Hail Mary Prayer Lesson Plan
The Hail Mary prayer is a well-known prayer in the Catholic faith, and
it has a long history and tradition. It is based on the words spoken by
the angel Gabriel to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and by Elizabeth, Mary's
cousin, when they greeted Mary upon the annunciation and the
Visitation, respectively.
The first part of the Hail Mary prayer, "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee," is a quote from the angel Gabriel's greeting to Mary when he appeared to her to announce that she would bear the son of God. This is recorded in Luke 1:28: "And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women."
The second part of the Hail Mary prayer includes a quote from Elizabeth, Mary's cousin, who greeted her upon the Visitation. This is recorded in Luke 1:42: "And she spoke out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb."
The Hail Mary prayer has been an important part of the Catholic
tradition for centuries and is still widely used today. It is often
recited as part of the Rosary, a series of prayers that Catholics use to
meditate on the life of Jesus.
Introduction:
Begin the lesson by discussing the importance of prayer in the Catholic
faith. Emphasize that prayer is a way for us to communicate with God and
ask for his help and guidance.
Objective:
The objective of this lesson is to introduce students to the Hail Mary prayer and help them understand its significance and meaning. By the end of the lesson, students should be able to say the Hail Mary prayer on their own and feel comfortable using it as a form of prayer in their own spiritual practice.
Outline:
1. Introduce the Hail Mary prayer and its significance in the Catholic faith. Explain that the Hail Mary is a prayer asking for Mary, the mother of Jesus, to pray for us.
2. Read the Hail Mary prayer together as a class: "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."
3. Break down the prayer and explain the meaning of each part. For example:- "Hail Mary" - This is a greeting similar to "Hello Mary"
- "full of grace" - Mary is believed to be a very holy and pure person, so this phrase is saying that she is full of God's grace.
- "the Lord is with thee" - This means that God is with Mary and is watching over her.
- "Blessed art thou among women" - This means that Mary is very special and favored by God.
- "and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus" - Mary is the mother of Jesus, who is considered the son of God.
- "Holy Mary, Mother of God" - Mary is referred to as the Mother of God because she is the mother of Jesus, who is God.
- "pray for us sinners" - We are asking Mary to pray for us, even though we are sinners and have made mistakes.
- "now and at the hour of our death" - We are asking Mary to pray for us not just now, but also at the time of our death.
4. Have the students repeat the prayer several times until they feel comfortable saying it on their own.
5. Encourage the students to say the Hail Mary prayer at home, either on their own or with their families .
6. If desired, you can also incorporate additional activities to help reinforce the prayer, such as drawing pictures or creating crafts related to the Hail Mary.
