It was Sunday July 2. I was at St. Peter’s square with the
hundreds of pilgrims who had come to listen to Pope Francis’ Angelus preaching.
It was a scene that I had viewed many times on television and in photographs. How
blessed I felt to be a part of it all that day! The excitement of the crowd
grew when the papal window was thrown open and the red banner was let down. It
was soon followed by a loud roar of joy and applause when the Holy Father
appeared. The mood was celebratory but prayerful as we listened to the Holy
Father speak about the importance of being prophetic in our time. He said, “A prophet is the one who, by virtue of
Baptism, helps others read the present under the action of the Holy Spirit.
This is very important: to read the present not like news but under the action
of the Holy Spirit, who helps to understand God’s plans and conform to them.”
According to Pope Francis, the role of the prophet is to “show Jesus to others.”
The Holy Father urged us to pray for
Ukraine and other conflicts around the world. Finally, he extended special
greetings to various groups of pilgrims present in the Square.
Then, I heard it.
The sound of church bells ringing out across St. Peter’s. Loudly, joyfully,
vigorously the sound of those bells filled the Square. It was beautiful. I
hurried to get closer, to see those bells, to take it all in even more. The
sound of the church bells at the end of the Angelus made my day. I lingered
with my friends until the final notes gave way to silence. This is what the
psalmist must have meant when he wrote, “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all
the earth, serve the Lord with gladness…Enter his gates with thanksgiving and
his courts with praise. Give thanks to him; bless his name” (Psalm 100: 1-2, 4;
NRSV).
Bells became an
essential object in churches from around the eighth century when bell towers
began to be constructed. In Rome, it was Pope Stephen II (752-757) who constructed
a belfry with three bells.
In the Catholic
tradition, church bells are considered to be sacramentals. Like holy water, candles,
holy pictures, blessed palms and so on, they prepare us to receive God’s gift
of grace and to cooperate with it. May the sound of the bells at St. Peter’s
Square forever ring out God’s praises.
Carla Thomas
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