Angelus

[henrikhank]

Pax!
Some people say the Angelus prayer thrice a day. Why do they meditate on the annunciation instead of the crucifixion? I, think it has to do with the fact that we should meditate on Mary’s yes to God. Could someone please explain!

 

[Dorothy]

Pax!
Some people say the Angelus prayer thrice a day. Why do they meditate on the annunciation instead of the crucifixion? I, think it has to do with the fact that we should meditate on Mary’s yes to God. Could someone please explain!

That sounds correct in that we meditate on Mary’s yes to God.

Of course we should meditate on the Passion of our Lord as well. I think that meditating on Mary’s yes to God, it also reminds me to pick up my cross and follow her Son.

 

[Bookcat]

The the Word was made Flesh!

Such is about the incarnation of the Son of God - the Logos. Yes the Yes of Mary is very much part of this and quite important - but it is not the center.

The Center is “and the Word was made Flesh and dwelt among us”

And note that the concluding prayer speaks of his Passion and Resurrection…

Much there in that ancient little prayer…

 

[Bookcat]

vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/angelus/2008/documents/hf_ben-xvi_ang_20081221_en.html

 

[Bookcat]

“…recommended that the faithful be encouraged to pray the Angelus. This prayer, simple yet profound, allows us “to commemorate daily the mystery of the Incarnate Word”. It is only right that the People of God, families and communities of consecrated persons, be faithful to this Marian prayer traditionally recited at sunrise, midday and sunset. In the Angelus we ask God to grant that, through Mary’s intercession, we may imitate her in doing his will and in welcoming his word into our lives. This practice can help us to grow in an authentic love for the mystery of the incarnation.”

~ Pope Benedict XVI Verbum Domini

 

[OraLabora]

The the Word was made Flesh!

Such is about the incarnation of the Son of God - the Logos. Yes the Yes of Mary is very much part of this and quite important - but it is not the center.

The Center is “and the Word was made Flesh and dwelt among us”

And note that the concluding prayer speaks of his Passion and Resurrection…

Much there in that ancient little prayer…

Indeed, it’s like a mini version of the meditations of the Rosary.

To the OP, the entire angelus has the following elements

-The annunciation
-Mary’s assent to God’s will for her
-The incarnation
-An invocation to Mary to intercede for us
-A concluding prayer about the incarnation, the passion, and the resurrection of Christ.

It’s the entire economy of salvation in a quite short prayer easily said from memory wherever one is. In my case, I pray it after Vigils (Office of Readings) which I pray from 6-6:20 am, after Sext (12-12:10 pm) and after Compline (before bed), following the practice of the monastery I’m associated with as oblate.

 

[Corki]

Pax!
Some people say the Angelus prayer thrice a day. Why do they meditate on the annunciation instead of the crucifixion? I, think it has to do with the fact that we should meditate on Mary’s yes to God. Could someone please explain!

The Angelus is primarily a meditation on the incarnation. Don’t let the name fool you; it’s simply the first words of the prayer in Latin. But why would you think that all prayers be focused on the crucifixion?

 

[porthos11]

The Incarnation is the other great core Mystery of Christianity, after the Trinity itself. That is the whole point of the Angelus: that God became Man.

The Incarnation is no small matter for the Catholic Church. Every time the Incarnation is mentioned, Catholics always respond to it with a special gesture, notably at Mass, when we bow every time the Incarnation is mentioned during the Creed. We genuflect (an act of adoration!) whenever “And the Word was made flesh” is recited at the Angelus and the Last Gospel at Mass. It’s because of the profoundness of the Mystery.

 

[Bookcat]

“…recommended that the faithful be encouraged to pray the Angelus. This prayer, simple yet profound, allows us “to commemorate daily the mystery of the Incarnate Word”. It is only right that the People of God, families and communities of consecrated persons, be faithful to this Marian prayer traditionally recited at sunrise, midday and sunset. In the Angelus we ask God to grant that, through Mary’s intercession, we may imitate her in doing his will and in welcoming his word into our lives. This practice can help us to grow in an authentic love for the mystery of the incarnation.”

~ Pope Benedict XVI Verbum Domini