When I began to seriously investigate my faith, one of the things I was really struck by was Pope St. John Paul II’s devotion to Mary. It seemed like every homily he gave and every letter or book he wrote ended with some sort of recourse to the Mother of God. When I began to pray the Liturgy of the Hours, I realized how fitting this was – the Church’s official prayer ends each day with a prayer dedicated to Mary.
Arguably the most recognizable Catholic prayer is the Hail Mary:
Hail Mary, full of Grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of our death, amen.
The prayer itself is quite simple and has a history going back several centuries. The form by which we pray it today found its final form in the sixteenth century – concluding a journey that took centuries. [Read more…] about Hail Mary
