Meditation on the Hail Mary

After the Lord's Prayer, the use of the Angelical Salutation has now become everywhere more general among the pious Faithful; how rightly and justly has been very often shewn, and is proved by the fact itself. Be it that the envious gnash their teeth, that the “Scourge of Mary,” and infidels cavil; yet the custom of saluting, and the form of praying to the Virgin cannot be otherwise than strongly approved by us, since it was brought from heaven by a messenger of God; for who is there who can doubt that he came an ambassador taught by God?

So, therefore, will it be just and right, even at this day, to honour the Virgin now, whom it has been the will of God so to honour of old. What, then, we now propose to do is, to point out the use and object of the Angelical Salutation. For terse as it is in expression, yet fruitful in mysteries, its frequent repetition, with the aid of a little attentive reflection, will cause it to be relished the more.

Assuredly nothing is so becoming and suitable to a Christian, as frequently and devoutly to call to mind his Redemption: but because the Incarnation of the Son of God is its first and chief mystery, and it was ordered by the divine Wisdom that this should be accomplished by means of an embassage sent from heaven to a Virgin, how can it be denied that it is a pious duty, both becoming and well-pleasing to God, often to reflect upon the very Words with which it was his Will that the Angel should announce so great a mystery, expected during so many ages, and longed for with sighs so many and so great; and so to take delight in the Salutation with which the heaven-sent ambassador first accosted the Virgin who was destined to so great a work? And when this is done with the special object of saluting a Virgin who was so highly beloved and chosen of all by God to be his Mother, we may, with feelings of the utmost gratitude, recall the benefit of our Redemption, and the work of our Lord's Incarnation.

Now, when we salute the Virgin, what kind of salutation may we expect from her in return? To those who salute her, undoubtedly she will on her part render her good wishes for, or rather her aid towards, their salvation. For how can it be that a Mother would ever refrain from pouring out a heart so tender, so maternal as hers, upon those who are destined to be co-heirs with her Son, especially when we bear within us the grateful recollection of so great a mystery that of old was accomplished in herself? Surely, then, she will rejoice in addressing her Son with suppliant prayers for the promotion of its beneficial effects upon ourselves.

For what can be more pleasing to so merciful a Mother than to obtain for us the very thing for the sake of which she became the Mother of God, or for which God in herself was made man? But in vain is she God's Mother, and God man, if man become not partaker of the divine nature, and attain salvation. That God may avert this from us, let us beseech him through his Mother, in saluting her from our hearts.

Hail Mary.

Hail, and rejoice, O most blessed, most pure, and most worthy Virgin Mary! O most illustrious Star of the sea! who shinest more brightly than all the rest over the darkness of this world! who art so honourably saluted by the Archangel sent to thee from heaven, and by thy kinswoman, Elizabeth, by the teaching of the Holy Ghost; and now, too, by all the congregation of the faithful from the desire of thy honour and love! Behold, I praise thee and salute thee, and gratulate thee, O most holy Virgin and Mother! and I praise in thee God the Father, who made his only Son to be thine also, and to be at the same time the Brother of us all. I praise God the Son, who has chosen thee to be his Mother, that by thee he might shew himself our Saviour; I praise God the Holy Ghost, who, by his own wonderful power, has accomplished that unspeakable work in thy womb!

Full of grace.

Wrath and malediction is on all the children of Adam; but thou hast found grace with God; nay, thou art full of grace, free from every fault, and filled with all virtues and endowments of grace. What marvel is it if thou art full of grace, when the fulness of the Godhead has dwelt corporeally in thee! ¹ when the very Fountain of grace and salvation has poured himself entirely into thee alone; and by thee, as by a river or channel, has willed himself to be poured out upon us all! In less measure has grace been given to the rest of the Saints; but the very fulness of grace has poured itself into thee. For even though we do read of some who were full of grace, yet thou art so in a manner exceedingly and pre-eminently different from those. For when vessels are filled, both great and small, all are full; but the vessel which holds the most has the greatest quantity of liquid. How great, then, must be the grace that is in thee, to enable thee to contain God, whom not the whole world is able to contain! to enable thee, I say, to be the Mother of God, the Queen of Heaven, the Mistress of the Angels, the Mediatress and the Advocate of men!

But to what purpose art thou full, if not to overflow to us also? Oh, that thy fountains maybe conveyed abroad, ² that those sweet odours, those gifts of graces, may flow forth upon us, that we may, all of us, receive of a fulness so great!

