Immaculate Conception 2022

 

"Hail Mary, full of Grace"

 

Why do we have this Gospel passage of the Annunciation, which is the moment that JESUS is conceived, when we celebrate today MARY'S conception?

I would like to point out 2 reasons we have this Gospel today.

First, all Christians (and even a lot of non-Christians and atheists) love the “Ave Maria” sung in Latin. It begins “Ave Maria, gratia plena”

 

Gratia plena translates to "Full of Grace" and there is no other way to translate it other than "Full of Grace".

 

Luke was written in Greek though, so how do we know that “Full of Grace” is the proper translation?

 

St. Jerome, in the 300’s translated the Greek into Latin, and his translation into Latin was known as the vulgate.  Martin Luther would not be born for another 1200 years

Some Protestants, going back to the Greek text, have changed the translation into something like "Hail, favored one."

But I am going to trust St. Jerome's translation as he was doing it in the 300's.

The second reason we likely have this Gospel today is that all the other figures in the Sacred Scriptures who encounter an Archangel are all full of fear, and usually fall down in terror.  But the Archangel Gabriel speaks to Mary with DEFERENCE, saying "HAIL, Mary"... and the mere fact that she is able to ask Gabriel questions and have a conversation with the Archangel shows her profound holiness.

We are right, as Catholics, to say, every day, "Hail Mary FULL of Grace!"