Give praise with crashing cymbals,

praise him with sounding cymbals.

Let everything that has breath

give praise to the LORD! (Psalm 150, 5-6)

Celebrating the liturgy touches an integral approach of celebration and should be considered on many levels. It is not just about knowledge of books and norms of the Church’s documents, but about something much more. It’s first and foremost about respect for the sacred. It concerns the faith and life of all participants of the Liturgy.

Let us recall a quote from Benedict XVI's Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis, where we read: "Indeed, the liturgy, as well as the rest of Christian Revelation, is inherently linked to beauty: it is Veritatis Splendor, the Splendor of Truth."

The beauty of the liturgy encompasses the variety of signs and symbols, gestures, language, music and singing, vestments and robes, architecture and sacred art.

One of the elements of the art of celebration is deeply anchored in the history and tradition of the universal Church, namely the use of bells during the liturgical celebration.

Along with the times, and with no apparent reason, especially after Vatican II, the popularity of the use of liturgical bells (known as Sanctus Bells) significantly diminished. However, despite the many "liturgical upgrades", the tradition and the use of liturgical bells remains an integral part of celebrations of the Eucharist.

Considering these issues, let’s look at the words of Scripture that show us important role played by these instruments.

The use of Sanctus Bells is mentioned four times in the Old Testament of the Bible. "Exodus 28, 33-35 describes the vestments worn by the high priest Aaron as he approached the Arc of the Covenant in the Holiest of Holies: <

The main purpose for using the bells was and still is to make the faithful aware that they are witnessing something extraordinary, something that completely transcends human possibilities of perception. It is the exterior sign that a miracle is taking place – Jesus Himself is made present on the altar.

The sound of the bells helps people to experience the unique and reverent atmosphere in the Church and indicates the sacred of which we all take part.

At St. Matthew’s we will revive this custom on the Sundays of the Advent and Christmas season to be evaluated afterwards.

Fr. Kamil