Three Hail Marys

A Mary Moment Monday post

A while back, inspired by a great book I read, I set up alarms on my phone for 10 AM, 1:15 PM, and 5:30 PM. My intent was to do an examen throughout the day.

What’s happened is something entirely different.

Often, those three alarms serve as a “here’s what time it is” reminder to me throughout the day. In the morning, I have a sense of how long until lunch.

In the afternoon, I know I should have eaten and someone should be down for a nap.

And that last one? It better not go off before I know what’s for dinner.

I thought, when I changed my tactic from the examen to the Something Else I Wasn’t Sure Of, that I would try the Liturgy of the Hours.

So far, no.

Lately, what I’ve tried to do–and what’s actually worked the best–is pray three Hail Marys.

Sometimes, I have a special intention (or a whole pile of them). Other times, I’m gripping the prayer like a lifeline. And still others, I fail to do more than silence the alarm and keep doing what I’m doing.

What I like about praying three Hail Marys is that it’s easy to remember.

The other thing I like is the idea of bringing myself to Mary throughout the day. Check this out, which I found thanks to the Mary Vitamin email:

The Saints have valued the Hail Mary as a prayer which puts devils to flight, which brings joy to the Angels, which gives glory to the Holy Trinity, and which gladdens Mary’s Heart: ‘Rejoice, O Lady full of grace!’ St. Louis de Montfort said that the unfailing sign of true devotion to Mary is a love for the Hail Mary. Mary’s true clients regard the Hail Mary as something very dear, and most expressive of their love for Our Lady. Is it not something beautiful to consider that with each Hail Mary one gives a kiss to our heavenly Mother?

From Devotion to Our Lady, by Fr. Stefano Manelli, (Academy of the Immaculate: 2001)

I love the Hail Mary anyway (hence the six months to host a word-by-word examination?). But this makes me love it even more.