Daily Bread - Day 101

Hail, full of grace. The Archangel Gabriel thus saluted the mother of Jesus, and we learn from the salutation how wonderfully God enriched her with His best gifts, and spiritual treasures. The brief record of her in holy scripture, shews her full of faith, of hope, of charity, of humility, of patience, of every virtue. Blessed among women, as mother of the Divine Redeemer, blessed in the singular pre-eminence of her holiness. Our contemplation of her should not be a barren one. They little honour Mary, however they may say with their lips, hail, full of grace, who are vain, dressy, full of love of the world, talkative, idle, busybodies, as wives disobedient to their husbands, as mothers negligent of their children, and as Catholics, having an appearance of godliness, but denying the power thereof. Are there not many such? Give God thanks, if he keeps you from the mistake of supposing that Catholic devotion consists in using any form of words, without surrender of the affections, the will, and the life to Him, and His commandments; such only are the true children of Mary, who seek, by God's grace, to resemble their blessed mother. The hail, full of grace of others, is too much like the words of Judas, who said, hail, master, and kissed Him, but the while betraying Christ.

- text taken from Daily Bread - Bring a Few Morning Meditations for the Use of Catholic Christians by Father Richard Waldo Sibthorp