Hail Mary
Hail Mary, full of grace
The Lord is with you.
Blessed are you among women,
And blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
Pray for us sinners,
Now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Comments:
The “Hail Mary” is a traditional Catholic prayer. It is central to the rosary and also occurs in other Catholic prayers. Other Christian traditions sometimes employ the “Hail Mary” but Protestants do not.
The prayer begins with two greetings to Mary recorded in the first chapter of Luke. In the first (v.28), the angel Gabriel addresses Mary as follows, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.” Later Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth, who, upon seeing her, proclaims (v.42), “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.”
The second part of this prayer is a petition (Holy Mary, etc.) in which we ask the Blessed Mother to pray for us, “Now and at the hour of our death.” Comforting to think a powerful intercessor is praying for us now and at the hour of our death.