HEAVEN OPENED BY THE PRACTICE OF THE THREE HAIL MARYS

ONE OF THE SUREST MEANS OF SALVATION

One of the greatest means of salvation and one of the surest signs of predestination, is unquestionably, the devotion to the Most Blessed Virgin. All the holy doctors of the Church are unanimous in saying with Saint Alphonsus de Liguori: "A devout servant of Mary shall never perish." The chief thing is to persevere faithfully until death in this devotion.

Numerous examples show how agreeable the three Hail Marys Devotion is to the Divine Mother and what special graces it draws, during life and at the hour of death, on those who never omit it for a single day.

A STORY OF THE PRACTICE OF THE THREE HAIL MARYS

This practice was revealed to Saint Melchtilde (13^th century) while she was beseeching Our Blessed Mother to assist her in her hour of death. Our Lady appeared to her and said: "I will, certainly. But I also want you to say three special Hail Marys to me every day.

"The first Hail Mary will be in honour of God the Father, Whose omnipotence raised my soul so high above every other creature that after God I have the greatest power in heaven and on earth. In the hour of your death I will use that power of God the Father to keep any hostile power far from you."

"The second Hail Mary will be said in honour of the Son of God Who communicated His inscrutable wisdom to me. In the hour of your death I will fill your soul with the light of that wisdom so that all the darkness of ignorance and error will be dispelled."

A STORY OF THE PRACTICE OF THE THREE HAIL MARYS

"The third Hail Mary will be in honor of God the Holy Spirit Who filled my soul with the sweetness of His love and tenderness and mercy. In your last hour I will then change the bitterness of death into divine sweetness and delight."

Our Blessed Mother also revealed to Saint Gertrude the Great: "To any soul who faithfully prays the Three Hail Marys, I will appear at the hour of death in a splendour so extraordinary that it will fill the soul with heavenly consolation."

Saint Leonard of Port Maurice, the celebrated missionary, had the Three Hail Marys recited morning and evening in honour of Mary Immaculate, to obtain the grace of avoiding all mortal sins during the day or night; moreover she promised in a special manner, eternal salvation to all those who proved constantly faithful to this practice. He gave this devotion of Three Hail Marys as a penance in the confessional, especially for those who were struggling with sins of impurity.

A STORY OF THE PRACTICE OF THE THREE HAIL MARY 

THE PRACTICE

Recite morning and evening, three Hail Marys in honour of the three great privileges bestowed upon Our Blessed Mother by the Blessed Trinity with this invocation at the end:
for the morning: "O my Mother preserve me from mortal sin during this day." For the evening: "O my Mother preserve me from mortal sin during this night."

(Pope St. Pius X gave his Apostolic Blessing to this practice and the devotion was raised to an Archconfraternity by Pope Benedict XV.)

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