A reflection written for Mercy Academy on Mercy traditions. In this reflection, I am going to explore one of our Mercy rituals: praying the Hail Mary together on Friday mornings by joining hands and making a circle in the classroom. On Tuesday, we celebrated the first mass of the year, the Feast of the Assumption of Mary. We heard the first part of the Hail Mary proclaimed in the Gospel on the lips of Elizabeth, Mary’s cousin: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” So, why do Catholics pray these words now? We see in Mary what God did: a simple Jewish girl who said ‘yes’ to the terrifying, transformative path God laid before her. Because of this she was chosen to become the Mother of God. As she proclaimed, “He has looked with favor on his lowly servant / From this day all generations will call me blessed: / the Almighty has done great things for me / and holy is his Name.” (NAB, Luke 1:46-49) Inspired by Mary’s willingness, Venerable Catherin