When the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary at the Annunciation, his greeting was unlike any ever spoken to a human being: “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you” (Luke 1:28). In those few words, heaven revealed how God saw her—not merely as a good woman, but as one completely filled with His divine favor. This greeting wasn’t just polite; it was a proclamation of her holiness and her special place in salvation history.
To be “full of grace” means that Mary lived entirely within God’s grace—His life and love dwelling in her from the very beginning. The Church teaches that this fullness of grace began at her conception: she was preserved from the stain of original sin so that she could freely and perfectly receive God’s will. That’s why we call her the Immaculate Conception. Her freedom from sin wasn’t her doing—it was a pure gift from God, preparing her to become the Mother of His Son.
This fullness of grace is what makes Mary the model of all believers. Grace isn’t just a divine decoration; it’s the power of God’s life within us. In Mary, that grace reached its fullness—so much so that through her, God entered the world. When we honor her as “full of grace,” we’re not worshipping her; we’re marveling at what God’s grace can do in a human heart that says yes without reserve.
And that’s what Mary teaches us—to live open to grace. Every time we pray the Hail Mary, we echo Gabriel’s greeting, inviting that same grace to work in us. Her “yes” to God shows that grace isn’t abstract—it’s the living relationship between our trust and God’s transforming love.
Mary’s life shows us what happens when a soul is completely open to God. May we, too, learn to welcome His grace so deeply that our lives become a quiet echo of her humble “yes.”
— Fr. John Matthew, for Christian Way
