The Hail Mary is a prayer that many of us say, but many of us can rattle off the words without actually reflecting what we are saying. It is not uncommon to be at a public rosary where the leader is speaking the words in a monotone voice, or they have a rhythmic tone with inflections that no one would ever use in conversation. Thus, it is easy to tune out the meaning of the words. I have been part of rosaries where the leader seems to desire to match the speed of an auctioneer, or where the leader slowly draws out each word to the point where it seems performative. With the advent of cassette tapes and now more recently praying apps, there is also the ability to listen to the rosary without actually praying or reflecting on the words that we are saying to our Blessed Mother because our mind allows the speaker to do the work, and we fail to fully engage in prayer. With this being said, a simple reflection on the words of the rosary would do us good as we continue our journey to heaven.
Hail Mary: The greeting of the angel Gabriel to Mary. It is a greeting of respect and acclamation. Angels appear in multiple places throughout the Bible, yet none of the human recipients are hailed! Mary the young girl did not seek out Gabriel. He sought her out in respect and eager anticipation to deliver a message.
Full of Grace, the Lord is with you: Grace is God’s divine life, and Gabriel reveals that Mary is full of it. In the simplest understanding of this statement, Gabriel is paying Mary a great compliment. He is about to ask her to participate in God’s plan of salvation, and he shows her that she is worthy to be the vessel in which God’s son would be born into the world. It is from this line, and others in the Bible, that we know that Mary was immaculately conceived. Being full of grace and having the Lord with her is a sign of sinlessness. Thus, Mary had no sin and it was fitting that she would take part in God’s salvific plan.
Blessed are you among women and blessed is the Fruit of your Womb: The greeting of Elizabeth prophetically cries out. Mary is blessed among women, and as a result, the fruit of her womb is the fruit of her womb is the source and result of that blessing. We look to Mary realizing that among all, she deserves the highest honor because of her blessedness. This last praise ends out praise of Mary within the Hail Mary.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, Pray for us sinners: We have given Mary her praise at the beginning of the prayer. Now we entreat her with our petition. But we frame it within the context of who she is (Queen Mother of God) and who we are (sinners in need of mercy). She can and wants to intercede for us – her children. We need only ask.
Now and at the Hour of our Death. Amen: We tell Mary when to pray for us – at the two most important times: Now and when we die. There is no moment that we can know God other than in the present. Every moment of our life is an invitation into the peace of a relationship with God. Mary’s prayer for us now asks for us to be drawn closer to her state which is in complete peace with God. At our death, Satan and his demons try their hardest to pull us away from our Creator. They invite us to despair and lose hope in Him so that we run from His fiery love when we meet Him. Yet, no human is more powerful against Satan and his legions than Mary, and we ask her to intercede for us and usher us to the throne of her Son where we may be granted our eternal reward.
As we can see upon reflection, the Hail Mary is more than words to be spoken. It is an entrance into the prophetic words of angels and the scriptures in order to receive God’s salvation. Speaking the words of the Hail Mary is not for the purpose of accomplishing something – like saying 10 or 50 in a row and we get the magical prize of grace. Rather when we enter into the Hail Mary, the words are to change us as to draw closer to the blessedness of Mary and the Fruit of her womb – her Son. While we will not always be successful in praying the Hail Mary perfectly, in this new jubilee year, let us strive to mean what we say when we talk to our Blessed Mother.
