The Three Ave Maria

When St. Mechthild of Hackeborn († 1299) toward the end of her life thought anxiously of the hour of her death, she begged the Mother of God for her maternal protection in her last hour. The Madonna, who had already appeared often to her faithful servant, heard her pleading and said to her:
"Yes, I will certainly fulfill your requests, my daughter, but I require of you that you pray three Hail Marys daily for love of me."

For the cover image – The Mother of Expectation

The origin of this extraordinary image of grace, which has been in the monastery of the Capuchin Sisters of St. Maria Loreto in Salzburg since the 19th century, remains shrouded in mystery to this day. With the arrival of the "Mother of Grace" at the Loreto monastery, the special custom soon arose of bringing the image to the cells of the dying sisters. It was striking that the Loreto sisters always went home calmly and peacefully, even in "joyful expectation." And this special grace is granted them to this day.
Incidentally, devotion to the "Mother of Grace" and the devotion of the Three Hail Marys are inseparably linked for the entire community of sisters.

The first Hail Mary

In honor of God the Father, who in His glorious omnipotence so honored my soul that after Him I am omnipotent in heaven and on earth.

The second Hail Mary

In honor of God the Son, who in the greatness of His unfathomable wisdom adorned and filled me with such gifts of knowledge and understanding that I may behold the Most Holy Trinity more intimately than all the saints.
He has moreover wrapped me in a light so that like a radiant sun I illuminate the whole heaven ...

The third Hail Mary

In honor of the Holy Spirit, who poured the sweet fullness of His love into my heart and created me so good and merciful that after God I am the gentlest and kindest being ...

To these Three Hail Marys the Mother of God attached the following great promise:

"I will stand by you in the hour of death, comfort you and keep all power of the devil away from you.
I will pour into you the light of faith and knowledge, so that your faith may not be tempted by ignorance and error.
I will be near you in the hour of passing and overflow your soul with the sweetness of divine love, so that by its surpassing power all agony of death and bitterness may be transformed into bliss through love."
(Liber specialis gratiae, P.I. Ch. 47)

In view of the wonderful spread and the many good fruits that sprang from this devotion, the Church not only gave her approval but also many privileges from the great treasury of the redemptive merits of Jesus Christ entrusted to her.
Pope Benedict XV raised the Confraternity of the Three Hail Marys to an Archconfraternity and granted it precious indulgences.

Practice:
Morning and evening pray the Three Hail Marys in honor of the three privileges of Mary described above, with the following invocation at the end:
"O my Mother, preserve me this day / this night from mortal sin."
(Indulgence prayer)

The Three Hail Marys are a powerful help to attain eternal salvation and every grace. This prayer practice deserves to be known, adopted, and spread further by all.
Great saints such as St. Anthony of Padua, St. Alphonsus Liguori, St. Leonard of Port Maurice, St. John Bosco, and St. Clement Mary Hofbauer practiced and spread this devotion themselves with zeal.
St. Anthony obtained thereby the grace of perfect purity in the temptations of the world. Likewise, the testimonies of faith of many people of our time report extraordinary favors through the practice of the Three Hail Marys: striking conversions, special protection in temptations, especially against purity, help in the most varied intentions, up to a good choice of vocation and state in life, as well as the grace of perseverance and a good death.

How fitting therefore are the words of St. Bonaventure:
"Mary greets us with grace when we greet her with the Hail Mary.
Even if we were sick and unable to do any work, praying the Hail Mary makes us valuable co-workers in the kingdom of God."

One reads with amazement the story of the pilgrimage site of Falgoët, whose foundation goes back to an alleged fool who on every occasion repeatedly said "Ave Maria."
The Mother of God rewarded this simple but precious piety with a miracle:
After his death, a lily grew on his grave, whose leaves bore the words "Ave Maria" in golden letters. Upon investigating the root, it was found to lead into the mouth of the dead Solomon: a wonderful manifestation of heaven of how pleasing to God and powerful the Hail Mary is.

But we who still live and may pray the Hail Mary every day should be reminded that with each Hail Mary we beautify our soul and give the Mother of God inexpressible joy.
Make yourselves all familiar with this so beautiful and devout devotion and practice it until the end of your life.
I even ask confessors to assign this devotion as a penance, since it alone brings more fruits than any other penance.
(St. Leonard of Port Maurice)

A 24-year-old young man who had for about ten years frequented bad company had become the plaything of criminal passions.
His mother had not spared conversion attempts: prayers, fasting, alms, advice, reproaches, and tears – yet all seemed in vain.

Then she lamented her sorrow to a priest, and he, following a happy inspiration, made her the salutary suggestion:
"Promise me to pray Three Hail Marys morning and evening in honor of the most holy Virgin for your whole life, and I promise you in the name of the heavenly Comforter the return of your dear son to God."

The mother began immediately in her distress with the devotion the priest had advised, and practiced it with full confidence and perseverance.
So several weeks passed without her son giving any sign of improvement. The poor woman was near despair and feared that God and the most holy Virgin had abandoned her.
But on May 15, which is celebrated in her region as the feast of "Our Lady of the Ears of Grain," she came to the missionary not as usual with tearful eyes, but radiant with joy, and said deeply moved:
"Father, thanks to Mary!"

When the newly converted confessed to him, the priest too could no longer hold back the tears of joy.

The vocation to the priesthood or religious life reveals a special predilection of the Lord for the soul He has chosen, whom He has called "from among millions for millions."
When she listens to the voice of God and speaks her Yes, she calls down upon herself and upon all whom God has entrusted to her vocation an immeasurable stream of graces.

St. John Bosco asserted in his day that a third of young people are called to the priesthood or religious life, but only a tenth are aware of this high grace.
Whoever always prays Three Hail Marys morning and evening places himself under the special protection of the Mother of God, who at the throne of God begs for quite special graces for the enlightenment of the intellect and will for her protegés.

One example among many may be named here:
"Dear Father," said a young monk, "I made the prayer practice of the Three Hail Marys my own during a mission at the repeated urging of the Redemptorist missionaries, and I owe to this simple devotion first my perseverance on the way to the priesthood and later my religious vocation in the family of St. Alphonsus. I am firmly convinced of this."

A well-prayed Hail Mary is
– for the devil an enemy that puts him to flight,
– a hammer that crushes him,
– for the soul a means of sanctification,
– for the angels a joy.

It is
– the hymn of the elect,
– the Canticle of the New Covenant,
– the delight of Mary
– and the glorification of the Most Holy Trinity.
(St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort)

Hail Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among 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.