Mary, full of grace?
Look, i am not really 19 years old but 17 but i have a question i have been dying to ask. It is about Mary being "full of grace". I have read the part in the gospel according to Luke where the angel Gabriel goes to Mary but the part of full of grace is not there. It is usually "favored one" or "highly favored one". The New American Bible, which is a catholic bible, says "favored one" but not "Full of Grace". This is a catholic bible. I dont understand. I Know i am under age but please answer my question. Thank you very much.
QUESTION from Jeremy on May 18, 2004
ANSWER by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM on May 23, 2004
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Dear Jeremy: There are some newer translations of the Bible that interpret that verse rather badly, and several Protestant translations that purposely avoid the "full of grace" language out of anti-Catholicism. The better translations such as the Revised Standard Version-Catholic Edition and the Douay-Rheims render the passage as "Hail Mary, full of grace". This verse in the Latin Vulgate is, "Ave, grati plena, Dominus tecum" which translated means "Hail, full of grace, Lord you" The Greek word here is: charitoo derived from charis, meaning "grace". How the angel greeted Mary was utterly unique and unheard of that reveals the special honor that was given to Mary. Mary did not just have grace, but was FULL of grace. Both Pope Pius XI in Ineffabilis Deus and Pope Paul VI in "Creed of the People of God" remark that the Fathers and Doctors of the Church "taught that this singular, solemn and unheard-of greeting showed that all the divine graces reposed in the Mother of God and that she was adorned with all the gifts of the Holy Spirit", which meant that she "was never subject to the curse" (original sin), that is, was preserved from all sin. As Mary was FULL of grace it was not possible for any sin to be in her. The phrase, "The Lord is with you" emphasizes this fullness of grace. The angel did not say, "The Lord BE with you" but "The Lord IS with you." This is not a mere greeting but an affirmation. As St. Augustine remarked about this phrase, "He is more with you than he is with me: he is in your heart, he takes shape within you, he fill your soul, he is in your womb" (Sermo de Nativitate Domini, 4)
God bless, |