What does 'hail mary' mean?

[neophyte]

It’s usually a play from desperation

Miami v. Boston College, 1984. I remember it vividly, one of the most exciting games I’ve ever seen.

 

[AngelusDomini]

That one word, ‘Hail’ is so important as it leads us to a deeper understanding of the importance of Mary. An archangel, a messenger of God, a being which sees God face to face is greeting a lowly human with deference. Nowhere else does such a greeting occur (archangels usually appear disguised and command humans in the name of God; they do not ask.) In art Gabriel is often (though not always) seen bowing before Mary. She is indeed the highest and most exalted of the human race and even the Queen of Angels.

 

[Pattylt]

@anendlesswaltz,
Not now, but later in your studies after tackling the Church Fathers, I also recommend reading some of the gospels that didn’t make it into the canon. They’re fascinating! They usually have some heretical theology…which is why they were rejected but you can also find several of the catholic Traditions in there. Remember, some of these books were widely read and give you a peek at some of the problems the early church dealt with.

They also have Traditions and traditions showing how early some beliefs arose in the church. Just because they had problems and didn’t become canon doesn’t mean they have nothing to truthfully say!

 

[anendlesswaltz]

Oh you mean the gnostic books? I’ve heard of those. Or did you mean others? You’re right tho I think I would need a solid foundation before I read something like that. I’m very interested though! Because the Bible wasn’t always the 66 or 73 book bible we have today. I’ve even heard that one story can be told different ways at different times, conflicting. And that a story changed over time. Like apparently Hebrew and Greek Esther are very different.

 

[Pattylt]

Oh you mean the gnostic books

I think most of the gnostic books are much later…I’m not sure…but I’m thinking of the gospel of Peter…with a walking talking cross! There’s another that tells the story of Mary and baby Jesus…and Joseph?..on their journey to Egypt. Another tells the story of Jesus’s birth in a cave and the birth assistant verifying that Mary is still a virgin and because she had to insert her hand into Mary, it withers and baby Jesus touches her hand and heals it. Like I said, it’s some fascinating stuff! Even though it’s not all true, there are some true parts in them.

It’s something to read after reading the church fathers. I believe they even discuss some of the stories.

Oh! Don’t skip the infant gospels, either…I loved that one! A naughty young Jesus!

 

[jochoa]

Another joy to consider is that Angel Gabriel, a messenger of God, is passing along the message, “Hail” to Mary from God!
To learn why God highly respects Mary is amazing!

 

[anendlesswaltz]

Another joy to consider is that Angel Gabriel, a messenger of God, is passing along the message, “Hail” to Mary from God!
To learn why God highly respects Mary is amazing!

Oh, wow! I never thought of that! That really is amazing!

 

[new-kirishitan]

Also, i read on here that she was assumed/taken up into heaven, too? Where’d that story come from? And is there any more writings/letters left to us by the apostels or early church converts that i can read, too? That i would not have been exposed to with just an NIV bible and a baptist church pastor.

The Hail Mary comes from Luke 1:26-28

And in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, called Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel being come in, said unto her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.

 

[anendlesswaltz]

Thank you! I think i understand it all now. My baptist church i first attended growing up really misinformed us. I don’t know if it was that pastor or if its the denomination itself. But all of this that i’ve learned on this thread really makes sense! Thank you so much for taking the time to help me! God bless

 

[new-kirishitan]

You are welcome. Being a convert from Buddhism who also experienced the Conservative Holiness Church when I lived in America, I eventually discovered Catholicism in England when I was in graduate school. I found that Christianity is indeed the true faith because it makes far more sense than any other faith, especially if you dig into the history and connect the dots. I also found that the fullness of Christianity is in the Catholic Church, because it has unbroken connection with the original apostles, who had personal encounters with Jesus. Therefore the Catholic Church, being the successor of those original apostles, is the one that holds the most accurate information about the Christian faith. May you have a good journey too. God bless.

 

[dochawk]

Oh you mean the gnostic books? I’ve heard of those. Or did you mean others?

I recall from a theology Classe that there are something like 100 known Gospels. Some are, well, clearly loony, while a couple are seriously studied today as possibly having historic narrative value beyond the four canonical Gospels.

And that number is dwarfed by the number of epistles that didn’t make the cut . . .
The very existence of what we call “The Bible” is an exercise of the teaching authority of the Orthodox and Catholic Church. No episicpol authority, no Bible, but instead a lutherian nightmare in which each decides for himself which books are and aren’t inspired . . .

 

[Katie777]

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Since the answer was already given, here is The Hail Mary prayer in a biblical context.

 

[anendlesswaltz]

Thank you so much!! I will look up that last verse in particular later it is of great interest to me.

 

[MarthaSo]

This is beautiful, thank you for sharing!

 

[Anicette]

“Hail” Mary is a respectfull salutation. The latin is “Ave”

 

[Agnus-Dei]

My baptist church i first attended growing up really misinformed us.

Same thing here to a disgusting degree as well. “Church leader” was with the youth on a short trip for the day. We saw a group of nuns. The “leader” stopped us and said, “Do not ever speak to women that look that way.” “They say they believe in God, but they are the very brides of Satan himself.” “You can tell because of the black robes.” (Southern Baptist)
Dominus vobiscum

 

[anendlesswaltz]

Wow, really? That’s awful! I remember a lot of divisive and hateful talk from the pastor himself during sermons. He would talk bad about the other denominations and he had a reason why every other one wasn’t the true Christianity. He said he would never let a gay person join the church (baptize them), which always struck me as extreme.

 

[Maximian]

Kind of like saying “hey ya!”

Sorry but it is not remotely like saying hey ya.

Chaire (hail) was a greeting you would reserve for people you wished to honour.

We don’t really have a modern equivalent but “I. Salute you” gives you the idea.

 

[Jen7]

Definition of “hail”:
to cheer, salute, or greet; welcome. to acclaim; approve enthusiastically: The crowds hailed the conquerors. They hailed the recent advances in medicine. to call out to in order to stop, attract attention, ask aid, etc.: to hail a cab.

This! Read many older books and you will see “hail” used as a way to say “hello.” I would say it’s more formal than “yo, bro!” and more along the lines of “how do, ma’am.”

 

[OnlyULord]

The rosary is an amazing gift given to us. It has changed my life so much! It is one of the best (If not THE best) weapons in spiritual warfare against the devil. I would also recommend saying the Divine Mercy with it as well after you are familiar with it - a one, two punch to the enemy. As mentioned above, you can say these both with your fingers if you don’t have the beads (which I often do while driving).

I wish you abundant grace on your journey!!!