Heaven's Bells .. Sorry, AC/DC

Our adult bell choir will resume rehearsals soon (Sunday, September 13 .. to be exact) and when they do it will be with "like new" handbells.

Frank Marshall, the "handbell man" (♪♫ the handbell man can, cause he mixes it with love and makes the world ring good ♪♫ .. perhaps that should be 'well' .. oh well .. it's all good) will today be delivering (congratulations .. it's a bell!) our recently renovated four octave set of Schulmerich .. the sound of Schulmerich, you can hear it in your heart .. that's their slogan .. for what it's worth .. you can also hear it in the ladies' restroom when we practice (don't ask how I know this) bells.

This remind me of a story ...

After Quasimodo’s death, the bishop of the Cathedral of Notre Dame sent word through the streets of Paris that a new bell ringer was needed. The bishop decided he would conduct the interviews personally and went up into the belfry to begin the screening the applicants. After observing several demonstrate their skills, he was beginning to think no suitable replacement would be found.

Just then, an armless man approached him and announced that he was there to apply for the bell ringer’s job. The bishop was shocked.

“You have no arms!”

“No matter,” said the man. “Observe!” And he began striking the bells with his face, producing a beautiful melody on the carillon.

The bishop listened in astonishment; convinced he had finally found a replacement for Quasimodo. But suddenly, rushing forward to strike a bell, the armless man tripped and plunged headlong out of the belfry window to his death in the street below.

The stunned bishop rushed to his side. When he reached the street, a crowd had gathered around the fallen figure, drawn by the beautiful music they had heard only moments before. As they silently parted to let the bishop through, one of them asked,

“Bishop, who was this man?”

“I don’t know his name,” the bishop sadly replied, “but his face rings a bell.”

The following day, despite the sadness that weighed heavily on his heart due to the unfortunate death of the armless campanologist, the bishop continued his interviews for the bell ringer of Notre Dame. The first man to approach him said,

“Your Excellency, I am the brother of the poor armless wretch that fell to his death from this very belfry yesterday. I pray that you honor his life by allowing me to replace him in this duty.”

The bishop agreed to give the man an audition. However, as the armless man’s brother stooped to pick up a mallet to strike the first bell, he groaned, clutched at his chest, twirled around, and died on the spot.

Two monks, hearing the bishop’s cries of grief at this second tragedy, rushed up the stairs to his side.

“What has happened? Who is this man?” the first monk asked breathlessly.

“I don’t know his name,” sighed the distraught bishop, but …….. he’s a dead ringer for his brother.”

"And they were coupled beneath, and coupled together at the head thereof, to one ring" - Exodus 36:29a