In Roman Catholic tradition, the Hail Mary would feature hugely on any blog about the rosary- as indeed it does in many other aspects of Roman Catholic prayer. It’s place in Anglican worship is more complicated, but, as our intercessions at St Mary’s this morning included the words, I thought I’d look into it a bit.
Certainly, the opening two lines are directly taken from
Scripture:
- Hail Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with thee
is based on the Angel Gabriel, as reported in the first chapter of Luke’s
gospel: (in the KJV it was “Hail, thou that art highly
favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou
among women”- verse 28)
- Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Mary’s cousin Elisabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit and proclaims this
in verse 42 of Luke’s first chapter- almost word for word in the KJV as it
appears in the traditional prayer (“Blessed art thou
among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb…”
- Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our
death, Amen. According to the Oxford
Dictionary of the Christian Church, this is not taken from scripture but
is added later: “The second part of the prayer… is of later origin and
came into general use in the later Middle Ages.” The Roman Catholic
catechism backs this up “the second part of the Hail Mary was added during
the course of the Middle Ages.”
Mary is, of course, a hugely important figure in understanding
Christian life, whatever the denomination, but Anglicans (especially those from
the more clearly Protestant traditions) are more cautious about it.
During the Reformation, figures like Thomas Cranmer were
cautious about prayers addressed to saints, including Mary. The concern
wasn’t so much about honouring Mary, but about keeping prayer directed
primarily to God through Christ. The Hail Mary doesn’t appear in the original Book
of Common Prayer- probably for that reason.
In the “high church” or “Anglo-Catholic” traditions, it is
often used similarly to Roman Catholic practice- In devotional prayers, private
prayer and rosaries, and especially Marian feasts.
The broader Anglican tradition, I am informed, is generally more
likely to use the opening lines- and this is especially common in choral
settings. Mary is honoured but less commonly used for direct intercession. When the Angelus is used in services, it
quotes the Biblical lines, but not the final “petition” lines.
The Evangelical tradition in the Anglican Church is unlikely
to use the Hail Mary- with the focus being on prayer directed to God and God
alone. However the Magnificat (as taken
directly from Luke chapter 1) is often a
feature- especially sung- in Anglican churches from the evangelical tradition-
especially in evening services.
Most Anglicans would agree that Mary is honoured as the
mother of Christ- affirming Christ’s human incarnation- and that she is a biblical
model of faith and service. Any devotion to Mary (or anyone else!) should
ultimately point toward Christ, not away from him Where Anglicans differ seems mainly over whether it is appropriate to ask
for her prayers as intercessor.
So- how would you pray a Hail Mary on an Anglican Rosary, in line with Anglican traditions? Well I suggest the below. The sevens are all (very much as a standard RC Marian rosary would be) focused on repeating the Hail Mary... I've confined it to the first (Scriptural) verses, but if you were minded to add the line of petition (Holy mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death...) you could do so without changing the rhythm or structure. Up to you!
An Anglican Hail Mary
The Cross
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
We come to hear again the message of the angel,
and to receive Christ in faith and humility.
The Invitatory Bead
The Word became flesh and dwelt among us:
O come, let us adore him.
The Cruciform Beads- each is followed by seven repetitions of the Weeks' prayer:
Cruciform Bead 1:The Annunciation (Luke 1: 28 and 35)
The angel of the Lord declared unto Mary,
and she conceived by the Holy Spirit.
followed by seven repetitions of the Weeks' Beads Prayer:
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you.
Blessed are you among women
and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.
Cruciform Bead 2: Mary’s Response (Luke 1:38)
Behold the servant of the Lord;
be it unto me according to your word.
followed by seven repetitions of the Weeks' Beads Prayer
Cruciform Bead 3: The Visitation (Luke 1:42)
Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
followed by seven repetitions of the Weeks' Beads Prayer
Cruciform Bead 4: The Incarnation (John 1:14)
The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.
followed by seven repetitions of the Weeks' Beads Prayer
Return to the Invitational Bead:
The Word became flesh and dwelt among us:
Come, let us receive him anew in faith and love.
Return to the Cross:
Pour forth your grace into our hearts, O Lord,
that we who have known the incarnation of your Son Jesus Christ
by the message of an angel,
may by his cross and passion
be brought to the glory of his resurrection;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
