One may think of bells as a decoration or one of those instruments that are used to call out people from Holy Mass or buy goods. But little did we know that bells were in fact a great yet underrated sacramental that the faithful must have, not only to call every person for prayer but also a weapon to drive the evil forces away from our homes, churches, and other places.
The Blessed Bells and Spiritual Warfare
Numerous exorcists pointed out the undiscovered yet potent use of blessed bells in spiritual warfare. Although bells are very common in churches, yet very few knew how these bells work. Exorcists note that the church bells’ actual purpose is not only it calls the attention of the faithful not only for prayer and signal of the consecration of the Sacred Species during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The bells also drive away evil spirits that roam around the earth – hence the massive bells that are installed in all churches and used during Holy Mass.
The pealing of the Church bells and the ringing of altar bells signify a sublime message of proclaiming a Miracle of Transubstantiation. its sound is actually a horror to demons as noted in the formula of blessing and consecration of church bells and altar bells.
In the rite of blessing, the bells were traditionally dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the angels, and the saints, to invoke their heavenly patronage. This is the reason why in old church bells, you will see the names of the saints or a title of the Blessed Mother engraved to it.
The devil hates the sound of the bells
It is no surprise that there were accounts of exorcisms performed In different parts of the world on how demons hated the sound of blessed bells which helped on liberating its victim swiftly. One exorcist notes that “Satan is always attacking us through our senses, so the liturgy itself needs to be a holy assault on our senses: our sight, our touch, our smells, and hearing. We have prayed as a Church with all these sensual things because she learned through millennia that this is what repels the enemy.”
Another reason the devil hates bells is because they hate everything beautiful and holy, the exorcists also noted that. “We are moved by beauty. It stirs our souls—beautiful music, beautiful prayers, flowers, beautiful tones. The devil hates everything beautiful and the bells are specifically used to draw attention to the divine worship of God.”
The Ringing of Blessed Bells on welcoming the New Year
The ringing of blessed bells at home can be done and what a better way to use it is when we welcome the New Year. We have been accustomed to so many superstitious rituals on welcoming the New Year but we have to keep in mind that believing such commits the sin of divination.
Committing the sin of divination: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to “unveil” the future. The acts of divination are consulting horoscopes, astrology, feng shui, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers among others. These acts contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone and deny the truth of his divine grace and divine providence. Sadly, the mainstream media advertises these acts which scandalizes the faithful, and unfortunately, some fell to this alluring trap for the sake of “good fortune” that would, in reality, it will endanger their soul.
The ringing of the bell for welcoming the New Year is done after praying the “Te Deum” in thanksgiving of the blessings of the past year. After praying the said prayer and bell ringing, begin the year with the praying or singing of “Veni Creator Spiritus” to invoke the Holy Spirit for the year ahead. Both acts done on the last day of the year and start of the year merit plenary indulgence as indicated in the Enchiridion of Indulgences.
The Rite of the Blessing of the Bell
Priest: + Our help is in the name of the Lord.
All: Who made heaven and earth.
PSALM 53
Priest: God, by your name, save me, * and by your might defend my cause.
All: God, hear my prayer; * hearken to the words of my mouth.
Priest: For haughty men have risen up against me, and fierce men seek my life; * they set not God before their eyes.
All: See, God is my helper; * the Lord sustains my life.
Priest: Turn back the evil upon my foes; * in your faithfulness destroy them.
All: Freely will I offer you sacrifice; * I will praise your name, Lord, for its goodness,
Priest: Because from all distress you have rescued me, * and my eyes look down upon my enemies.
All: Glory be to the Father…
Priest: As it was in the beginning…
Priest: Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Our Father…
Priest: And do not let us fall into temptation.
All: But deliver us from evil.
Priest: +Blessed be the name of the Lord.
All: Both now and forevermore.
Priest: Lord, heed my prayer.
All: And let my cry be heard by you.
Priest: The Lord be with you.
All: And with your spirit
Let us pray.
God, who decreed through blessed Moses, your servant and lawgiver, that silver trumpets should be made and be sounded at the time of sacrifice, in order to remind the people by their clear tones to prepare for your worship and to assemble for its celebration. Grant, we pray, that this bell, destined for your holy Church, may be hallowed + by the Holy Spirit through our lowly ministry, so that when it is tolled and rung the faithful may be invited to the house of God and to the everlasting recompense. Let the people’s faith and piety wax stronger whenever they hear its melodious peals.
At the sound of the bell dedicated to St. N. (name of the saint/s) let all evil spirits be driven afar (3x); let thunder and lightning, hail and storm be banished; let the power of your hand put down the evil powers of the air, causing them to tremble at the sound of this bell, and to flee at the sight of the holy cross engraved thereon. (3x) May our Lord Himself grant this, who overcame death on the gibbet of the cross, and who now reigns in the glory of God the Father, in the unity of the Father and the Holy Spirit, forever and ever.
All: Amen.
The priest then signs the bell inside and out with holy chrism and then sprinkles the bell with holy water. He may also incense it.
Antiphon: Lord, let my prayer come like incense before you.
Then the priest continues
Let us pray.
O Christ, the almighty ruler, as you once calmed the storm at sea when awakened in the boat from the sleep of your human nature, so now come with your benign help to the needs of your people, and pour out on this bell of St. N. (name of the saint/s) the dew of the Holy Spirit. Whenever it rings may the enemy of the good take flight (3x), the Christian people hear the call to faith, the empire of Satan be terrified (3x), your people be strengthened as they are called together in the Lord, and may the Holy Spirit be with them as He delighted to be with David when he played his harp. And as onetime thunder in the air frightened away a throng of enemies, while Samuel slew an unweaned lamb as a holocaust to the eternal King, so when the peal of this bell resounds in the clouds may a legion of angels stand watch over the assembly of your Church, the first-fruits of the faithful, and afford your ever-abiding protection to them in body and spirit (3x). We ask this through you, Jesus Christ, who live and reign with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever.
All: Amen.
Priest: To the honor of St. N. (name of the saint/s)
All: Amen.
Again the priest signs the blessed bell with the sign of the cross, and departs with his assistants.
References:
“A New Tradition for this coming New Year’s Eve: Ring a blessed bell instead of a firecracker to usher the year ahead”, Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/RCASF.ExorcismOffice/posts/239395684266419 on December 21, 2021.
Armstrong, Patti, “An Exorcist Explains Why the Devil Hates Bells So Much” Retrieved from https://www.ncregister.com/blog/an-exorcist-explains-why-the-devil-hates-bells-so-much on December 20, 2021.
“Blessing of Bell”, Retrieved from https://broshlegaspi.org/blessing-of-a-bell/ on December 22, 2021.
Cabading, Winston, OP, “A most marvelous experience happened to us in today’s two spiritual liberation (exorcism) cases” Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/620289040/posts/10157490295304041/ on December 20, 2021.
Little Treasures of Faith 