Where does the “Hail Mary” Prayer come from?

One of the most prayed prayers in the Catholic faith is that of the “Hail Mary”. But where did this prayer come from? And why is it so well known?

This prayer result from the combination of some biblical texts from the Gospel of Luke. The first part is the greeting of the archangel Gabriel to Mary, in the episode of the annunciation, when he tells her that she is going to be the mother of Jesus. “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you...” (Luke 1:28). The following words are the exclamation of joy spoken by Saint Elizabeth, when Mary came to visit her and help her in her pregnancy: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb” (Luke 1:42). To these words, tradition added the word: “Jesus”, to specify that this is the fruit of Mary’s womb.

The phrase “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen” is not in the Bible. But it is a request that closes this prayer so that Mary, the mother of Jesus, intercedes for us before her Son, at every moment and especially at the moment of death. This prayer is one of the best known because it is the one that is repeated in the recitation of the Rosary.

Fr. Tarcisio