Where Is the Hail Mary in the Bible?

Have you ever had a Protestant accuse you of idolatry because you venerate the Blessed Mother? Or say something like "I just go straight to God when I pray. I don't need Mary to pray for me."

Veneration of Our Lady is definitely one part of the Catholic Faith that Protestants have trouble with and frequently the "Hail Mary" is a particular point of contention. They accuse us of using words that should only be addressed to God or that cannot be found in scripture.

But, in actuality, the Hail Mary. almost word-for-word, comes from the New Testament; and most of the words of this prayer come straight from the mouths of angels, apostles, and holy Jews.

If you or other people you know are having difficulty understanding why Catholics pray this prayer then you might find the following information helpful. It is a brief explanation where each part of the Hail Mary comes from in scripture and what it means. 

Part One:

• Words of the prayer: "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you."
• Scriptural reference: "And coming to her, he said, 'Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.' (Luke 1:28)
• Explanation: The angel Gabriel greets Mary with "Hail!" This is a greeting typically reserved for royalty and serves as a foreshadowing of Mary's role as the Mother of a King - in this case, the King of Heaven. This is followed by Gabriel calling her "favored one" (also translated as "full of grace") and one whom the Lord is present to. This is a confirmation of God's unique presence within Mary; a presence of Grace and Love.

  When we pray the Hail Mary, we are praying in imitation of this greeting of God's own angel and affirming the reality of her unique role in salvation history.

Part Two

• Words of the prayer: "Blessed are thou among women." 
• Scriptural reference: "Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said 'Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.' (Luke 1:42)
• Explanation: Elizabeth's words are inspired by the Holy Spirit. Therefore we can say that this beautiful greeting is pleasing to God and an appropriate way for us, as creatures, to address Mary. We know that the fruit of Mary's womb is her child, Jesus.

Part Three

• Words of the prayer: "Holy Mary, mother of God." 
• Scriptural reference: "How does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" (Luke 1:43)
• Explanation: This next Spirit-filled acclamation from Elizabeth shows us that Mary is mother not just of the human nature of Jesus but of Jesus Himself, the Son of God, the Second Person of the Trinity. She is the Mother of God because she is the mother of Jesus, and Jesus is God. God chose to confer this honor upon her; He did not have to. Elizabeth, and we ourselves, can therefore rightly call Mary "holy" and the "Mother of God."

Part Four

• Words of the prayer: "Pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death. Amen." 
• Scriptural reference: "Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful." (James 5:16)
• Explanation: James tells his fellow Christians to pray for one another and that the prayers of a righteous person have great power. If that is true then we have to consider the following: who is the most righteous person who walked the earth besides Jesus the God-man? We know that it is the woman whom both angels and men address as "favored" and "blessed." The woman who carried the Son of God in her womb.