Friends at Court

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XLIX, Issue 21, 25 May 1922, Page 3

Friends at Court

GLEANINGS FOR NEXT WEEK’S CALENDAR. f May 28, Sunday,—Sunday within the Octavo of the Ascension. ~ 29, Monday.—St. Mary Magdalen of Pazzi, Virgin. „ 30, Tuesday.—Of the Octavo of the Ascension. „ 31, Wednesday.—Octave of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Help of Christians. Juno 1, Thursday.—Octave of the Ascension. ~ 2, Friday.—Of the Feria. ',, 3, Saturday.—Vigil of Pentecost. Fast, no abstinence.

«? CHURCH BELLS. Napoleon was attending tho council of state on a certain day (writes Mgr. Henry), when the subject of religion was under earnest discussion'. “Last evening,” he said, “I was walking alone in the woods, amid the solitude of nature. The tones of a distant church bell fell on my car. Involuntarily I felt deep emotions — powerful is the influence of early habits and associations. I said to myself, ‘ If I feel thus, what must bo the influence of such impressions upon the popular mind?’ Let your philosophers answer that if they can. It is absolutely indispensable to have a religion for the people.” But what have bells to do with religion? Napoleon must have heard many other kinds of bells than those which do duty in the church or its steeple. Moreover, bells were not invented by or for the Church. In one form or another, but always doubtless very small in size, they were known to the ancient Chinese, Hindus, Babylonians, .Greeks, Romans, and were used for a variety 1 of purposes. Nevertheless, bolls grew to their present great size and beautiful tone solely under the inspiration of the Catholic Faith. The names associated with their history are those of churchmen and saints, who legislated for their Church uses, prescribed wonderfully beautiful ceremonial for their blessing, endowed them with Christian symbolism, provided both shelter and eminence for them in exquisite round towers, steeples, belfries, and campaniles. It is the province of a bishop to bless the church bell, and tho ceremony is solemn and stately, lengthy and impressive. The bell is washed and anointed, sprinkled with holy water, marked with crosses, incensed. As a rule, it is adorned with the figure of some saint to whose special honor it is dedicated, and it is provided with a suitable inscription. It is thus properly honored. For, as one old inscription tells its, it praises God, calls on us to praise Him, announces and welcomes and makes gladsome the Sundays and feasts of Holy Church, warns the living and laments the dead. The living hear it daily at morn, at noon, at eve, and reverently recall the Incarnation of the Son of God. In Catholic lands, the devout interrupt their work or play to do this. Millet’s “Angelus” comes to mind, and Joaquin Miller’s verses on the Mission Bells of California celebrate the twilight bell. An hour later, the De-Profundis bell asks us to pray for the dead. In 1736, Clement XII granted an indulgence for .this., *