devotion in honor of the Incarnation of Jesus.  The prayer echoes the story of Mary’s Fiat, her consent to become the mother of the Messiah.  Traditionally, the Angelus – a series of Gospel verses punctuated with the Hail Mary (words below) – was said three times daily when the church bells were rung, once in the morning, once at noon, and once in the evening.  Individuals can pray the entire prayer alone, though if the Angelus is prayed by a group, a leader alternates with the assembly. 

In recalling the Incarnation of the Son of God, God made flesh, we pray that we may be led “though his passion and cross to the glory of his resurrection.”  You may recognize Jean-François Millet’s famous painting titled “The Angelus,” which depicts two peasants stopping their work in the fields to meditate on the beauty of the Incarnation, and Mary’s role in that event.  They bow their heads at the words, "And the Word was made flesh..."

The Prayer:

V. The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary,
R. And she conceived by the Holy Spirit. Hail Mary…

V. Behold the handmaid of the Lord,
R. Be it done unto 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.

V. Let us pray.
R. 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.

Photo credit:  http://artisword.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/jean-francois-millet-the-angelus-1857-59.gif