Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said: “For bells are the voice of the church; they have tones that touch and search the hearts of young and old.” There is a sweet, holy sound to the clear chiming of church bells.
The Tradition Of Bells
Bells have long had a traditional place in worship. In Jewish tradition, bells were attached to the robes of the priests who offered sacrifice to the Lord. “It shall be on Aaron when he ministers; and its sound shall be heard when he enters and leaves the Holy Place before the Lord, so that he will not die.” (Exodus 28:35) Some parishes have small bells installed at the back of the sanctuary that the priest rings to signal the start of Mass before he processes to the altar.
I must admit, I am in love with the smells and bells of Catholicism. I didn’t grow up with them. Somewhere through the years of attending Mass at different parishes while serving in the military, bells and incense simply appeared and became part of my Sunday Mass experience. Quickly enough, it almost became that a Mass didn’t seem complete without them, or at least the bells. It seemed too silent, too unusually still, not hearing those bells rung by a server before and during the Consecration. My mother, who grew up with the Latin Mass, once said that the bells were a way to tell the people in the pews, those who couldn’t understand the Latin words, that it was time to pay attention.
In a nutshell, my mother was right. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal guides how bells should be used in worship, stating: “A little before the Consecration, if appropriate, a minister rings a small bell as a signal to the faithful. The minister also rings the small bell at each elevation by the Priest, according to local custom.”
For the most part, an altar server will ring the bells for the first time—briefly—at moment the priest places his hands over the bread and wine on the altar. This marks the start of the act of consecrating, the pinnacle of the Mass. The bells are again rung, three times now, as the priest elevates the Host—the moment simple bread becomes the Body of Christ. Thirdly, they are again rung three times as he lifts the chalice, now holding the Precious Blood. I can’t remember exactly where or how I learned to do this, but some time ago, I began praying “My Lord and my God” thrice in unison with the bells. Thomas, the apostle who doubted Jesus’ resurrection, spoke these words when he recognized Jesus in the flesh in the upper room, so it seems appropriate to use the same words to recognize Jesus in the bread and wine.
Bells: A Call To Worship
For centuries, bells have called the faithful to worship, pealing through towns and across the countryside. Bell towers have the distinct privilege of pointing toward heaven and were often the tallest buildings in towns before the invention of the skyscraper. These bells were not timekeepers in the sense of tolling each hour. When the bells were rung, they signified that either it was time for Mass or for the traditional Angelus prayer, generally said at noon, though sometimes in the morning and evening. Many Catholic churches still ring their bells at noon for this reason, and I personally have a reminder on my phone to pause at noon and turn my thoughts to Our Lady, seeking her intercession amidst the chaos of a busy day. Christmas is associated with bells for a similar reason—these would toll out the call to Midnight Mass.
Today, many of the tower bells have been replaced with recordings, but these still chime out the celebration of the Mass and prayers to Our Lady, and the consecration bells still command deeper worship and respect for our Eucharistic Lord.
