Submitted by Heather on Facebook: I would like to ask a question too please. I’ve always wanted to know why/how you use Hail Marys. It was once presented to me as a sort of repentance/payment for a sin. This sin=20 Hail Marys etc and it was assigned by the priest. Is this really true? I see the nuns on the Catholic channel being repetitive. Is it just a type of meditation? Or are the repetitions an assignment from the priest? Or both?
Thanks friend for your wonderful question! For this blog post, let’s focus on this main question: Why do Catholic Christians pray the ‘Hail Mary’ prayer?
- First, let me say, though Catholic Christians are the primary tradition that say this prayer, we are not the only ones that do. Orthodox Christians also recite it as well as some Anglicans or Episcopalians. I have even heard that some Lutherans do in parts of Germany where Lutheranism still has much more of a Catholic feel. (Martin Luther still honored Mary by the way for her unique role in salvation history). As far as numbers go, most Christians (68% or more) pray the ‘Hail Mary.’ How can I say this? Well, there are about 2.2 billion Christians in the world (out of 7 billion people). Of the 2.2 billion Christians, 1.1 billion are Catholic Christians and about 400 million are Orthodox Christians. In the United States, we sometimes have a distorted view of what the rest of the world looks like since Protestant forms of Christianity are so dominant here.
- To clarify, we do not believe that asking saints to pray for us takes away sin. We believe only receiving Christ’s free gift of grace won for us by His death on the cross takes away sin. We experience this grace by faith through Baptism and ongoing repentance thereafter. Prayer though does help to undo the power of sin and its consequences or effects. This is why a priest will assign people to pray after confessing sins. Though the sin is forgiven, the effects and consequences of sin can be damaging. Prayer allows the healing process to begin and helps the consequences of that sin to find resolution. (For more information on Confession in the Catholic Church, see my next blog post)
- Isn’t saying ‘Hail Mary’ a form of worship to Mary? Catholic Christianity forbids worship of anyone besides the Triune God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). From a historical point of view, Catholic Christianity led the way in protecting the message of Jesus and the Biblical understanding of God and worship of Him (See many of the first church councils when Catholic bishops protected the Bible, the Trinity, the divinity of Christ, and many other important doctrines). This is why G.K. Chesterton once said about the Catholic Church, “It is the only thing that talks as if it were the truth; as if it were a real messenger refusing to tamper with a real message.” (Chesterton is speaking in the context of analyzing the last 2,000 years of Christianity and is making large brush stroke observations. He is not saying that other churches have not protected the message of Jesus. He is saying that since the Catholic Church has been around from the beginning, it has, therefore, been paranoid about protecting this message from the beginning).
- Though some people are convinced that Catholic Christians worship Mary, many are relieved to know that we only look to Mary in so far as she leads us to Christ. As it is recorded in John 2:5, Mary is quoted as saying, “Do whatever he tells you.” We believe her message has not changed =)
- What about this odd word ‘hail’ ? This word is derived from Scripture in Luke. Gabriel greets Mary. The word ‘hail’ is form of older english which means ‘greetings.’ It implies having exuberant joy by being in the presence of that person. (Think of our college fight songs. ‘“Hail, Hail To Old Purdue! All Hail To Our Old Gold And Black!) We are excited at basketball games, and the angel Gabriel is really excited in Luke chapter 2 in the presence of this girl. I think he could sense that the defeat of the Evil One was nearing and that this humble, poor girl of Nazareth was going to play such a significant role in the battle by bearing God Himself.
- Isn’t this the story of the Gospel? By the grace of God, we go from rags to spiritual riches. The Girl of Rags becomes the Bearer of God and His fiery presence. The ancient Christians called her the “Theokotos” or God-bearer. She in some sense was like a New Ark of the Covenant containing God’s presence though not God herself. The most ancient prayer we have found (a fragment) asking for the intercession of Mary dates to 250AD– “Beneath your compassion,We take refuge, O Theokotos.”
- This is why Gabriel says, “Hail Mary.” He is ready to get this salvation party started! The Hail Mary prayer goes like this: “Hail (Rejoice or Greetings) Mary, full of grace. Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb–Jesus (These words were stated by her cousin Elizabeth). Holy Mary, mother of God, (Again, stated by Elizabeth who says ‘mother of my Lord’) pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.” (I will take as many prayers as I can get!).
- Again, we believe all the saints (everyone who has died and is with the Lord) have an effective prayer life as righteous souls filled with faith (See James 5). We also believe the prayers of Mary are particularly powerful because of her unique role in salvation history as the mother of our Lord. In short, we think of her as the New Eve just as we think of Jesus as the New Adam (though they are far from equal!). Eve was called the ‘mother of all the living’ (Genesis 3), and we think of Mary as our new mother to those in the Church (the living or those made alive again by Christ). We believe this idea is rooted in John 19:26.
- Again, just like Eve, we consider Mary our human mother or Matriarch in faith. Just as all humans have come from Eve, so all those made alive by Christ have come from Mary, because Christ came through Mary. Also, Mary’s saying ‘yes’ to God in obedience reversed Eve’s disobedience in the Garden. Eve fell by her misguided desires and mistrust of God. Mary opened up the story of redemption by having heavenly desires and by ultimately trusting God with her entire life. (She risked being stoned to death for being pregnant without a husband). Her ‘yes’ was a willingness to die for God’s plan for the world. If Eve was the Matriarch of the first Covenant and first Creation, Mary has become the New Eve of the New Covenant and the New Creation. This is far from idolatry and only an honor given to Mary. Jesus is both the New Adam of the New Covenant as well as the God–the founder of the New Covenant. “The New Adam hangs suspended on the wood for every sinner. The New Eve stands by in sorrow.” –Taylor Marshall
- When we say the ‘Hail Mary’ we are asking for God to make us like Mary–humble, obedient, and ready to say to ‘yes’ to Him for everything he has for us. Only in our ‘yes’ to him can we overcome temptation. These reflections on the role of Mary are grounded in Scripture and the earliest writings of the Church. See the writings of St. Irenaeus on Mary as the New Eve. (https://www.crossroadsinitiative.com/media/articles/mary-as-the-new-eve-st-irenaeus/) (Irenaeus’ writings are dated to be 90 years after the Bible was complete. He also claimed to be the student of Polycarp who was the student of the Apostle John. His writings are considered to be authentic by scholars.)
- Why do Catholics say the Hail Mary repetitively? We say all different kinds of prayers all of the time. The nuns you see on tv are praying the rosary. (They have not been assigned this by a priest). The rosary is based upon 5 meditations on Jesus. Saying the prayer over and over again along with other prayers ‘Our Father,’ The Apostle’s Creed, ‘the Glory Be, are the background noise as you meditate on the life of Jesus. I agree it is weird to watch on tv. At first I wondered why they even put it on tv. I then realized that it is for those that want to pray along, especially those who are homebound. I will have to say that praying the Rosary is completely different than watching it on tv. It’s rightful place is experiencing this prayer during a time of prayer with a group of people (for example after a meal and a Bible study). Think of it like singing a song by Chris Tomlin, Hillsong, or Jesus Culture at a contemporary service. We sing the chorus over and over again and enter into a particular kind of state where the Holy Spirit can use us, because we let our walls down. It can look weird to outsiders but not for the insiders practicing it. Praying to God like a conversation is powerful form of prayer. Memorized prayers together with other people are also powerful, and they are especially powerful when you know of no other way to pray during difficult times.
Barrel Aged Faith 