Let's talk about Sext. This Hour of prayer comes right in the middle of the day and is the time when we usually stop for the noon meal. Traditionally, it is also the time for a prayer for peace.
In medieval Europe, towns and villages grew up with monasteries and cathedrals at their centers. The monks, nuns and priests were educators. They were charitable, they practiced healing arts and, of course, they taught the villagers how to worship God. As these spiritual leaders went through their liturgical days, they rang the bells that called themselves and the villagers to prayer and to the celebration of Mass. People who were busy in their homes and shops or working in the fields would hear the bells and be reminded to think of God.
At noon, the bells called Angelus were rung. Angelus refers to angels and especially to the angel who announced to Mary that she would become the mother of Christ. Upon Mary's acceptance God's will for her, Heaven descended to earth and the earthly life of Jesus began. When He was born, angels appeared again with more wonderful announcements. One of them was that God was offering peace to earth and good will to men.
In medieval Europe, towns and villages grew up with monasteries and cathedrals at their centers. The monks, nuns and priests were educators. They were charitable, they practiced healing arts and, of course, they taught the villagers how to worship God. As these spiritual leaders went through their liturgical days, they rang the bells that called themselves and the villagers to prayer and to the celebration of Mass. People who were busy in their homes and shops or working in the fields would hear the bells and be reminded to think of God.
At noon, the bells called Angelus were rung. Angelus refers to angels and especially to the angel who announced to Mary that she would become the mother of Christ. Upon Mary's acceptance God's will for her, Heaven descended to earth and the earthly life of Jesus began. When He was born, angels appeared again with more wonderful announcements. One of them was that God was offering peace to earth and good will to men.
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Heaven come down to earth, carrying the offer of peace with God, and that's the promise of the Angelus bells.
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There is a famous painting of two peasants standing in a field with their heads bowed in prayer. Their meal is waiting at their feet while they pray and in the background we can see the church whose bells have called them from their work. The painting is called "The Angelus". The couple are praying for peace for themselves, their village and, perhaps, the world. It is a quiet image that makes me wonder what has become of the days when people made time for prayer during the day.
There is a famous painting of two peasants standing in a field with their heads bowed in prayer. Their meal is waiting at their feet while they pray and in the background we can see the church whose bells have called them from their work. The painting is called "The Angelus". The couple are praying for peace for themselves, their village and, perhaps, the world. It is a quiet image that makes me wonder what has become of the days when people made time for prayer during the day.
These days, stopping as a whole community to rest and eat a meal in the middle of the day is out of fashion. Lunch is just a necessity and it is often part of getting the job done. We eat at our desks, hold meetings while "doing lunch" or squeeze errands into that precious hour. We certainly don't encourage each other to think of angels or to pray for peace. Quite the opposite. Too often we are wrestling with the demons of our fast-paced day and struggling with keeping our anxieties under control.
Pausing to pray at Sext can help bring peace back into our experience. It reminds us that there is more to our lives than work and the material world. There are angels who have brought us messages from God. There is God Himself who offers peace to His world.
There is also, every day, the opportunity to sit down to a brief, but gracious meal. We can take whatever food we are eating and turn it into a celebration of thanks. We can breathe deeply and be grateful for the constant provision of God in our lives. We can take time to really taste the food and think of all the people who worked to grow it, to prepare it and to bring it to our table. Lunch can become an act of sharing life with others in our world and with the Lord. It can contribute to our peace and to our prayers for peace.
I recently read of a symbol of faith that is depicted as a wreath of thorns. In the middle, floating untouched by the thorns, is the word Pax which is latin for peace. Our days are sometimes like that wreath of thorns, but Sext can be the peace in the middle. Stopping to pray for peace, to give thanks to God and to be grateful for other people will help us experience peace and carry it with us into the rest of the day.
Selah.
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Next we will think together about None.
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