…The Hail Mary is an oft-misunderstood and also under-estimated Christian prayer. We say it often, and perhaps we gloss over the power of this short prayer that is the oldest in Christianity.
As it was said at the moment Christ, the Son of God, was conceived in the Virgin’s womb, at the very beginning of Christianity when the divine Son of God became the human Son of His mother, Mary, the Hail Mary is the first Christian prayer.
To begin, let’s answer the age-old accusation from non-Catholics: is the Hail Mary in the Bible? The answer is yes. The prayer is divided into two parts. The first is directly from scripture:
And coming to her, he said, “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you. Luke 1:28
Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Luke 1:42
The second part is just simply a petition to Mary. Together, they form the “Hail Mary” prayer Catholics say:
The Hail Mary
Hail, Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
Next, this is not a prayer of worship to Mary. It is a veneration, asking Mary to pray for us TO Jesus. It is a Jesus-centric prayer.
The content of the Hail Mary is simple but incredibly powerful. Consider the power packed in this prayer:
The start is Gabriel greeting Mary. It is perhaps one of the most important conversations in history and one that determined the fate of the world. Mary was told of her mission, and she said yes. Next, is the quote by Elizabeth, which is the first person that Jesus, God as man, is presented to.
We then have the central part of the prayer, invoking the name of Jesus, for whom we are asking Mary to pray on our behalf.
When are we asking Mary to pray for us? We are asking Mary to pray for us at perhaps the two most important moments in time for any of us: 1) Right Now 2) Just before we die.
This prayer genuinely came from heaven because the Archangel Gabriel spoke it for the first time in human ears when he visited Our Lady to ask her permission to be the mother of our Jesus. It is typically prayed with the Lord’s Prayer and is not merely human writing; rather, it is a prayer that God created for our assistance and guidance.
“…the truths contained in the Hail Mary are so sublime, so wonderful that no man or Angel could fully understand them.”
St. Jerome
Next up… a humble suggestion for “rebooting” your Catholic faith if you have been away for a while, or you just need some help filling in some blanks of what it means to be a Catholic.
Next Topic >> Reboot Your Catholicism in 10 Steps
Synopsis
Maybe because we say the Hail Mary so much during the Rosary, or because it is so short that we underestimate the power of this prayer. Coming from scripture, the Hail Mary puts us into an encounter with the Mother of God, one who said “yes” to her calling and that is closer to Christ than we could ever imagine.
Suggested Reading
An excellent introduction to Mary and Catholicism:
“Meet Your Mother: A Brief Introduction to Mary” by Dr. Miravalle, Mark
Advanced biblical analysis of Mary and Catholicism:
“Hail, Holy Queen: The Mother of God in the Word of God” by Scott Hahn
Top Image
The Madonna of the Magnificat, also known as Madonna del Magnificat in Italian, is a tondo-style artwork by Italian Renaissance artist Sandro Botticelli. It is currently located in Florence’s Uffizi galleries. In the artwork, two angels crown the Virgin Mary. On the right page of the book, she is writing the beginning of the Magnificat, and on the left, she is writing a portion of the Benedictus. She holds a pomegranate in her left hand.