Hail, Full of Grace...

Hail Mary, full of grace….How many times have we Catholics started our prayers this way?  Have we ever stopped right there and thought about just those words?  Those are the words that the angel Gabriel spoke to Mary when he greeted and gave her the wonderful news that she would give birth to our Lord and Savior.

"Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!" Luke 1:28

Why did Gabriel say, "full of grace"?  This actually goes back to the original Greek word "kecharitomene", which means that Mary was "filled and endowed with grace" from the moment of her conception until her assumption into heaven.  She was sinless from conception.  The word "grace" was a greeting and blessing from God.  It was "God's giving of himself in Christ in order to bring salvation" (Catholic Bible Dictionary).  So when Gabriel greets Mary as "full of grace", he is saying she was completely filled with grace from conception to assumption and by the fact that she was carrying our Lord in her womb.  God literally gave Himself in Christ to Mary "in order to bring salvation".

So many times we overlook Mary in our quest for her son.  Yet it is she who beckons us to know Him.  She calls us.  For me it is a very strong tug in the center of my soul.  She called me to this faith, and once a Catholic, she continued to nudge me closer to her Son.  She is miraculous and glorious; beautiful and serene.  She answered the call to life with a resounding yes.  She answered with a yes because she was full of grace.  She was unwavering in her love for and obedience to God.  She is the prototypical Christian and someone we can look to for help, love, and guidance.

She is our greatest intercessor. She deserves our love, our attention, and our hearts.

And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God.  And behold you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.  He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end."
Luke 1:30-33