Various Practices of Devotion
in Honor of the Divine Mother;
of the Hail Mary


Madonna del Rosario - by CARAVAGGIO - from Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna

Saint Dominic and his friars spread the devotion of the rosary; and here the Madonna, as Queen of Heaven, issues orders to the saint at her right, who clutches a rosary, and the Dominican Saint Peter Martyr at her left. Beside Saint Peter Martyr stands the most famous of Dominican theologians, Saint Thomas Aquinas.  Madonna, Child and saints form a heavenly triangle concealed from the classically costumed suppliants at the front, who kneel in prayer with arms outstretched to Saint Dominic.

 

Salute her with the angelical salutation;
for she indeed hears this sound with pleasure

Thomas á Kempis

 

Various Practices of Devotion
in Honor of the Divine Mother;
of the Hail Mary

by Saint Alphonsus de Liguori

angelbar.gif (3645 bytes)

This angelical salutation is the most pleasing to the ever-blessed Virgin; for, whenever she hears it, it would seem as if the joy which she experienced when Saint Gabriel announced to her that she was the chosen Mother of God, was renewed in her; and with this object in view, we should often salute her with the "Hail Mary". "Salute her", says Thomas à Kempis, "with the angelical salutation; for she indeed hears this sound with pleasure". The Divine Mother herself told Saint Matilda that no one could salute her in a manner more agreeable to herself than with the "Hail Mary". He who salutes Mary will also be saluted by her. Saint Bernard once heard a statue of the Blessed Virgin salute him, saying, "Hail Bernard". Mary's salutation, says Saint Bonaventure, will always be some grace corresponding with the wants of him who salutes her: "She willingly salutes us with grace, if we willingly salute her with a Hail Mary". Richard of Saint Lawrence adds, "that if we address the Mother of our Lord, saying, 'Hail Mary'", she cannot refuse the grace which we ask. Mary herself promised Saint Gertrude as many graces at death as she should have said "Hail Marys". Blessed Alan asserts, "that as all Heaven rejoices when the 'Hail Mary' is said, so also do the devils tremble and take flight". This Thomas à Kempis affirms on his own experience; for he says, that once the Devil appeared to him, and instantly fled on hearing the "Hail Mary".

To practice this devotion:

We can every morning and evening on getting up, and going to bed, say three "Hail Marys" prostrate, or at least kneeling; and add to each "Ave" this short prayer:

O Mary, by thy pure and Immaculate Conception,
make my body pure, and my soul holy.

We should then, as Saint Stanislaus always did, ask Mary's blessing as our Mother; place ourselves under the mantle of her protection, beseeching her to guard us during the coming day or night from sin. For this purpose it is very advisable to have a beautiful picture or image of the Blessed Virgin.

We can say the "Angelus", with the usual three "Hail Marys", in the morning, at mid-day, and in the evening. Pope John XXII was the first to grant an indulgence for this devotion; it was on the following occasion, as Father Crasset relates it: A criminal was condemned to be burned alive on the vigil of the Annunciation of the Mother of God; he saluted saluted her with a "Hail Mary" and in the midst of the flames he, and even his clothes, remained uninjured. Benedict XIII, afterwards granted a hundred day's indulgences to all who recite it, and a plenary indulgence once a month to those who during that time have recited it daily as above, on condition of going to Confession and receiving the Holy Communion, and praying for the usual intentions. Father Crasset says that Clement X granted other indulgences to those who, at the end of each "Hail Mary", add "Thanks be to God and to Mary". Formerly, at the sound of the bell, all knelt down to say the "Angelus", but in the present day there are some who are ashamed to do so; Saint Charles Borromeo was not ashamed to do so; Saint Charles Borromeo was not ashamed to get out of his carriage, or get off his horse, to say it in the street; and even sometimes in the mud. It is related that there was a slothful religious who neglected to kneel at the sound of the Angelus bell; he saw the belfry bow down three times, and a voice said, "Behold, wilt thou not do that which even inanimate creatures do"? Here we must remark that Benedict XIV directed that in paschal time, instead of saying the "Angelus", we should say the "Regina Coeli"; and that on Saturday evenings, and the whole of Sunday, the "Angelus" should be said standing.

We can salute the Mother of God with a "Hail Mary" every time we hear the clock strike. Blessed Alphonsus Rodriguez saluted her every hour; and at night, if the hour had passed without his doing so, angels awoke him, that he might not omit this devotion.

In going out and returning to the house, we can salute the Blessed Virgin with a "Hail Mary", that both out of doors and in, she may guard us from all sin; and we should each time kiss her feet, as the Carthusian fathers always do.

We should reverence every image of Mary which we pass with a "Hail Mary". For this purpose those who can do so would do well to place a beautiful image of the Blessed Virgin on the wall of their houses, that it may be venerated by those who pass. In Naples, and still more in Rome, there are most beautiful images of our Blessed Lady placed along the waysides by her devout clients.

By command of the holy Church, all the canonical hours are preceded by, and concluded with a "Hail Mary"; we should therefore do well to begin and end all our actions with a "Hail Mary". I say all our actions, whether spiritual, such as prayer, confession and communion, spiritual reading, hearing sermons, and such-like; or temporal, such as study, giving advice, working, going to table, to bed, etc. Happy are those actions which are enclosed between two "Hail Marys". So also should we do on waking in the morning, on closing our eyes to sleep, in every temptation, in every danger, in every inclination to anger, and such-like; on these occasions we should always say a "Hail Mary". My dear reader, do this, and you will see the immense advantage that you will derive from it. Remember also that for every "Hail Mary" there is an indulgence of twenty days. Father Auriemma relates that the Blessed Virgin promised Saint Matilda a happy death if she every day recited three "Hail Marys" in honor of her power, wisdom, and goodness. Moreover, she herself told Saint Jane de Chantal that the "Hail Mary" was most acceptable to her, and especially when recited ten times in honor of her ten virtues.

Prayer of the Ten Virtues
This prayer, contained in the Rule of the Ten Virtues of the Blessed Virgin Mary, has been passed on by tradition in the Marian Order. 

First of all we make the sign of the Cross, 
then we recite one "Our Father",
followed by ten "Hail Marys", mentioning after the words "Holy Mary, Mother of God", one virtue, in the following order:

1. Most pure,
2. Most prudent,
3. Most humble,
4. Most faithful,
5. Most devout,
6. Most obedient,
7. Most poor,
8. Most patient,
9. Most merciful,
10. Most sorrowful,

"pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death."

V. Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
R. As it was in the beginning, is now and will be forever. Amen.
V. In Your Conception, O Virgin Mary, You were Immaculate.
R. Pray for us to the Father whose son, Jesus, you brought forth into the world.
 Let us pray.
Father, you prepared the virgin Mary to be the worthy mother of your Son. You let her share beforehand in the salvation Christ would bring by his death, and kept her sinless from the first moment of her conception. Help us by her prayers to live in your presence without sin. We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.
R. Amen.
V. The Virgin Mary’s Immaculate Conception
R. Be our Health and our Protection.