Hail Mary

The Hail Mary, or Hail Mother of God, is an Orthodox prayer that is also used in the Catholic Church.
== Text ==
:Mother of God and Virgin, hail, Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, for thou hast given birth to the Saviour of our souls. 
== History ==
The first part of the prayer is taken directly from the greeting of the Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Theotokos in Luke 1:28. The second part is taken from the greeting of the Righteous Elizabeth to the Theotokos in Luke 1:42. The last part of the prayer was added to explain the reason for her state of holiness. She is blessed and holy because she accepted God's word and gave birth to the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, and because she kept herself in a state of sinless love for God throughout her whole life.
== Sources ==
*Wikipedia Article
Category:Liturgics