Wednesday, March 25, 2015-Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord

Luke, Chapter 1, verse 30:

³⁰ Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

Mary had no fear of the world or man, yet, when the angel appeared she was immersed in holy fear.  Let us follow Mary’s example and bravely face the day saying YES to God.

INSTRUCTION ON THE ANGELIC SALUTATION, HAIL MARY.[1]

Why this prayer is called the Hail Mary?
Because it begins with the words which the archangel Gabriel addressed to the Blessed Virgin when he announced to her that she should be the Mother of God.

Of what does the Angelic Salutation consist? 
1. Of the words of the archangel Gabriel. 2. Of the words of St. Elizabeth. 3. Of words which have been added thereto by the Catholic Church.
Which are the words of the archangel Gabriel? Hail [Mary], full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou among women.

What is the meaning of these words? 
These words indicate that profound veneration for the Blessed Virgin which was felt by the archangel Gabriel, and which we, in imitation of his example, ought also to cherish. The words full of grace remind us that God bestowed upon the Blessed Virgin greater graces than upon all men and angels together; and that not for herself alone, but for us also; they therefore encourage us to pray to Mary with fervor and confidence, that by her powerful intercession she will obtain for us the graces necessary for our salvation. The Lord is with thee; these words express the peculiar complacency with which God has regarded her, on account of which He wrought in her special miracles of wisdom, omnipotence, and benignity. Let us rejoice with Mary over these prerogatives, and implore her to intercede for us, that God may be with us also, to sustain us by His almightiness, to govern us by His wisdom, to incite us to all that is good by the fire of His infinite love. Finally, the words "Blessed art thou among women" are as much as to say : Thou art the happiest of all women, since thou alone of them all hast no stain of sin on thee ; thou art chosen to be the Mother of God; thou shalt conceive Him by the Holy Ghost, and shalt bring Him forth without losing thy virginity. Thus it was that the angel saluted the most blessed Virgin, and yet there are men who are ashamed thus to salute Mary, and to give praise for the graces which God conferred upon her.

[1] Goffine’s Divine Instructions, 1896.