Faith, Hope and Love – The Power of 3 Hail Mary’s

First 3 Hail Mary's

The virtues of faith, hope and love are our ascent to God. Faith believes in what it cannot see and gives us assurance. Hope is the assurance of what is to come and gives us the strength to endure. Love defines what God is and how we should ultimately be. In praying the first three Hail Mary’s, think about our ascent into heaven. Faith, hope and love purify our lives. It cleanses the palette, so to speak, for the mission God has for us. St. Paul tells us that “faith, hope and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love” (I Cor. 13:13).

The Apostle Peter, after speaking about persecutions to come in the last days, asks the question of “what sort of persons ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness?” (2 Pet. 3:11ff). Our ascent to God is so important! He goes on to say, “Therefore, beloved, since you wait for these, be zealous to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.” Living a holy life means putting off the deeds of the flesh so we can be filled with God's grace’. The Catechism states concerning grace, “Grace is a participation in the life of God” (CCC 1997). Indeed we are saved by grace through faith and not of ourselves (Ephesians 2:8). A few verses later Paul tells us what we should be doing (verse 10). Remember, we are not passive bystanders when it comes to our salvation. Faith without works doesn't produce anything (James 2:20). So we pray for an increase of faith, hope and love.

The Rosary does include repetition. It is NOT VAIN! Consider our ascent to God at the very beginning of the Rosary. We say the Apostles Creed, which rehearses the basic elements of our faith. Then we say an Our Father. In this we exalt God our Father and we ask Him for what we need. Then we pray for an increase in faith, hope and love. So in the words of the Archangel, St. Elizabeth and the Church, we pray;

Hail Mary, full of grace,

The Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou among women,

and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,

pray for us sinners,

now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

What are your thoughts and reflections when you say the Rosary? Please join the conversation.

Resources:

All Bible quotations from the Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition, Oxford University Press, New York, NY, 2006.

Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1994.