Let thy goodness, O blessed Virgin, diffuse abroad that very grace of which thou art full, that from the overflowing stream of thy bounty the guilty may receive pardon, the sick cure, the faint-hearted strength, the afflicted consolation, the endangered aid and deliverance. Oh, that I may merit to obtain even one small drop out of a fulness so great, to water my dry and thirsty heart!

The Lord is with thee.

How rich and blessed must be the possession of her who possesses the Lord her God! What good must there not be there, where is present the Lord, who himself is the Fountain of all goodness! Doubtless when all things are God's, nothing is lacking to him who possesses God. True, the Lord is with thee, as he is with all just persons; but far more pre-eminently, by special grace, and by a particular providence, is he with thee; with thee in thy heart, with thee in thy womb; the Power of the Most High (God the Father) shall overshadow thee. The Holy Ghost has come upon thee. The Word made flesh has come forth of thee. The Lord is with thee and in thee, as a king upon his throne, as a bridegroom in his bridal chamber, as a dear, nay, far more dearly and closely than is a friend in a friend. Obtain, O Lady, that my Lord may be with me by grace, who was with thee by the closest union of love and corporal presence! Doubtless all blessings will be with him in whose company is the Lord, neither shall I fear any evils, if the Lord is with me.

Blessed art thou among women.

Blessed indeed among women, since thou alone of so many thousands hast pleased the King most high. Justly blessed, who hast been the object of so many prayers and sighs, expected for so many ages, foretold by so many oracles! Truly blessed among women, who art exempt from the common curse and condition of women, so as neither to continue barren, nor to lose thy virginity, nor to bring forth with pain!

There lies moreover a hard necessity and a heavy burden upon all the other daughters of Eve. If they are fruitful, they suffer pain and defilement; ³ if barren, they are cursed. ⁴ Thou art at once both fruitful and pure; and, by being devoid of pain, hast turned into a blessing the curse of Eve.

Cursed of old was the earth in the work of the sinner, which, even when cultivated, sprouts forth thorns and briers to the heirs of malediction. But blessed is the earth now in the work of the Redeemer, which brings forth to all men remission of sins, and the fruit of Life, and has destroyed the sentence of the original curse upon the sons of Adam.

O Blessed One! in that thou art the Mother of a Son, in whom all nations shall be blessed! Therefore shall all generations call thee blessed, because he that is mighty has done to thee great things. For thou conceivest, but without concupiscence. Thou art heavy with child, but not overburdened. Thou bringest forth, but without travail. Thou knowest not a man, and yet thou bearest a Son. Oh, what a Son is he! Thou becomest the true Mother of him, whose true Father is God; thou bearest God, and conceivest of God; a fruitful Virgin, a chaste and inviolate Mother. How can it then be that thou art not blessed among women?

And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Blessed, I say, because he in whom all nations are blessed is the Author of grace and the Fountain of all blessing. Him do we bless and praise in thee, O blessed Virgin, whom likewise thy soul praises and magnifies alone above all, because he has done to thee those great and wonderful things which we admire and venerate in thee, who is mighty over all things, God blessed for ever!

Eve ate the fruit of death, and, with herself, brought us to ruin. Thou hast brought forth to the world the Fruit of Life, and behold, we have lived again! Oh, how blessed is the womb that has borne and produced for us such fruit!

Thou rejoicest, O holy Parent! and feastest now, but in another form, upon the Fruit of thy womb. Be satisfied, then, O Mother, with the glory of thy Son; but scatter to thy little ones thy crumbs! Now thou art Mistress at the table; we, the dogs under the table. As the eyes of the handmaid are on the hands of her mistress, so do our attendant souls expect of thee the Sustenance of life. By thee have we partaken of the Fruit of Life at the Table of the Mysteries that are thereon; by thee let us partake of Jesus, the blessed fruit of thy womb, at the table of everlasting joys! Amen. ⁵

Pope Paul V. has granted an indulgence of a hundred days to those who recite the Hail Mary at the stroke of the clock.

1. Col. ii. 9.
2. Prov. v. 16.
3. Gen. iii. 16.
4. Exod. xxiii. 26.
5. Thus much more has been written than our purpose required, for the benefit of those who dislike the frequent repetitions of the Hail Mary.