Back again - maybe . . .

It's almost 5 months since I posted anything on this blog, and I'd more or less decided that my blogging days were over, at least for a long while but it seems that there have been several occasions recently when I've been thinking, 'Oh, I could have blogged about that'.

So, I thought I'd just make contact again with the blogosphere and see if anyone out there still remembers me . . .

I have always said that this is not a Catholic blog but rather a blog written by someone who happens to be a Catholic.

I started this blog originally as way of communicating and sharing news with friends and family, especially as we have a lot of family in far-flung parts and don't see much of them.

Looking back, I noticed that I was blogging more and more about my faith and religion-related items. I think this is probably related to the way I'm becoming increasingly 'engaged' with my faith and what is happening locally and universally in the Catholic Church.

Recently, I've joined a group of people praying the Angelus (or Regina Caeli) on Twitter. No, I haven't lost my marbles. It really does happen and is very prayerful and supportive to know that others are praying with you.

Interestingly, I looked back at some of my old posts and found that I have posted about the Angelus at least once a year for the past few years. If you click on the Angelus label underneath this post you'll see the posts in question. No great theological insights just my thoughts at that particular time.

I think I will try and post a bit more often again. This is not going to suddenly turn into a 'Catholic blog' after all but I reserve the right to post now and again on a 'Catholic' or 'Religious topic'

There will still, I hope, be room for quite random posts and of course for garden-related ones too, although the garden has been sadly neglected of late.

I think that's enough for now and I must go and get ready for the Regina Caeli . . .

The Angelus . . .

I always consider myself very fortunate in that we can hear the Angelus bell of our local church from inside our house.

This evening ours was a very quiet household, not that we're particularly noisy at the best of times. I was sitting at the computer, the Pater Familias was similarly quiet and Our Eldest was not yet home from work.

6pm and the bell rang out clearly three times. Occasionally I also hear it at midday on my day off if I'm at home or in the garden or walking around locally.

I love this sound. It sums up so much for me in just the three rings of the bell.

I love that it reminds me of the continuity of our faith. I always picture the famous Millet painting of the workers in the field pausing in their work to pray this simple prayer.

I too, can easily pause in whatever I am doing to spend the few minutes it takes to pray the Angelus prayer.

I was prompted to do a little research as I know very little about the origins of the Angelus.

The prayer in the form we know it today dates from the first half of the Sixteenth Century but the practice of reciting the Hail Mary three times in a row daily dates from at least the Twelfth Century. St Anthony of Padua strongly recommended it, and St Bonaventure, amongst others.

The ringing of a bell was introduced at this time so that all the faithful would know that after Compline it was time to recite the Hail Mary.

Pope Sixtus IV in 1475 endowed the recitation of the Angelus at noon with an indulgence, and this was extended by Pope Leo X to those who recited it in the morning, at noon and in the evening.

It is of course particularly relevant during Advent as we prepare for Our Lord's coming at Christmas as it is a devotion based on the Annunciation, the message of the Incarnation delivered by the Angel to Mary.

Feast of the Annunciation . . .

Looking at the calendar, there is a surprising number of Feasts that fall during Lent so we have plenty of days of joy to provide a bit of respite and lighten the mood of Lent.

Today's Feast of the Annunciation of the Lord is one of the most beautiful. It is such a significant feast after all. Where would be without Mary's willing acceptance of the role entrusted to her as Mother of Our Lord, Mother of the Church, our Mother?

The story of the message brought by an angel is so familiar to us that we almost take it for granted but what an incredible story it is.

I find it very difficult to imagine what it must have been like for a young girl in Mary's situation to hear the familiar (to us) words spoken by the angel Gabriel,

'Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you . . . '

And yet, such is Mary's faith, that she humbly accepts this with her response,

'I am the servant of the Lord; let it be done to me as you have said.'

Trying to think of modern day comparable situations just doesn't work. There are no comparable situations!

We are lucky where we live in that we can hear the Angelus bell from our local Catholic church which is still rung (albeit automatically) at noon and 6pm. Quite often on my day off I'm outside at midday coming back from a short walk or doing a bit of gardening and it's lovely to hear the bell and be able to quietly pray the Angelus.

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:

And she conceived by 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.

The Angelus ...

I was looking for something related to the Angelus when I came across this beautiful video on the fisheaters website. I hope you like it. This is especially for Mary.

A day off ...

Today was my day off, and as usual I have a mental list of all the things that I'd like to do. I think I may have mentioned this before, sorry. If I manage a couple of things from my list I think I've done quite well. Here are some of the items that make it to my list most weeks:

Have a little lie-in, i.e. get up at least half an hour later than usual.

Go to Mass.

Go for a walk.

Do several loads of washing.

Tackle the ironing. (Why do we always 'tackle' the ironing, I wonder?)

Do a bit of shopping.

Have a bit of a tidy up at home and sort out some of the piles of domestic paperwork.

Do a bit of gardening if the weather's not bad.

Have some time for myself doing something purely for me.

etc. etc. . . .

Today didn't start that well as I overslept and missed Mass. A good thing happened on my walk though. As I was nearly home, I heard the Angelus Bell (midday) ring out from our local church so I was able to walk the last few hundred metres praying the Angelus as I walked along in the sunshine. A little thing but it really pleased me and although it didn't compensate for missing Mass, I feel at least I didn't have a completely God-less day!

As to the other things on my list, I managed some ironing but the basket still looks fairly full as new stuff gets added all the time. Does anyone else feel a bit like Sisyphus pushing that old boulder up the hill when they think about ironing, or housework in general?

I also had a lovely wander around the shops looking at all the new season's clothes that are now appearing everywhere. (That was purely for me!)