8/JESUS
8/3 THE HAIL MARY
HAIL MARY FULL OF GRACE. This
beautiful prayer which comes from the gospels can be divided into three parts.
In the first part, Mary is praised by the words, "Hail Mary." The
reason for the words, "Full of grace," means full of God's love. The
result of this blessing is that God is with Mary as expressed by, "The
Lord is with you." God guides Mary and she obeys his every wish. She is
the model disciple of Jesus.
BLESSED ARE YOU AMONG WOMEN. In the
second part of the prayer, Mary and Jesus are called blessed. To be blessed is
to be one who does the will of God, one who loves God deeply, and one who
wishes to please God. This is seen by the life of Mary and Jesus. Mary accepted
God's will to be the mother of Jesus, to care for him, and to be with him
throughout his life. Jesus humbled himself by becoming a man, by helping
people, and by giving up his life and rising from the dead to save the world.
PRAY FOR US SINNERS. In the third
part of the prayer, we ask for Mary's help. As the mother of Jesus, she has a
special place in the eyes of her son who listened to her requests. As sinners,
we need help to do the will of God. We need Mary's help every day and
especially at the hour of our death when the devil will do all in its power to
tempt us to abandon God. We thank Mary for her love and care for us, her
spiritual children. We trust in Mary who will always be with us as we journey
to heaven.
