This “angelic salutation,” as it is called, is very pleasing to the Blessed Virgin. Whenever she hears it, it seems to renew in her the joy felt when Saint Gabriel announced that she was to be the Mother of God. That is why we should frequently recite the Hail Mary. “Greet her with the angelic salutation,” says Thomas à Kempis, “for it makes her very happy to hear that prayer.” Our Lady revealed to Saint Matilda that no one could greet her in a more pleasing way than by reciting the Hail Mary.

Those who greet Mary will also be greeted by her. Saint Bernard once heard a statue of Mary address him with the words, “Hail, Bernard.” Mary’s greeting, says Saint Bonaventure, will always take the form of some grace corresponding to the needs of the person who greets her: “She gladly salutes us with grace if we joyfully salute her with the Hail Mary.” Richard of Saint Lawrence adds: “If we greet the Mother of Our Lord and say ‘Hail, Mary,’ she cannot refuse the grace we ask.” Mary herself promised Saint Gertrude as many graces at death as she had said Hail Marys. Blessed Alanus maintains that “just as all heaven rejoices when a Hail Mary is said, so the devils tremble and flee.” Thomas à Kempis reports that this is so on the basis of his own experience. He says that one day a devil appeared to him but fled instantly when he heard the Hail Mary.

We can practice this devotion in the following ways:

1. Every morning when we rise and every evening when we retire, we ought to say three Hail Marys, either in a prostrate position or at least kneeling. To each Hail Mary we should add the following short prayer: “By virtue of your Immaculate Conception, O Mary, make my body pure and my soul holy.” Then, like Saint Stanislaus, we should ask for Mary’s blessing, since she is our Mother. Placing ourselves under her protection, we should implore her to guard us from sin during the coming day or night. For this purpose, it is advisable to have a picture of the Blessed Virgin near our bed.

2. We can say the Angelus with the usual three Hail Marys in the morning, at noon, and in the evening. Pope John XXII was the first to grant an indulgence for this devotion. The occasion was as follows, according to Father Crasset: A criminal was condemned to be burnt alive on the vigil of the Annunciation. When he recited the Hail Mary in the midst of the flames, both he and his clothes remained completely unscathed. In 1724, Benedict XIII granted a hundred days’ indulgence to all who recited the Angelus, and a plenary indulgence once a month to those who during that time have recited it daily as above, on condition of going to confession and receiving holy Communion and praying for the usual intentions.

Formerly, everybody used to kneel at the sound of the bell to say the Angelus, but at the present time there are some who are ashamed to do so. Saint Charles Borromeo, however, was not ashamed to leave his carriage or get off his horse to recite the Angelus in the street, and sometimes even in the mud.

There is a story that once there was a lazy religious who neglected to kneel when he heard the Angelus bell ring. Then he saw the belfry itself bend over three times and a voice said to him: “Will you not do what even inanimate creatures do?” Here we must mention that Benedict XIV directed that during the paschal time, instead of saying the Angelus we should say the Regina Coeli, and that on Saturday evenings, and all day Sunday, the Angelus should be said standing.

3. It is well to greet our Lady with a Hail Mary whenever we hear the clock strike. Saint Alphonsus Rodriguez used to salute her every hour, and at night angels awoke him so that he would not omit this devotion.

4. Whenever we leave the house or return, we can greet Mary with a Hail Mary so that she will preserve us from sin both at home and while we are away. We might also kiss her feet in spirit each time, as the Carthusian Fathers do.

5. We should reverence every statue of Mary we pass by, saying a Hail Mary. For this purpose, those who can afford to do so should have a statue of the Blessed Virgin in their homes, so that all who come there may venerate her. In Naples, and still more in Rome, there are beautiful images of our Blessed Lady, which have been placed in the streets by Mary’s devoted clients.

6. Holy Church has ordained that the Canonical Hours of the Divine Office shall begin and end with a Hail Mary. We may therefore very well imitate her by beginning and ending all our actions with a Hail Mary. I say all our actions, whether spiritual—like prayer, confession, Communion, spiritual reading, hearing sermons, and so on—or temporal—like study, giving advice, working, eating, going to bed, and so on. Very meritorious are the acts that are enclosed within two Hail Marys. We should do this on waking in the morning, on closing our eyes before going to sleep, whenever we are tempted, or in danger, or inclined to be angry, and so on. On such occasions, we should always say a Hail Mary.

My dear reader, do this and you will see what immense advantages will come to you. Father Auriemma relates that the Blessed Virgin promised Saint Matilda a happy death if she recited three Hail Marys every day in honor of her power, wisdom, and goodness. Our Lady herself revealed to Saint Jane Frances de Chantal how pleasing the Hail Mary is to her, especially when it is recited ten times in honor of her ten virtues.

The above text is an excerpt from The Glories of Mary, by Saint Alphonsus. Considered Saint Alphonsus Liguori’s finest masterpiece, the book remains one of the Catholic Church’s greatest expressions of devotion to the Blessed Virgin. For more information, visit liguori.org or call 800-325-9521.