Full of Grace

Luke records Gabriel's greeting of Mary as "Χαίρε, κεχαριτομένη"




On “Hail, Full of Grace”


The Greek is Χαίρε, κεχαριτομένη.


κεχαριτομένη is the feminine, passive perfect participle of χαριτόω.
The root of χαριτόω is χάρις, grace, the genitive of which is χάριτος.


-οω: chiefly derived from from o-stems. Verbs in –οω are usually factitive, denoting to cause or to make. (Greek Grammer for Colleges, Herbert Weyr Smyth)
Per Strong’s concordance, χαριτόω means to endowed with grace.
Passive indicates that the subject is the recipient of the action.
Perfect indicates that the action is completed.
Participle indicates that it is adjectival in meaning (in this particular case, used substantively)


κεχαριτομένη, therefore means “female for whom the reception of grace has been completed”.


χαίρε is a greeting, literally meaning “rejoice!”


Therefore, contrary to protestant translations, κεχαριτομένη is not best translated “highly favored one”, but, as Jerome translated it, gratia plena, or “full of grace”

The New World Order

The New World Order

For Our Priests!

   A Reflection On The Priesthood

“To live in the midst of the world without wishing its pleasures; to be a member of each family, yet belonging to none; to share all sufferings, to penetrate all secrets; to heal all wounds; to go from men to God and offer Him their prayers; to return from God to men bring pardon and hope; to have a heart of fire for charity and a heart of bronze for chastity; to teach and to pardon, console and bless always –what a glori-ous life! And it is yours, O Priest of Jesus Christ!”

(Father Jean Baptiste Henri-Dominque Lacordaire, O.P.)