Ave! How are you? That Latin word "Ave" is the first word that we encounter in the Latin version of the "Hail Mary" prayer. While "Ave" is oftentimes translated as "Hail!" it is generally understood to be a word of greeting that the Archangel Gabriel addressed to Mary in Nazareth. If we would go back to the original Greek text of the New Testament the word is not merely a formal way of saying "Hi" or "Hello" but could actually be translated as "Rejoice exceedingly!" (Luke 1:28) The Greek word χαίρω
has that beautifully-striking connotation in English.
That seems like an appropriate way of talking to someone who might very well become the Mother of God. What a tremendous gift and honor and grace and awe-inspiring responsibility for a human being to be chosen by the Creator of the universe for such a wondrous vocation. During this month of October we can prayerfully ponder the plan that the Lord had for the Blessed Virgin Mary.
For nearly five hundred years the Catholic Church has celebrated Our Lady of the Rosary on October 7
th
and has encouraged the faithful to pray the Rosary every day of that month. In doing so we can meditate on the Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful, and Glorious Mysteries of Christ. To be sure there is a lot of repetition within this ancient form of prayer between the "Our Fathers" and "Hail Marys" and "Glory Bes." That’s not necessarily a bad thing! When we love our family members and friends we might tell them that profound truth in the same way one million times and each time it is packed with new meaning and significance.
Since the Rosary is a devotional prayer that is not officially a liturgical prayer it should be mentioned that there is some flexibility for those who would pray it. In other words, the "Hail, Mary!" could be slightly modified to "Hello, Mary!" or "Rejoice exceedingly, Mary!" Towards the end of each "Hail, Mary!" a person could say, "Holy Mary, Mother of God…and of the whole Church" These small changes would not change the meaning of the Rosary but could help it to be a fresh experience when praying alone or with family members or other Christians.
Ultimately, the purpose of praying the Rosary is more than just rote repetition but to grow in relationship with Our Blessed Mother who always leads us into a deeper friendship with her Son. May Our Lady of the Rosary - who is also known as Our Lady of Victory since she was instrumental in helping a group of Christians to succeed in battle in which they were significantly outnumbered - intercede for us in this month of October so that we could one day join her in Heaven to rejoice exceedingly in God's Kingdom forever and ever. Amen.
