Discover the Grace of the Angelus: A Daily Prayer of Promise

Discover the Grace of the Angelus: A Daily Prayer of Promise

One of my favorite daily prayers is the Angelus. For me, it provides a grace-filled invitation to surrender my day to God, as Mary did, living out that prayer.

The Power of the Angelus:

Before its closing prayer (“Pour forth, we beseech You…”), there is an antiphon and response that always give me pause. The petition addressed to Mary is this:

Pray for us, O holy Mother of God;

That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Reflecting on Christ's Promises:

I always find myself invited, at that moment, to consider: just what ARE those “promises”?

If I search through the Gospels, I discover quite a few of them. And, if I’m honest with myself, I always need to acknowledge that the list is open-ended (and, like God’s mercies, “new every day”).

But here’s one that frequently bubbles up in my own heart:

Ask, and you shall receive; seek, and you shall find; knock, and the door will be opened for you (Luke 11:9).

What a Blessed Assurance that is!

A Conversation with Jesus:

But that’s only the beginning of a conversation that Jesus is inviting me to have with Him. A conversation that invites me to humility and dependence on His love and providence to seek what He knows is His Father’s dream for me.

And to ask: what promises do I want to make in return for that love?

A Call to Reflection:

Spend some time praying over what promises the Lord is making to you. It will lead to grace. I promise!

Fr. Mike French, SJ