The Annunciation: ‘Hail, Full of Grace!’
Gandang araw mga kapatid, ngayon po ay may bago akong kausap na active member ng Word Christian Fellowship and again he raise this question to me…. ” Where in the Bible or can you show me in the bible where can we find that God command us to recite ”hail mary… prayer???…….. Ano po ang mas maganda pang paliwanag dito….Salalamat po
A prayer is a communication with God. It can be said spontaneously or through recited chants…
If you would read the stories in the Bible, Old and New Testament alike, especially the Old, how did the early believers of the One God pray? Is it not through the concept of spontaneous prayer like what Moses, Joshua, Daniel, Jeremiah and the rest would do. But also, there were instances after the writing ofthe Thorah and the books of the Propeths that they would read the entire book, or some lines in the Psalms repeatedly and recognizing it as prayer. Why? In reading those books, they are basically talking to God and God responding too.
Now, in this premise, it is an accepted logic that not because the Bible did not specifically state that you have to pray only this line or this verse, repeatedly reciting lines or even cut and pasted lines in the Bible is in fact a prayer. Get a line, a favorite verse, memorize it and repeat it away and you are already praying. Why? Again, You are Talking to God. Now, going back to the days of old, is it not that it had been the custom of many Prophets to recite lines and phrases from even older prophets? Even Jesus quotes Jeremiah, Isaiah, Elijah and many others. Why? Because, they recognize that the lives of those people who utter those words are worth emulating and remembering and even “quoting”.
Going now to the Hail Mary, is it not that it was written “Hail Mary, you are full of Grace, the Lord finds favor on you.” says the Angel Gabriel, and then “You are blessed amongst women and blesed is the child in your womb” says Elizabeth. and Mary herself said, “for I will be called blessed by all the nations and my name shall be spoken” Luke 1:26-56? Some thing familiar? These words are the same words that compose the Hail Mary Prayer.
Knowing from the days of old,
IS IT WRONG TO CONTINUOUSLY QUOTE THESE BEAUTIFUL WORDS OF THE MOTHER OF JESUS?
Is it wrong to remember the words of the woman whom God favors the most above all women?
Is it a sin to recite it?
Catholics pray in a more profound manner, the Church teaches to pray SPIRITUALLY and not SUPERFICIALLY. Jesus Himself says that we must void a lot of words in prayer, simple verses is enough. Which is longer the Hail Mary composed of two Sentences only or the words of all the pastors who speaks in a way that even Abraham Lincoln would be a mute in comparison?
