Devotion to Our Lady: The effectiveness and power of an Ave Maria

Millions of Catholics often say Ave Maria. Some repeat it hastily without even thinking about the words they are saying. These following words can help someone say it more thoughtfully.

They can give the Mother of God great joy and obtain for themselves graces that she wishes to give him.

An Ave Maria said that fills the heart of Our Lady with joy and obtains indescribably great graces for us. A well said Ave Maria gives us more graces than an absurdly said thousand.

The Ave Maria is like a gold mine from which we can always take but never run out.
Is it difficult to say the Ave Maria well? All we have to do is know its value and understand its meaning.

St. Jerome tells us that "the truths contained in the Ave Maria are so sublime, so wonderful that no man or angel could fully understand them".

Saint Thomas Aquinas, the prince of theologians, "the wisest of the saints and the most sacred of the wise men", as Leo XIII called him, preached for 40 days in Rome on the Ave Maria, filling his listeners with ecstasy .

Father F. Suarez, the holy and learned Jesuit, declared when he died that he would gladly donate all the many erudite books he wrote, all the hardships of his life, thanks to an Ave Maria who recited devoutly and devoutly.

Saint Mechtilde, who loved the Madonna very much, one day endeavored to compose a beautiful prayer in his honor. Our Lady appeared to her, with the golden letters on the breast of: "Ave Maria full of grace". He said to her: "Desistilo, dear child, from your work because no prayer you could ever compose would give me the joy and joy of the Sala Maria."

A certain man found joy in saying the Ave Maria slowly. The Blessed Virgin in return appeared smiling to him and announced the day and time when she was to die, granting him a most holy and happy death.

After death a beautiful white lily grew from his mouth after writing on his petals: "Ave Maria".

Cesario tells a similar episode. A humble and holy monk lived in the monastery. His poor mind and memory were so weak that he could only repeat a prayer that was "Ave Maria". After death a tree grew on its grave and on all its leaves it was written: "Ave Maria".

These beautiful legends show us how much the devotion for the Madonna and the power attributed to the Ave Maria was prayerfully appreciated.

Every time we say the Hail Mary we repeat the same words with which St. Gabriel the Archangel greeted Mary on the day of the Annunciation, when she was made Mother of the Son of God.

Many graces and joys filled Mary's soul at that moment.

Now, when we recite the Ave Maria, we offer all these graces again and these thanks to Our Lady and she accepts them with immense pleasure.

In return it gives us a part in these joys.

Once Our Lord asked Saint Francis Assisi to give him something. The Saint replied: "Dear Lord, I cannot give you anything because I have already given you everything, all my love".

Jesus smiled and said: "Francis, give me everything again and again, it will give me the same pleasure."

So with our beloved Mother, she accepts from us every time we say to the Hail Mary the joys and joys she received from the words of St. Gabriel.

Almighty God has given his blessed Mother all the dignity, greatness and holiness necessary to make her his most perfect Mother.

But she also gave her all the sweetness, love, tenderness and affection necessary to make her our most loving Mother. Maria is truly and truly our mother.

When children run for their mothers looking for help, then we should run immediately with unlimited trust to Maria.

Saint Bernard and many saints said that it was never, never felt, at any time or place, that Mary refused to listen to the prayers of her children on earth.

Why don't we realize this extremely consoling truth? Why reject the love and consolation that the Sweet Mother of God offers us?

It is our regrettable ignorance that deprives us of such help and consolation.

To love and trust Mary is to be happy on earth now and then to be happy in Paradise.

Dr Hugh Lammer was a faithful Protestant, with strong prejudices against the Catholic Church.

One day he found an explanation of the Ave Maria and read it. He was so enchanted that he started saying it every day. Insensibly all his anti-Catholic animosity began to disappear. He became a Catholic, holy priest and professor of Catholic theology in Wroclaw.

A priest was called to the bedside of a man who was dying desperately because of his sins.
Yet he stubbornly refused to go to confession. As a last resort, the priest asked him to say at least the Ave Maria, after which the poor man made a sincere confession and died a holy death.

In England, a parish priest was asked to go and see a seriously ill Protestant lady who wanted to become a Catholic.

Wondered if she ever went to a Catholic church or if she spoke to Catholics or read Catholic books? She replied, "No, no."

All he could remember was that —— when he was a child —— he had learned the Ave Maria from a little Catholic girl neighbor, whom she said every night. She was baptized and before dying she had the joy of seeing her husband and son baptized.

Saint Gertrude tells us in her book "Revelations" that when we thank God for the graces she has given to any saint, we get a large part of those special graces.

What thanks, therefore, we do not receive when we recite the Hail Mary thanking God for all the unspeakable graces that he has given to his Blessed Mother