Description
The Angelus is a centuries-old Catholic devotion that recalls the annunciation of Christ’s birth by the Angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary. In Praying the Angelus, popular author and speaker Jared Dees reinvigorates the devotion, shares intimately from his own experience of it, shows us how to get started, and enriches the practice with original meditations to reflect on the words of both the Angelus and the Regina Caeli.
Jared Dees was twenty-seven and in his fourth year of teaching religion in a Catholic school when he first experienced the Angelus. The creator of The Religion Teacher website allows the devotion to anchor his prayer life and challenge him to daily conversion of heart and will.
Dees introduces the Angelus devotion and explores its rich history and significance for the Church. As spiritual companion and guide, he offers meditations on the words and images of both the Angelus and the Regina Caeli, which is prayed during the Easter season. We find lessons about the power of repetitive prayer, the humility of being a disciple, the importance of admitting time belongs to God, the wisdom of taking time with discernment, and the joy of resting in the Lord’s presence. He shares personal stories of the life-change power of the Angelus and guides both newcomers and those already familiar with the prayer to contemplate the mysteries of salvation that lie at the heart of the devotion—the Annunciation, Incarnation, and Resurrection.
Named for the opening words of the devotion's first prayer in Latin, “The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary,” the Angelus is typically prayed at 6:00 a.m., noon, and 6:00 p.m. each day. Likewise the Regina Caeli is named for the opening lines of its prayer, “Queen of heaven, rejoice, alleluia.”
Praying the Angelus is supported by Dees’s website, TheAngelusPrayer.com, where people can gather online to participate in and share this devotion with others.
Product Details
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“Dees makes this ancient prayer of the Church come beautifully alive once again.”
“Jared Dees leads busy people to appreciate this biblically-rooted devotion and, through guided meditations, makes this ancient prayer of the Church come beautifully alive once again.”
Most Rev. Joseph E. Kurtz
Archbishop of Louisville
President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops -
“A necessary read.”
“Praying the Angelus is a necessary read for those seeking to develop an interior life based around the discipline of prayer. With the gift of a teacher, Dees treats the Angelus not simply as an ancient practice but as a school of prayer for the modern person.”
Timothy O’Malley
Director of the Notre Dame Center for Liturgy -
“The best explanation of the Angelus I've seen yet.”
“The best explanation of the Angelus I've seen yet, expanded with background, solid Catholic teachings, and personal anecdotes that bring this traditional Catholic devotion to life. This really is a keeper!”
Marge Fenelon
Author of Our Lady, Undoer of Knots -
“A perfect devotion for Lent.”
“Thanks to this little book, the Angelus will be a perfect devotion for me to incorporate into Lent—continuing through Easter with the Regina Caeli—and into ordinary time.”
Margaret Rose Realy
Author of The Catholic Gardener's Spiritual Almanac