Saint Louis de Montfort describes the Hail Mary as “a pure kiss of love we give to Mary” when we laud her through the reverent greetings of the Angel Gabriel and Saint Elizabeth. He also remarks that the response of her fervent intercession is like “dew falling from heaven to make the soul fruitful.” He binds the two movements of this prayer together: “The salvation of the whole world began with the ‘Hail Mary.’ Hence, the salvation of each person is also attached to this prayer.”
The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us that “Because of Mary’s singular cooperation with the action of the Holy Spirit, the Church loves to pray in communion with the Virgin Mary, to magnify with her the great things the Lord has done for her, and to entrust supplications and praises to her” (CCC 2682). Pope Saint John Paul II observes that “although the repeated Hail Mary is addressed directly to Mary, it is to Jesus that the act of love is ultimately directed, with her and through her.”
Saint Augustine explains that “The world being unworthy to receive the son of God directly from the hands of the Father, He gave his son to Mary for the world to receive him from her.” Through her “yes” to God, Our Lady brings Jesus to us. Saint Louis de Montfort notes, “The Son of God became man for our salvation but only in Mary and through Mary.” The Blessed Virgin, the one person who remains intimately tied to Jesus for his entire earthly life and beyond, always leads us back to her son. Saint Thomas Aquinas elaborates that “As mariners are guided into port by the shining of a star, so Christians are guided to heaven by Mary.” Pope Saint Paul VI states: “She who once gave us Jesus, the fount of heavenly grace, cannot fail to offer her maternal help to the Church.” As the saint closest to this source of grace, Our Lady provides the faithful with an intensely powerful intercessory aid.
As referenced above, the praise that “magnifies God for His great deeds toward Mary” and the supplication that “entrusts our petitions to Mary” (CCC 2675) originate from three sources: the words of Gabriel the Archangel at the Annunciation (Luke 1:28), the words of Mary’s cousin Elizabeth at the Visitation (Luke 1:42), and supplemental words added by the Church. Pope Saint John Paul II views the scriptural portion of the prayer as “a contemplation in adoration of the mystery accomplished in the Virgin of Nazareth. These words express, so to speak, the wonder of heaven and earth; they could be said to give us a glimpse of God’s own wonderment as he contemplates his ‘masterpiece’–the Incarnation of the Son in the womb of the Virgin Mary.”
The Gospel According to Luke recounts that Mary ponders the unusual salutation the angel uses to address her: “Hail, full of grace” (Luke 1:28-29). Why would an angel of the Lord–a creature vastly superior to humans as an incorruptible and heavenly spiritual being filled with divine light–use a term of such awesome respect toward a humble young woman? Saint Thomas Aquinas posits that this greeting indicates Mary exceeds even the angels in her fullness of grace. After all, the angel does not call her Mary, which is subsequently included by the Church. He instead names her “full of grace.”
We know that God always provides sufficient grace to those He calls to accomplish His missions. The Church recognizes that Our Lady’s Immaculate Conception, her plentitude of grace, her perfection of all virtues, and her complete avoidance of sin are all essential to fulfilling her preeminent mission as Mother of God. Theologian Hugh of Saint Victor says: “Because the love of the Holy Spirit burned so ardently in her heart, she was able to do wonders in the flesh, so that from it might be born God and man.” Her superabundance of grace exceeds what is necessary to save her soul. It overflows to sanctify her body–the new Arc of the Covenant, the new Temple of the Lord–which is later assumed into heaven. And it continues to overflow onto all human beings for the salvation of mankind.
When the angel utters the phrase “the Lord is with thee,” he offers praise to Mary and delivers her a blessing to carry out the Lord’s work. More than that, however, he is testifying to her sacred encounter with the Holy Trinity as the Beloved Daughter of the Father, Mother of the Son, and Spouse of the Spirit.
It is precisely this unique relationship with God that makes her blessed among women. Pope Saint Paul VI says, “In this mortal life she embodied the perfect form of a disciple of Christ, she was the mirror of all virtues, and in her manner of life exemplified fully those beatitudes proclaimed by Christ Jesus.” Our Lady of perfect faith becomes the first person to encounter God Incarnate, the one person who brings Him into this world through her own flesh, and the first person to dwell with Him free from the stain of sin in the fullness of grace. “Mary is ‘blessed among women’ because she believed in the fulfillment of the Lord’s word” (CCC 2676).
The fruit of her womb is also blessed, because in the womb of Mary, the Word becomes Flesh. Saint Augustine comments: “Him whom the heavens cannot contain, the womb of one woman bore.” Saint Irenaeus suggests that Our Blessed Mother is a second Eve: “Just as the former–that is, Eve–was seduced by the words of an angel so that she turned away from God by disobeying his word, so the latter–Mary–received the good news from an angel’s announcement in such a way as to give birth to God by obeying his word.” Saint Thomas Aquinas explores why Mary’s fruit is blessed compared to Eve’s fruit. While Jesus desires that we become like him, Eve’s fruit does not make her like God; while we find sweetness and salvation in Jesus, Eve’s fruit does not bring her lasting pleasure; while the beatific vision is the most spectacular thing to behold, the beauty of Eve’s fruit is easily surpassed; while Mary’s fruit is the fruit of life, Eve’s fruit is the fruit of death. “Blessed is the fruit of thy womb,” because it is our most blessed Lord, Jesus Christ, the only living fruit that can satisfy all of our needs forever.
After this insightful statement from Saint Elizabeth, the Church adds the name Jesus, “the name that is above every name” (Philippians 2:9). The power of this name supports the Hail Mary as a Christocentric prayer. Pope Saint John Paul II points out that “The center of gravity in the Hail Mary, the hinge as it were which joins its two parts, is the name of Jesus.”
The remainder of this prayer is written by the Church so that we may petition the Blessed Virgin to help us accept Jesus into our hearts as she does and to help us know him more fully through her. We refer to Holy Mary as Mother of God, professing the dogma of Mary’s Divine Motherhood. Because she is the earthly mother of the Second Person in the Holy Trinity, who is fully God and fully man, she is truly Theotókos (Greek for “she who gives birth to God”). The Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen reflects: “Every mother, when she picks up the young life that has been born to her, looks up to the heavens to thank God for the gift which made the world young again. But here was a mother, a Madonna, who did not look up. She looked down to heaven, for this was heaven in her arms.”
The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us that “By asking Mary to pray for us, we acknowledge ourselves to be poor sinners and we address ourselves to the ‘Mother of Mercy,’ the All-Holy One (CCC 2677). Her prayers are especially efficacious, because her proximity to God makes her a great mediator and conduit of grace. Pope Venerable Pius XII shares that “To desire grace without recourse to the Virgin Mother is to desire to fly without wings.” Saint Jeanne Jugan declares, “The Hail Mary will take us to heaven.”
The Catechism continues: “We give ourselves over to her now, in the today of our lives. And our trust broadens further, already at the present moment, to surrender ‘the hour of our death’ wholly to her care. May she be there as she was at her son’s death on the cross. May she welcome us as our mother at the hour of our passing [Cf. Jn 19:27] to lead us to her son, Jesus, in paradise” (CCC 2677). We pray for Our Blessed Mother to help us at the two most important times of our lives: “now and at the hour of our death.” When those two points converge into one singular moment, we can ask for no better advocate than God’s mother and ours.
As you focus on the words of this beloved prayer this week, ask Our Lady for the strength and courage to say without hesitation an unwavering “yes” to God as she does. Let her teach us to love as a mother loves. Let her lead us to heaven by leading us to her son. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
