For a long time, I disliked the rosary. It was forced on me by a crotchety grandmother. Even now I struggle with praying it faithfully but more because of laziness than a dislike for it. My appreciation for Mama Mary has grown.
"Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb..."
To some of our Christian brethren, this prayer may seem idolatrous but there is a scriptural basis for this:
"Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you." - words of the angel Gabriel, addressed to Mary in Luke 1:28
"Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb." - words of Elizabeth, inspired by the Holy Spirit, in Luke 1:42
Full of grace is translated from the Greek text of Luke's gospel, "kecharitomene" (see papal document for a fuller discussion), which is a passive participle implying this fullness of grace is not an achievement by Mary but was done to her, a gift from the Almighty God, who preserved Mary from sin. This does not mean she did not need a savior. Rather, Jesus, who is sovereign beyond time and space, saved her even before he died and resurrected here on earth; by the merits of his sacrifice on the cross, he kept her free from sin from conception (for a fuller discussion, see Catholic Encyclopedia).
For one of the faith, there is no question regarding the holiness of Jesus. He is the son of God. This holiness is such that a sinful person dies when he approaches the presence of God. Remember how a well-meaning Uzzah died for touching the ark of God (2 Sam 6:6-7) when he was trying to keep it from tipping over. So how can a human being carry the son of God in her womb if she had not first been made holy too?
The ark of the covenant in the old testament was made to exact specifications. God deserves nothing but the best. So the ark of the new covenant (Mary) who would carry the Word made flesh (Jesus) in her womb for nine months would also be made according to what would be befitting the son of God.
And the last part, "Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death," is a mere request to the mother of Jesus to pray for us. We ask our friends to pray for us all the time. Why not ask someone close to him to pray for us? As shown in the miracle at the wedding at Cana (John 2:1-11), Mary is an intercessor. She tells us, "Do whatever he tells you."
"Mother of God" does not mean she is a goddess. It only means her son Jesus is. Jesus is both God and man. He is uncreated, the Word incarnate who chose to become human through Mary. If you believe Jesus became human to save us, then he took his human DNA from Mary. He chose to humble himself, taking the form of a slave but does this take away from his divine majesty? Or was it us he dignified beyond imagination?
"What are humans that you are mindful of them, mere mortals that you care for them? Yet you have made them little less than a god, crowned them with glory and honor." - Ps 8:5-6
No wonder Mary says, "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my soul rejoices in God my savior. For he has looked upon his handmaid's lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him."
- Lk 1: 46-50
*Images taken from Marian calendar given by my Nanay. Clockwise from top left: Sacra conversazione, Lorenzo Lotto; Ripposo durante la fuga in Egitto, Francesco Mancini; Madonna della seggiola, Raffaello; and Tondo Doni, Michaelangelo.
