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.

A reflection on the word “AT”

By Daria Sockey

At? At? I’m supposed to write a meditation on the word “at”?

Well, “at” in the context of its place in the “Hail Mary.” Let’s see…

At the hour of our death…

“At” is defined as a preposition used to indicate a point or a place occupied in space or in time.

Oh, how I want the mother of Jesus to”occupy” the hour of my death. To use a current and maybe a silly example, think of the Occupy Wall Street movement. These people—whatever we may think of their politics—take over a city park and set up camp there. They don’t leave. They are there for the duration of the scheduled protest.

That’s how I want Our Lady  to be present  in prayer AT the hour of my death. I’m begging her to “occupy” that moment in time, staying there for the duration. Pitching her tent  by my deathbed, and not leaving until it’s over.  Seeing me through to the end.  Then, and only then  she can leave– taking me with her.

Daria Sockey is a freelance writer and veteran of the large family/homeschooling scene. She started her blog, Coffee and Canticles, in order to share her love for the Divine Office and to make other random, but very clever and faith-infused observations about all sorts of stuff. You’ve no doubt seen her over at Faith & Family LIVE, in Catholic Digest, and hey! She has a book coming out soon!

image credit: MorgueFile