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.
Latin Version:
AVE MARIA, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus. Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc, et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen.
Further Information about the Hail Mary Prayer:
The Hail Mary or Ave Maria Prayer is one of the most popular Catholic prayers and I would like to explain a little about its importance.
The Hail Mary comes from the words of the angel Gabriel during the Annunciation to Mary that she would bear a son named Jesus. The words of the first part of the prayer come from what the angel said to her. The second part of the prayer which begins with Holy Mary proclaims that she is the Mother of God and we ask her to pray for us now and at the hour of our death before our hopeful reunion with Our Lord. When reciting the prayer with others, typically one person will recite the first part and everyone else will recite the second part.
As you can see the prayer is Biblical. Everything in the first section comes directly from an Archangel of heaven. The second part is simply saying Mary is the Mother of God and asking her to pray for us.
We need to clarify a few points about this prayer. First, Catholics believe in the communion of saints, meaning we can ask for the intercession of saints in heaven just like we'd ask for the prayers of our friends and family on earth. We do not believe that death disconnects us from those who enjoy the beatific vision. Therefore there is nothing wrong with asking for saints to interceded for us. Mary, being the holiest human being who is perfect in all virtue, and the mother of our Savior is the best person of all the saints to ask for intercession. She knows her son better than any other human person. Therefore, it makes perfect sense to ask her to pray for you to her son.
Another point that requires some clarification is the appellation of Mary as "Mother of God". There is a simple syllogism which makes this point quite simple:
1. Mary is the Mother of Jesus Christ
2. Jesus Christ is God.
3. Therefore, Mary is the Mother of God.
It's straightforward. But some people have gone too far in alleging that Catholics are saying more than we actually are. By Mother of God, we are not saying Mary precedes God or brought God into existence or any such thing. Despite being the holiest and greatest of all creatures, Mary remains a creature and is not divine. She is not the fourth person of the Holy Trinity, nor is she equal to God. We give her great honour and respect, but never worship as that would be against the First Commandment and Catholic teaching.
I hope this explanation gives some clarification about the Hail Mary Prayer. Most prominently, the prayer is featured in the Holy Rosary which Our Lady in her appearance at Fatima tells people to recite daily. The Rosary is a beautiful collection of prayers. No one can love Our Blessed Mother more than Jesus does. Therefore there is no danger in asking for her powerful intercession. She loves us all like a Mother since she is the Mother of all Humanity.
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