Prayer - Part 2

 After the Our Father, the other two most common prayers are the Hail Mary and the Glory Be. They accompany several private devotions including the Rosary (see module 2, prayer).

Prayer - Part 2

1. Hail Mary
2. Glory be

"Hail Mary"

The prayer is as follows: "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of our death." The prayer is made of two components the Angelic Salutation starts the first half, and the petition is the second half. 

It is called the Angelic salutation, because that is what St. Gabriel the Archangel said to the Blessed Virgin Mary at the Annunciation of our Lord Jesus Christs' Incarnation. The second part of the first half is what St. Elizabeth said to the Blessed Virgin when she went to visit Elizabeth and help her with her delivery. Upon hearing the greeting of  the Blessed Virgin Mary the Holy Ghost filled Elizbeth and she greeted the Blessed Virgin Mary saying "Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb". The second half is the petitionary prayer that was added by the Church for people to ask of her prayers, not only now, but when we are near death; the point of greater need. Does this mean that the Blessed Virgin Mary knows when we will die? No, it just means that we are asking her to always pray for us, and at some point we will die, and still ask for prayers up to that point. 

But why ask for her prayers at all? Well, it is always good to have intercessory prayer. Intercessory prayer is when you ask people to pray for you. People here on Earth, and in people in Heaven, i.e. the Saints. Those that are in Heaven are not dead, can hear our prayers, and being that they are of the body of Christ, advocate to Christ on our behalf. The Blessed Virgin Mary, by honor of being the Mother of Jesus Christ, who is God the Son, i.e. "Holy Mary, Mother of God", is the highest advocate of the Saints to ask Christ, her son, our prayers. 

"Glory be"

The "Glory be" is a brief prayer that always calls to mind how we are to relate to God in all things. It typically accompanies the "Sign of the Cross" but not always. The prayer goes like this: "Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost". Not only does the prayer call to mind how we are to relate to God, i.e. always glorifying Him, but it also further states and makes clear that we worship the God in Trinity.