The Hail Mary Prayer Explained
Published May 30, 2021
Among the many gifts to mankind given to us by the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, Mary given to us as a spiritual mother is one of them. As he was dying on the cross Jesus looked at his disciple John and told him, regarding Mother Mary, “Behold, your mother.” He looked at Mary and said to her of John (representing all Christians ) “Behold your son”. A Christian mother is one who prays for her children and our Blessed Mother Mary does that for us if we ask for it. Anyone can easily approach their mother and ask for her prayer and intercession or help with some issue they are dealing with. God is the Source of all Goodness. Like going to a well to draw water, we are expected to get water (Goodness) from the source. Some people have knowledge of The Source that we do not have or they have a better way to obtain this water (Goodness, Grace etc). Mary is one of those people. At the Wedding of Cana, she asked Jesus to perform his first miracle – something he was not intending to do but did because she asked him to do it. When we ask Mary to pray for us we are asking our spiritual mother, given to us by Jesus, to help us in whatever issue we are dealing with, to bring God’s grace to us. The Hail Mary prayer is one of the ways that Catholic’s ask for Mary’s help. It is one of the most widely used prayers in the Catholic world. It is one of the prayers that we recite when praying the rosary.
So what does the Hail Mary prayer really mean? To fully appreciate its meaning, we need to first look at its origins.
History of the Hail Mary Prayer
There is no clear record of when the Hail Mary Prayer was first recited. But it was believed that it started from certain versicles and responsories that are part of the Hours of the Virgin. This liturgical devotional to the Blessed Mother was very popular with monastic orders in the 11th century.
The earliest record of the prayer, however, can be found in two Anglo-Saxon manuscripts dating back to about 1030. The manuscripts contained verses where the words “Ave Maria” and “benedicta tu in mulieribus et Benedictus fructus ventris tui” constantly appeared.
Later on, these two verses were connected and were called the “Salutation of the Blessed Virgin”. This would, later on, form the first part of the Hail Mary prayer. A few years later, the second half was added. The full prayer was published in Latin and was simply titled “Ave Maria”.
The prayer was only officially finalized in 1566 when the Catechism of the Council of Trent (Roman Catechism) was published. Two years later, it was included in the Roman Breviary of 1568. From then on, it became widely used in the Roman Catholic Church.
The Hail Mary Prayer Meaning
The Hail Mary prayer is divided into two parts: adoration and supplication.
The first part is an expression of our love and adulation for Mother Mary. While the second part is a plea for her to intercede on our behalf.
Here’s a line-by-line explanation of the meaning behind the famous Marian prayer.
“Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you.”
The first line of the prayer came directly from the Bible. This is how the Angel Gabriel greeted Mary of Nazareth during the Annunciation where he announced that she will conceive by the power of the Holy Spirit.
When the angel proclaimed “Hail Mary, full of grace”, it implies that she is a sinless woman worthy of praise. Pope Francis puts it best in his message during the Feast of the Immaculate Conception in 2017. He explained that the Blessed Virgin is full of grace because she is filled with the presence of God. Because of this, there is no room within her for sin.
He then capped off the greeting with, “the Lord is with you.” This means that, at that moment, God is already with her. She does not become pregnant yet with Jesus until after she has agreed to what the Angel Gabriel has told her of God’s plans. “The Holy Spirit will overshadow you…”
“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.”
After Mary learned that she was pregnant, she visited her relative, Elizabeth, who was “filled with the Holy Spirit.” (Luke 1:41) It means that Elizabeth already had a prophetic insight from the Holy Spirit. She already knows about Mary’s pregnancy before Mary even said anything.
Upon seeing Mary, the baby inside Elizabeth jumped with joy and she greets Mary saying “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.” (Luke 1:42).
That’s because Mary is pregnant with no ordinary child. She is carrying our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ – the Word that became flesh. Among all the women in the world, God chose her, a simple woman from the small town of Nazareth. This makes her blessed and honored among women. It also means she is endowed with divine favor and protection and so is the child in her womb.
“Holy Mary, Mother of God,”
Calling the Blessed Mother as “‘Holy Mary” implies that she is more than just blessed but sanctified. As the mother of God, she has become a vessel of Grace between God and men. She is the Ark of the New Covenant who carries God’s Word in her womb. Catholics do not believe she is divine however, she is human like all other humans but she is the fullness of the good person God created her to be and was given this special task as mother of Jesus – God Incarnate. Her humility and obedience to God’s will make her a model worthy of emulation and reverence. We, likewise are also called to be the “fullness of the good people God has created us to be”. Likewise, we become vessels for God’s Grace when we allow Our Lord to live within our hearts and minds, when we allow Him to direct our thoughts and actions to do the good things that are for us to do.
“pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.”
This is where we acknowledge that we are sinners and that we ask Mary to pray to God for our behalf, to help us do the good things we are meant to do, to help the people we are meant to help, to be the good people we are created to be – to grow in virtue and get rid of vices.
As mentioned, the Virgin Mary is in a unique position to intercede for us. Christian scripture and tradition say that the prayers of a good person are very loud and effective. Mother Mary is a good person. She is our spiritual mother. The prayers of a mother for her child are said to be especially loud. If we want to know what is the right thing to do, God will not keep it a secret. We can ask for help through prayer, we can ask for our spiritual mother to pray for us and that prayer will be greatly enhanced both in content and loudness. By asking her to pray for us with the Hail Mary prayer, we are not just asking for her intercession. It also means entrusting ourselves to her prayers now and at the hour of our death. None of us knows when that hour will be but Mother Mary probably knows. It is good to have someone praying for us when that hour comes.
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About The Author
Judy Ponio is a professional writer for the Lay Cistercians blog and a devoted Catholic. She works hard to ensure her work uses accurate facts by cross checking reputable sources.
