Hail Mary

Hail Mary
Full of grace
The Lord is with thee
Blessed art thou among 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.

References: Luke 1:28, Luke 1:42, Council of Ephesus, Why Do Catholics Do That, Kevin Orlin Johnson, PhD.

This prayer is a devotional prayer to Mary. "Hail Mary....thy womb, Jesus" is taken from the Bible, with the names of Mary and Jesus added to emphasize who is being addressed. In the year 431, the Council of Ephesus (Ephesus was the town where Mary resided after the Resurrection) confirmed that Mary was indeed the Mother of God, as some heretics at the time were trying to say that Mary was not, but rather, the mother of a human Jesus. Our faith tells us that Jesus was true man and true God. When the news of the council reached the Ephesians, they celebrated by taking to the streets shouting "Holy Mary! Mother of God! Pray for us sinners!"

In a devotional prayer, we ask for saints to pray for us...just as we would ask each other for prayer. Our faith tells us that the saints are especially close to God, so we ask for their help, or their intercession. In this case, we are asking the Queen of All Saints to pray for us...the Mother of God, Mary.