What Does “Angelus” Mean in the Bible?
A prayer that recalls when the angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would be the mother of Jesus. It is prayed with three Hail Marys.
It can mean
- Three times a day: at dawn, at noon and at dusk.
- In the Easter season: instead of the Angelus, we pray the “Regina Caeli,” “Queen of Heaven, rejoice.”
- What it recalls: that the Son of God became man in the womb of the Virgin Mary.
Where it appears in the Bible
Luke 1:28; Luke 1:38; John 1:14
What the Bible says
Luke 1:28
And the angel being come in, said unto her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
Luke 1:38
And Mary said: Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
John 1:14
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we saw his glory, the glory as it were of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner revision), public domain.
Source: Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy, 195-196