MEDITATION OF THE DAY | JULY 3, 2021 | Fr. Ed Broom, OMV Oblates of the Virgin Mary

Feast of Saint Thomas, Apostle

“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)

SATURDAY, July 3rd Jn. 20: 24-29 “Jesus said to him, ‘Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.’”

Who was the first to believe without seeing? “Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to your word.” (Lk. 1:38) Mary’s response to the Archangel Gabriel. And “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” (Jn. 1:14) The Blessed Trinity’s response to Mary’s “Yes”.
Due to Mary’s Immaculate Conception, meaning she was conceived without original sin in the womb of her mother Saint Anne, Mary was perfected in Faith! And all other virtues besides.
On the day dedicated to Mary, let us honor this Woman of Faith by celebrating the Annunciation/Incarnation and renewing our understanding and relishing of the meaning of the words of the prayer that Mary loves most…

THE HAIL MARY—UNDERSTANDING THE WORDS AND THE MEANING By Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

Thanks be to God, as Roman Catholics we learn by heart the words of the Hail Mary, also known as The Angelic Salutation—the greeting of the Archangel Gabriel. However, it might be that we never spent any serious time reflecting on the meaning of the words in this glorious prayer. In this chapter we would like to offer a few simple but very important insights. The greater the depth of understanding of our faith, and of the immense treasure-house of these beautiful prayers, the more we will appreciate them and use them with greater intensity!

HAIL MARY… These words were actually addressed to the Blessed Virgin Mary by one of the angels sent from God, an Archangel whose name is GABRIEL—which means, Power of God. This was one of the most important messages communicated in the history of the world. For that reason, Pope Saint Paul VI proclaimed the Archangel Gabriel as the Patron of Modern Communication; that would include Television, Radio, Movies, Internet, YouTube, Podcasts, Smartphones, and any other form of electronic communication. May the humble praying of the Hail Mary encourage us to be better communicators, like the Archangel Gabriel, and strive to communicate the presence of God in whatever walk of life God has called us to!

FULL OF GRACE… Of all women, Mary was by far the most beautiful, sublime, glorious, pure, laudable, holy, as well as the most endowed with grace! The poets wax eloquent in this regard! What then is grace??? In the study of Theology, the topic of grace is of paramount value and importance. A short catechetical definition for grace is the following: Grace is participation in the life of God. There we have it: Grace is God’s life within us! We are conceived with Original Sin and born without grace. Mary, on the contrary, was conceived without the stain of Original Sin, so she was born in grace—she is the full of grace. (*See Note CCC 491 at the end of the meditation.)

THE GRACE OF ALL GRACES: TO DIE IN THE STATE OF GRACE. The great Doctor of the Church, Saint Alphonsus Mary Liguori, asserted that the grace of all graces is for us to die in the state of grace. If this happens, with the help of God’s grace, we will be saved for all eternity!

INVOKING FREQUENTLY THE FULL OF GRACE—MARY, MOST HOLY! If we form the habit of praying the HAIL MARY and better yet—the Hail Mary fifty times in the most Holy Rosary—then we will be constantly growing in grace. In fact, every time we pray the Hail Mary with faith, fervor, and love, we are augmenting sanctifying grace in our souls and preparing ourselves for an eternity in heaven!

WHAT DOES MARY, THE FULL OF GRACE, DO FOR US??? By praying the Hail Mary to the Mother of God, Mary will attain for us extraordinary graces, divine helps to stay close to God. Among the many graces or helps are the following:

1. PROTECTION. The devil shoots fiery darts to wound and kill us spiritually. Praying the HAIL MARY is like a shield of protection against the fiery arrows of Satan and his minions.

2. JOY. Grace communicates Joy! By praying the HAIL MARY frequently, Our Lady attains for us a joyful heart, a radiant smile, and jubilant disposition that flows out abundantly upon all those we meet!

3. POWER TO RESIST TEMPTATIONS. Upon praying the HAIL MARY, the great Mother of God intercedes for us before the throne of Almighty God, and she attains for us the grace (God’s divine assistance) to resist temptations that can come often, powerfully, and insidiously.

4. A CLEAN HEART. By praying the HAIL MARY often and fervently, the full of grace will obtain for us a pure and clean heart; actually purity of heart, mind, body, soul, intention, and life—a life pleasing to Almighty God!

5. PEACE OF MIND. In the midst of a world beset by anguish, tensions, rivalries, envy, wars and bloodshed, by praying the HAIL MARY frequently, Mary the Mother of God— the full of grace, can attain for us great peace of mind, even in the midst of so much tension, turmoil, and conflict.

THE LORD IS WITH YOU… These essential words, part of the Hail Mary, have great meaning and importance. From the very moment of Mary’s Immaculate Conception in the womb of her mother, Saint Anne, God was with Mary. Never for even the slightest moment was Mary separated from God. As we said, Mary was and is the full of grace. Mary’s whole being was imbued, absorbed, and penetrated by the Presence of God. Mary’s mind was filled with God’s heavenly light. Mary’s thoughts were focused totally on God and how God could be glorified. Mary’s eyes contemplated the beauty of God in all His glory and splendor. Mary’s words proclaimed the greatness of God. Mary’s whole body was a Living and Glorious Temple of the Blessed Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And of great importance, Mary’s Immaculate Heart constantly poured forth fervent acts of love for God. The heart is created especially to love, and aside from Jesus Himself, nobody ever loved more constantly and intensely than the Immaculate Heart of Mary!

THE LORD IS WITH YOU (MARY)…. But what about us??? The Lord was always with Mary, but what about us? Is the Lord always with us? Unfortunately, weak creatures that we are, the Lord may not always be with us! Why? Being free creatures, we can willingly choose to reject God in our lives, and this is called MORTAL SIN! However, there is Good News, and it comes through the presence and intercession of Mary! If we suffer the disgrace of losing grace by committing mortal sin, by beseeching the powerful intercession of Mary, she will attain for us the grace of heartfelt contrition and compunction, and the grace to return to God through a good Sacramental Confession. Indeed, Mary is the full of grace and God is always with her. But Mary loves sinners. She is the Mother of Mercy towards the fallen. If we turn to Mary, she will help us return to grace.

We pray and hope that these short reflections will encourage you to go deeper into the insightful well-spring of the Hail Mary prayer that Mary loves so much. The words that we have expounded upon are actually taken from the Archangel Gabriel. In this real sense, your words become nothing less than angelic every time you greet Mary, with the HAIL MARY—also known as THE ANGELIC SALUTATION—THE ANGELIC GREETING! Greet Mary frequently with faith, joy, and love in this prayer, in this life—and Jesus, the Son of Mary, will greet and welcome you to heaven!

*Note:

CCC 491 Through the centuries the Church has become ever more aware that Mary, “full of grace” through God, was redeemed from the moment of her conception. That is what the dogma of the Immaculate Conception confesses, as Pope Pius IX proclaimed in 1854: “The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin.”