Vox Dei – the voice of God

Vox Dei- the ‘Voice of the God’ Calls Us to Pray.

Over the weekend, as we sat praying the Rosary, the church bell that calls people to Mass, traditionally called the ‘Vox Dei’- ‘the voice of God’, was tolling in the background. As I listened, I was reminded of a cartoon, a Religious Sister friend had sent me recently, in which the animal characters dressed as a cleric and a friar were alone in an empty church and the friar was ringing the church bell. As he rang the bell the ‘friar’ comments that ‘he was ringing the bell to give the people comfort and hope’.
‘Public’ Masses may not be possible in many places at the moment, but ‘non-public’ Masses are still being celebrated by your priests. Here in the Friary, across the country and throughout the world the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is being offered for you and many requested intentions. When you next hear the bell ringing from your Church calling you to Mass, pause and pray a spiritual communion and allow your heart to raise – Mass is being said! Although you cannot be present, reach out to that altar with your heart and place your intentions there.
In addition, when we hear the Angelus bell ringing out from the church or on TV or radio let us pause and take time to pray the Angelus prayer. Let us remember that God so loved us that He sent his only Son; ‘The Word became flesh and dwelt amongst us!’ In these days of increasing concern, may we pray for each other, may the Angelus and Mass Bells call us to pause as a community to lift up our hearts and help us to draw comfort and hope from the ‘voice of God’.

Daily Mass available online from the Dominican Friars in St Mary’s Cork at
https://www.dominicanscork.ie/live-mass/