Yes, the first and most foundational prayer among all our devotions to Our Lady—the Hail Mary—is indeed biblical!
When we begin the Hail Mary, we are, in fact, quoting the Archangel Gabriel, who greeted Mary at the Annunciation with these words:
“Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.”
The Annunciation by Fra Angelico
We continue the prayer with the words of St. Elizabeth, who said to her cousin at the Visitation:
“Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb!”
Both of these passages are from the first chapter of the Gospel of Luke. We are directly quoting Scripture every time we pray the Hail Mary!
On today’s great Solemnity of the Annunciation, at the Gospel at Mass, we will hear Luke’s account of this joyous event—and the first Hail Mary that was ever prayed.
Give the words of the Hail Mary a place of honor in your home with our exclusive Personalized Hail Mary Rosary Hanger. Made of rustic wood with a beautiful image of Our Lady, the words “Hail Mary, Full of Grace,” and your family’s name, it features four sturdy hooks for neatly storing your rosaries. Designed and produced right here in Charlotte, NC! Available today at The Catholic Company!
