a) “Hail” symbolizes universality- Mary was a Jew. She was a virgin with all the aspects and rights of respect. But the angel did not greet her as usually Jews do. She should be greeted by “shalom” instead of “chaire.” But the angel chooses “hail” to signal Mary who would be the “woman” for all mankind and not limited only to the Jewish culture. It is noteworthy that the cultural, contextual, and physical aspects of the greeting be considered in order to aid the direction of our ministry. It is necessary to show Mary's lasting and universal human qualities, in such a way that studying Mary sheds light on the study of man. In learning about Mary, we learn about human cultures and their importance in preparing for the coming of the Gospel (preparatio evangelica).

         b) “Full of Grace” was the new name given by the angel- 1) to call one’s name in the bible was to show ownership and belongingness. “He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. (Jn 10:3)” Jesus introduced a new name to address God: Father. The prayer to address Him is the “Our Father.” 2) to call one’s name also means a new mission or a new role in the history of salvation. Abram and Sarai had new names given by God: Abraham and Sarai to indicate new roles in behalf of God; 3) a divine name- the greeting of the angel was the announcement that Mary will be the Mother of the Redeemer but he announced to her a new name she would possess: a divine name “full of grace.” “Full of grace” may not be an adjective to describe Mary but a noun to illustrate her identity and existence. Benedict XVI says: “in fact, the Angel, “appearing to her,” does not call her by her earthly name, Mary, but by her divine name, as she has always been seen and characterized by God: “Full of grace - gratia plena”, which in the original Greek is kecharitōmenē, “full of grace,” and the grace is none other than the love of God; thus, in the end, we can translate this word: “beloved” of God (cf. Lk 1: 28). Origen observes that no such title had ever been given to a human being, and that it is unparalleled in all of Sacred Scripture (cf. In Lucam 6: 7).

         c) the Angel omitted Mary’s name- 1) the omission of the name “Mary” would indicate the indescribable grace Mary received. If the name of God could not be spoken of in the Old Testament because of the immensity of God’s identity and existence so true with the immensity of the role of Mary and the love of God towards her and to mankind; 2) the omission of the name Mary would describe the emptiness of Mary manifested in her simplicity and unpopularity. This greeting was joyfully received and responded with coherence when Mary said: “I am the maidservant of the Lord, let it be done unto me according to your word.” (Lk 1:38) 3) the omission of the name “Mary” would mean that even the Gentile world will have the blessing to call on “Mary.” Mary would not be limited only to the Jews but now for all mankind where Gentiles call on divine entities by names. The announcement included her would-be status in the world.

3. Mary as Teacher in our Daily Life- a) Mary teaches us to be more inclusive in heart and action rather than be exclusive in orientation and thought. Every time we pray the “Hail, Mary,” God trains our hearts to be more wholistic and inclusive in our Christian approach and attitude to everybody as we look on the identity of Mary who became our symbol of inclusiveness and universality which was revealed to her by the angel. Mary will bring newness of perspective in our chosen vocation; b) Mary reminds us that we all loved by God. Every “Hail Mary” we recite and pray should convince us of the immensity of God’s love for all of us. The “Hail Mary” is our words of gratitude to God’s love for us. Benedict XVI said: “It is a title expressed in passive form, but this “passivity” of Mary, who has always been and is for ever “loved” by the Lord, implies her free consent, her personal and original response:  in being loved, in receiving the gift of God, Mary is fully active, because she accepts with personal generosity the wave of God’s love poured out upon her. We are all loved by God but this passive voice does not end in itself but calls us to be actively participating in God’s movement of love;” c) Mary leads the Church to prayer.  Every “hail Mary” we say reminds us of our deeper vocation of prayer. Mary teaches us to pray often (cf. Lk 18:1). “And so we priests are called to have an ever firmer and more tender devotion to the Virgin Mary and to show it by imitating her virtues and praying to her often” (Pastores Dabo Vobis no. 82).