Jesus is coming... get ready

[Herman Blaydoe]

Last Sunday (Apostle Philip), our priest handed out little jingle bells at the dismissal at the end of Liturgy. We were each to take several and put them in our pockets. The story is that the donkey that carried the expecting Theotokos to Bethlehem had little bells on its blanket. The jingling of the bells say, in a small humble manner--befitting the humble manner inwhich our Lord and Kind came into the world--"Jesus is coming, get ready!"

I have several little bells in my pocket now. They jingle as I walk. They remind me during the Nativity fast: "Jesus is coming, get ready!"

[Fr Raphael Vereshack]

Dear Herman,
I hope some of those bells are also timed to jingle 13 days later!http://www.monachos.net/mb/clipart/happy.gif
In Christ- Fr Raphael

[Herman Blaydoe]

They stay in my pocket throughout the Fast, each and every day. Each step becomes a reminder, every jingle a musical voice saying: "Jesus is coming, get ready!"

Your parishioners can carry their bells thirteen days later if they wish....

[Sr Helen Stout]

Please exucuse my ignorance...I'm not orthodox. Bishop Kallistos celebrated the Liturgy in our Chapel in the summer. I was very impressed by the bells all around his vestments. Is this what they're all about? I didn't have the courage to ask him at the time. Perhaps we should also give our chaplain some bells on his chasuable!

Sorry about this little digression. It's a good place to ask questions, even daft ones!

[Alex Haig]

I've always understood that Bishops wear bells because the High Priest in the Temple in Jerusalem wore bells. This was becase he was the only one who was allowed into the Holy of Holies and even then only once a year: the bells were there so people outside could hear if he was moving around. Before the High Priest went into the Holy of Holies a rope was tied to him so that if the bells stop sounding (ie that he was dead) his body could be pulled out without someone else having to go into the Holy of Holies (which was forbidden).

I've also been told that if you can hear the Bishop's bells then he's moving far too quickly, but I'm not sure if the person who told me that was joking or not.

With love in Christ

Alex

[Fr Raphael Vereshack]

There is an aspect of Tradition very hard to put into words. At a church service one can really be struck very deeply by the total experience of the different sights & sounds. For example the sound of the bells on the censer from services on Mt Athos is still with me 10 years or more after the event.

Although the Church certainly has nothing against the outward expression of simplicity in Her life, She also expresses a richness of sight & sound that can take one into the Kingdom if one lets it.

There is an aesthetic side to life in the Church that flows organically from Her inner life. Those who tamper with this too much out of intellectual restlessness often end up losing something of great value.

In Christ- Fr Raphael